Parents and Extended Family

Tanakh

וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ בִּ֣י אֲדֹנִ֔י חֵ֥י נַפְשְׁךָ֖ אֲדֹנִ֑י אֲנִ֣י הָאִשָּׁ֗ה הַנִּצֶּ֤בֶת עִמְּכָה֙ בָּזֶ֔ה לְהִתְפַּלֵּ֖ל אֶל־יי׃

"She [Chana] said: 'Please, my lord, as you yourself live, my lord: I am the woman who was standing beside you here to pray to Hashem.'" —Sh'muel Aleph (Samuel I) 1:25; 1995 Schocken Bible Everett Fox translation

Talmud, Midrash, and Commentary

חַנָּה — דִּכְתִיב: ״וַתִּתְפַּלֵּל חַנָּה וַתֹּאמַר עָלַץ לִבִּי בַּה׳ רָמָה קַרְנִי בַּה׳״. ״רָמָה קַרְנִי״, וְלֹא רָמָה פַּכִּי. דָּוִד וּשְׁלֹמֹה שֶׁנִּמְשְׁחוּ בְּקֶרֶן — נִמְשְׁכָה מַלְכוּתָן, שָׁאוּל וְיֵהוּא שֶׁנִּמְשְׁחוּ בְּפַךְ — לֹא נִמְשְׁכָה מַלְכוּתָן. 

"Hannah was a prophetess, as it is written: “And Hannah prayed and said, My heart rejoices in the Lord, my horn is exalted in the Lord” (I Samuel 2:1), and her words were prophecy, in that she said: “My horn is exalted,” and not: My pitcher is exalted. As, with regard to David and Solomon, who were anointed with oil from a horn, their kingship continued, whereas with regard to Saul and Jehu, who were anointed with oil from a pitcher, their kingship did not continue. This demonstrates that Hannah was a prophetess, as she prophesied that only those anointed with oil from a horn will merit that their kingships continue." — Megillah 14a:18; William Davidson Talmud Koren-Steinsaltz translation

Date Finished:

May 11, 2025; bust: February 7, 2025

Description

Hadassah is an original character that I made based on academic Tanakh scholarship that suggests Sh'muel's birth story may have originally been Shaul's and marrying it with the existing traditions on Shaul's lineage.

Hadassah is Kish's beloved first wife and Shaul's much-adored mother. She prayed for a child at Shiloh similar to how Chana did it. She doted on her only son Shaul, but having a child however did not fix the mental problems beneath such a wish. The Israelites killed her during the Civil War Against Binyamin.

The full image I finished as a Mother's Day special. The other mother I drew was Lot's wife Idit.

Name

וַיְהִ֨י אֹמֵ֜ן אֶת־הֲדַסָּ֗ה הִ֤יא אֶסְתֵּר֙ בַּת־דֹּד֔וֹ כִּ֛י אֵ֥ין לָ֖הּ אָ֣ב וָאֵ֑ם וְהַנַּעֲרָ֤ה יְפַת־תֹּ֙אַר֙ וְטוֹבַ֣ת מַרְאֶ֔ה וּבְמ֤וֹת אָבִ֙יהָ֙ וְאִמָּ֔הּ לְקָחָ֧הּ מׇרְדֳּכַ֛י ל֖וֹ לְבַֽת׃ 

"He was foster father to Hadassah—that is Ester—his uncle's daughter, for she had neither fahter nor mother. The maiden was shapely and beautiful; and when her father and mother died, Mordecai adopted her as his own daughter." — Ester (Esther) 2:7; Jewish Publication Society 1985 translation

Hadassah (הֲדַסָּ֗ה) means myrtle and it's Esther's Hebrew name as a Jew. Given how Esther is related to Shaul (at the very least indirectly in the original text since both are Binyaminites (Ester (Esther) 2:5-7) Esther directly according to the rabbis; Megillah 13b:1; Megillah 16a:18; Bereshit Rabbah 56:1; Esther Rabbah 4:9; Sichot HaRan 107:1), I wanted to call back to that with naming Shaul's mother Hadassah. There's also assonance with the name Chana since there is a significant amount of academic scholarship suggesting Sh'muel's birth story was originally Shaul's but changed to Sh'muel after the House of David took control (Brooks 1996; Willis 2008).

Tanakh

וַיְהִי־אִ֣ישׁ (מבן ימין) [מִבִּנְיָמִ֗ין] וּ֠שְׁמ֠וֹ קִ֣ישׁ בֶּן־אֲבִיאֵ֞ל בֶּן־צְר֧וֹר בֶּן־בְּכוֹרַ֛ת בֶּן־אֲפִ֖יחַ בֶּן־אִ֣ישׁ יְמִינִ֑י גִּבּ֖וֹר חָֽיִל׃ 

"Now there was a man of Binyamin—his name was Kish, son of Aviel, son of Tzeror, son of Bekhorat, the son of a [Bin]yaminite man, a mighty man of value." — Sh'muel Aleph (Samuel I) 21:8; 1995 Schocken Bible Everett Fox translation

Date Finished:

Full: May 13, 2025

Bust: February 7, 2025

Description

Kish is Shaul's father. He had two wives: Hadassah, his first and favorite wife and Atarah, the second wife married to fulfill the mitzvah of children since Hadassah was barren. After the Civil War against Binyamin however, the Israelites gave Kish a third wife, Basmat, a young girl from Yavesh-Gil'ad. Although Shaul and Kish had a mostly good relationship, Kish's marital history is why Shaul vowed to only have one wife.

Name

Kish (קִ֖ישׁ) means "bent" and is the same name as many minor Tanakh figures. The most prominent associations are Kish, Shaul's father and Kish, Mordechai and Ester's ancestor, who are often conflated to being the same. There's also how the rabbis claim that Shaul is "C*sh*, a Binyaminite" as referenced in David's psalm (Psalms 7:1). C*sh and Kish have different vowels but similar consonants since the kaf (כ֝֗) can also be read as a "k" and the ending letter is the same.

• Note about C*sh: In the Tanakh and Rabbinic era, this was not a slur, and referred to the African kingdom of C*sh or a dark skinned person in a neutral sense. However, modern Hebrew sees this term as a slur for African and Black people especially Ethiopian Jews. As I am not Black, I decided to censor it.

Tanakh

וְכִעֲסַ֤תָּה צָרָתָהּ֙ גַּם־כַּ֔עַס בַּעֲב֖וּר הַרְּעִמָ֑הּ כִּֽי־סָגַ֥ר יי בְּעַ֥ד רַחְמָֽהּ׃ 

"And her rival-wife would provoke her with provocation, for the sake of making-her-complain, for Hashem had closed up her womb." — Sh'muel Aleph (Samuel I) 1:6; 1995 Schocken Bible Everett Fox translation

Talmud, Midrash, and Commentary

ורבת בנים.  זה אמרה על פנינה אמרו כשהיתה חנה יולדת אחד היו בני פנינה מתים שנים

"And the mother of many: She [Channah] said this about Peninah. They said that when Channah bore [a child], two of Peninah's children would die." — Radak on I Samuel 2:5; 1995 Schocken Bible Everett Fox

Description

Atarah is the less-loved second wife of Kish brought into the family to fulfill the mitzvah of children. She is very aware of her lot and resents it. She is long deceased since the Civil War Against Binyamin.

Name:

וַתְּהִ֨י אִשָּׁ֥ה אַחֶ֛רֶת לִֽירַחְמְאֵ֖ל וּשְׁמָ֣הּ עֲטָרָ֑ה הִ֖יא אֵ֥ם אוֹנָֽם׃

"Jerahmeel had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam." — Divrei Hayamim Aleph (Chronicles I) 2:26; Jewish Publication Society 1985 translation

Atarah (עֲטָרָ֑ה) means crown or wreath.

Tanakh

וַֽיִּמְצְא֞וּ מִיּוֹשְׁבֵ֣י ׀ יָבֵ֣ישׁ גִּלְעָ֗ד אַרְבַּ֤ע מֵאוֹת֙ נַעֲרָ֣ה בְתוּלָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹא־יָדְעָ֛ה אִ֖ישׁ לְמִשְׁכַּ֣ב זָכָ֑ר וַיָּבִ֨אוּ אוֹתָ֤ם אֶל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶה֙ שִׁלֹ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּאֶ֥רֶץ כְּנָֽעַן׃ {פ} 

"They found among the settled-folk of Yavesh-Gil’ad four hundred nubile girls who had not known a man by lying with a male, and they brought them to the camp at Shilo, which is in the land of Canaan [to marry 400 men]." — Shoftim (Judges) 21:12; 1995 Schocken Bible Everett Fox translation

Talmud, Midrash, and Commentary

"The book of Judges tells the story of the dark ages of Israelite history. It is a book of redemption, but also of lessons gone unlearned. It is a book of heroes, but also a book of broken leadership. It is a book of great miracles, but also of fractured connection to God.  It is a book of great stories, but also one of repeated mistakes. It is both a book advocating for a monarchy and one that dreads its very existence." - Josh Blechner, "The Israelite Dark Ages"

Description

Basmat was Kish's third wife from Yavesh-Gilead. The Civil War Against Binyamin killed all of Binyamin's women leaving only 600 men behind. According to Rabbinic commentary, Shaul was one of these men (but he got his wife at Shiloh). Following this definition since Shaul's dad and uncle are also alive, they must have been part of the 400 men that got new wives from Yavesh-Gilead. Basmat gets along fine with Shaul since both are pretty introverted. However, Shaul misses his mother terribly. 

Name:

וַיְהִ֤י עֵשָׂו֙ בֶּן־אַרְבָּעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה וַיִּקַּ֤ח אִשָּׁה֙ אֶת־יְהוּדִ֔ית בַּת־בְּאֵרִ֖י הַֽחִתִּ֑י וְאֶת־בָּ֣שְׂמַ֔ת בַּת־אֵילֹ֖ן הַֽחִתִּֽי׃ 

"[When] Esav was forty years old, he took to wife Yehudit daughter of B’eri the Hittite and Ba’semat daughter of Elon the Hittite." — Toldot, Bereshit 26:34; 1995 Schocken Bible Everett Fox translation

אֲחִימַ֖עַץ בְּנַפְתָּלִ֑י גַּם־ה֗וּא לָקַ֛ח אֶת־בָּשְׂמַ֥ת בַּת־שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה לְאִשָּֽׁה׃ {ס} 

"Ahimaatz: in Naftali—he too took Bas’mat daughter of Shelomo as a wife— " — Melechim Aleph (Kings I) 4:15; 1995 Schocken Bible Everett Fox translation

Basmat (בָּ֣שְׂמַ֔ת) means "spice" or "perfume."

Tanakh  

וְשֵׁ֤ם שַׂר־צְבָאוֹ֙ אֲבִינֵ֔ר בֶּן־נֵ֖ר דּ֥וֹד שָׁאֽוּל׃

"And the name of the commander of his armed-forces was Aviner, son of Ner, Sha’ul’s uncle." — Sh'muel Aleph (Samuel I) 14:50; 1995 Shocken Bible Everett Fox translation

וַיֹּ֖אמֶר דּ֣וֹד שָׁא֑וּל הַגִּֽידָה־נָּ֣א לִ֔י מָה־אָמַ֥ר לָכֶ֖ם שְׁמוּאֵֽל׃ 

"Sha’ul’s uncle said: 'Pray tell me: What did Shemuel say to you?'" — Sh'muel Aleph (Samuel I) 10:15; 1995 Shocken Bible Everett Fox translation

Talmud and Midrash

זֹבֵחַ תּוֹדָה יְכַבְּדָנְנִי וְשָׂם דֶּרֶךְ אַרְאֶנּוּ בְּיֵשַׁע אֱלֹהִים (תהלים נ, כג), רַבִּי מְנַחֵם בַּר יוֹסִי אוֹמֵר: אֵלּוּ שֶׁמַּדְלִיקִים נֵרוֹת לָרַבִּים בִּמְבוֹאוֹת הָאֲפֵלִין. אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ: מִפְּנֵי מָה זָכָה שָׁאוּל לַמַּלְכוּת? מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהָיָה זְקֵנוֹ מַדְלִיק נֵרוֹת לָרַבִּים בִּמְבוֹאוֹת הָאֲפֵלִין. כָּתוּב אֶחָד אוֹמֵר: וְנֵר הוֹלִיד אֶת קִישׁ (דה״‎א ח, לג). וְכָתוּב אֶחָד אוֹמֵר: וְקִישׁ אֲבִי שָׁאוּל וְנֵר אֲבִי אַבְנֵר בֶּן אֲבִיאֵל (ש״‎א יד, נא). הָא כֵּיצַד? אֲבִיאֵל שְׁמוֹ. וְעַל שֶׁהִדְלִיק נֵרוֹת לָרַבִּים בִּמְבוֹאוֹת הָאֲפֵלִים, נִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ נֵר

"Whosoever offereth the sacrifice of thanksgiving honoreth Me; and to him that ordereth his way aright will I show the salvation of God (ibid. 50:23). R. Menahem the son of Yosé said: This verse alludes to those who light lamps in dark alleys for the benefit of the public. R. Simeon the son of Lakish declared: Saul was worthy of kingship because his grandfather lit lamps in dark alleys for the sake of the public. One verse tells us: And Ner (“light”) begot Kish (I Chron. 8:33), and another verse says: Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel (I Sam. 14:51). In this verse he was called Abiel, but because he lit lamps in dark alleys for the public good he was also called Ner (“light”)." — Midrash Tachnuma Tetzaveh 8:4; Samuel A. Berman translation

Date Finished:

March 30, 2025

Description:

Ner was Kish's younger brother and the younger son of Aviel and was not married when the Civil War Against Binyamin broke out. He fled with his brother Kish and Kish's son Shaul. After the war, the Israelite elders gave Kish and Ner wives from the women of Yavesh-Gilead: Basmat for Kish and Anah for Ner. His marriage to Anah was quite unhappy however as they argued about various things, only producing one son Avner before things became irreparable. For all his potential faults as a husband and father, he was a good uncle to Shaul. However, it was not too long after Shaul's crowning that his uncle died suddenly.

I wanted Ner to resemble his brother Kish and his son Avner but with more flame references in his design and an even warmer color palette.

Name:

Ner's name derives from another name that his father Aviel was given: Ner, meaning "lamp" or "candle." Aviel was given the name Ner because he lit lamps for the public for the public with some rabbis ascribing Shaul becoming king only to Aviel's merit (Vayikra Rabbah 9:2). Little information is given about Shaul's uncle other than that he was married to the Witch of Endor, that Avner is his son, and that he asked Shaul about what happened after the young Shaul's encounter with Sh'muel the Prophet (unless this was another uncle, but that is unlikely). He may have also been known as Zephaniah ("the hidden one") depending on how you read the description of the Witch of Endor as Avner's mother. His title as "uncle" (דּ֥וֹד) has the same Hebrew letters as David if you vowelize them differently.

Tanakh  

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר שָׁא֜וּל לַעֲבָדָ֗יו בַּקְּשׁוּ־לִי֙ אֵ֣שֶׁת בַּעֲלַת־א֔וֹב וְאֵלְכָ֥ה אֵלֶ֖יהָ וְאֶדְרְשָׁה־בָּ֑הּ וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ עֲבָדָיו֙ אֵלָ֔יו הִנֵּ֛ה אֵ֥שֶׁת בַּעֲלַת־א֖וֹב בְּעֵ֥ין דּֽוֹר׃ 

"So Sha’ul said to his servants: 'Seek for me a woman, a possessor of ghosts, that I may go to her, that I may inquire of [the dead] through her.' His servants said to him: 'There is a woman, a possessor of ghosts at En Dor.'" — Sh'muel Aleph (Samuel I) 28:7; 1995 Shocken Bible Everett Fox translation

Talmud and Midrash

רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר: תֵּדַע לְךָ כֹּחַ הַצְּדָקָה. בֹּא וּרְאֵה מִשָּׁאוּל בֶּן קִישׁ שֶׁהֵסִיר אֶת הָאוֹבוֹת וְהַיִּדְּעוֹנִים מִן הָאָרֶץ, וְחָזַר וְאָהַב אֲשֶׁר שָׂנָא, וְהָלַךְ לוֹ לְעֵין דּוֹר לְאֵשֶׁת צְפַנְיָה אִמּוֹ שֶׁל אַבְנֵר, וְשָׁאֲלָה לוֹ בָּאוֹב. וְהֶעֱלָה אֶת שְׁמוּאֵל הַנָּבִיא, וְרָאוּ הַמֵּתִים אֶת שְׁמוּאֵל עוֹלֶה וְעָלוּ עִמּוֹ, סְבוּרִים שֶׁהִגִּיעַ תְּחִיַּת הַמֵּתִים. וְרָאֲתָה הָאִשָּׁה וְנִבְהֲלָה הַרְבֵּה מְאֹד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַיֹּאמֶר לָהּ הַמֶּלֶךְ אַל תִּירְאִי כִּי מָה רָאִית״. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים: צַדִּיקִים רַבִּים כַּיּוֹצֵא בּוֹ עָלוּ עִמּוֹ בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה. 

"Rabbi Eliezer said: Know thou the power of charity. Come and see from (the instance of) Saul, the son of Kish, who removed the witches and the necromancers from off the earth, and once again he loved that which he had hated. He went to En Dor, to the wife of Zephaniah [or the woman Zephaniah; unclear], the mother of Abner, and he inquired of her for himself by the familiar spirit, and she brought for him Samuel the prophet, and the dead saw Samuel ascending, and they ascended with him, thinking that the resurrection of the dead had come, and the woman beheld, and she became very much confused, as it is said, "And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what seest thou?" (1 Sam. 28:13). Some say: Many righteous men like (Samuel) came up with him in that hour." — Pikrei DeRabbi Eliezer 33:10; 1916 Friedlander translation

Date Finished:

March 30, 2025

Description:

Anah's parentage is unknown. Her mother came from the tribe of Menashe while her father was unknown, but rumors were that he was a Midianite named Adod. She was raised in the city of Yavesh-Gilead, but she was taken as a young girl after the Israelites sieged the city to become the wife of Ner. The marriage was an unhappy one of sore mismatch in personalities and values since she practiced sorcery before Ner died suddenly. Despite their rocky marriage, Anah was greatly grieved by her husband's death and that is what led to her pursuing necromancy in particular. Her only son Avner became estranged from her as she became more consumed by sorcery. Avner spent more time with his paternal uncle Kish and paternal cousin Shaul. 

I sought to make her look more dead than alive with stringy hair and gauzy linen clothing reminiscent of a mummy or ghost.

Name:

עֵשָׂ֛ו לָקַ֥ח אֶת־נָשָׁ֖יו מִבְּנ֣וֹת כְּנָ֑עַן אֶת־עָדָ֗ה בַּת־אֵילוֹן֙ הַֽחִתִּ֔י וְאֶת־אׇהֳלִֽיבָמָה֙ בַּת־עֲנָ֔ה בַּת־צִבְע֖וֹן הַֽחִוִּֽי׃

"Esav took his wives from the women of Canaan: Ada, daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholivama, daughter of Ana [and] granddaughter of Tziv’on the Hivvite," —Vayishlach, Bereshit (Genesis) 36:2; 1995 Shocken Bible Everett Fox translation

The Witch of Endor goes by many names: Zephaniah ("the hidden one") or married to Zephaniah (Pikrei DeRabbi Eliezer 33:10), Tzedek'la (צדק לא, "unrighteous") (Philo), or Toval (טָֽבְאַֽל; "Hashem is good/wise/act as a physician" or "good for nothing" or  "not good in the eyes of Hashem") (Rashi based on Yisha'yah (Isaiah) 7:6). Rashi claimed that Toval was the daughter of Adod the Midianite, who deceived people with her sorcery for forty years (Legend of the Jews, Samuel 4:3:31; footnote 74).

I decided to name the Witch of Endor, Anah, meaning "to answer, respond, or reply" or "to be humble/low" or as an adjective "poor/needy."