Tanakh:

וַיְהִ֣י בַבֹּ֔קֶר וַיֵּצֵ֧א יְהוֹנָתָ֛ן הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה לְמוֹעֵ֣ד דָּוִ֑ד וְנַ֥עַר קָטֹ֖ן עִמּֽוֹ׃

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לְנַֽעֲר֔וֹ רֻ֗ץ מְצָ֥א נָא֙ אֶת־הַ֣חִצִּ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר אָנֹכִ֖י מוֹרֶ֑ה הַנַּ֣עַר רָ֔ץ וְהוּא־יָרָ֥ה הַחֵ֖צִי לְהַעֲבִרֽוֹ׃

"So it was at daybreak, that Yehonatan went out to the open field to the appointment with David, a young serving-lad with him. 

He said to his lad: 'Run, now find the arrows that I shoot!' As the lad ran, he shot an arrow past him." — Sh'muel Aleph (Samuel I) 20:35-36; 1995 Schocken Bible Everett Fox translation

Talmud, Midrash, and Commentary

“He said to the boy” [20:36]. Jonathan said to the youth. Go and find the arrows that I shot. The boy went and Jonathan shot the arrows far over the stone. The boy came to the target where he had shot. Jonathan shouted out to the boy: go quickly, the arrow was shot past you. The boy went and gathered the arrows and brought them to Jonathan and the boy did not know where David was hidden in the field. Jonathan gave arrows to the boy and told him to go home and the boy went home. David came and bowed down three times to Jonathan, and they kissed and cried together. However, David cried more than Jonathan." — Tz'enah Ure'enah Haftarot, When Rosh Chodesh Occurs on Sunday 19

Date Finished:

March 1, 2025

Description

Yonatan is the only son of Shaul's in Sh'muel Aleph that we get more info on beyond brief mentions. As the heir, his clothing resembles his father's the most. I also based his clothing and gear based on what he gives David later: a girdle, a cloak, a bow, and a sword. To distinguish Shaul's sons from their father and from each other, I decided to give them jeweled caps. As heir, Yonatan's cap has square gemstones like his father's rather than the round ones of the other princes. I wanted to make sure he looked good next to blue and turquoise (David's colors), but that he also reflected his father and tribe's colors of Binyamin and also his mother Achinoam.

Name:

Yonatan (יוֹנָתָ֥ן) or Yehonatan (יְהוֹנָתָ֛ן) means "Hashem has given/bestowed" as well as the name for various figures with Yonatan ben Shaul being the most famous. Yonatan is characterized heavily by giving since he gives the rights to kingship/succession and his royal garments to David.

Tanakh:

וְנֵר֙ הוֹלִ֣יד אֶת־קִ֔ישׁ וְקִ֖ישׁ הוֹלִ֣יד אֶת־שָׁא֑וּל וְשָׁא֗וּל הוֹלִ֤יד אֶת־יְהֽוֹנָתָן֙ וְאֶת־מַלְכִּישׁ֔וּעַ וְאֶת־אֲבִינָדָ֖ב וְאֶת־אֶשְׁבָּֽעַל׃ 

"Ner begot Kish. Kish begot Saul, Saul begot Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal." — Divrei Hayamim Aleph (Chronicles I) 8:33; Jewish Publication Society 1985 translation

Date Finished:

March 10, 2025

Name:

Avinadav means "my father is noble" or "my fat her is willing." This name is held by three people in Shaul's time: a man of Giveah who sheltered the Ark (most frequent reference), David's second eldest brother, and Shaul's son. There are some sources that suspect the man of Giveah (Shaul's capital) who sheltered the Ark and Shaul's son being the same person (Green 2007) and if so, that means he had two sons (Sh'muel Bet (Samuel II) 6:3) Achio ("brotherly/fraternal") and Uzzah ("strength"), struck dead by Hashem after reaching for the Ark (Sh'muel Bet (Samuel II) 6:6-7). Given how in Rabbinic literature, Shaul is the one who rescued the Ark from the Philistines, it would make a lot of sense if he entrusted the Ark to his family. It also aligns with Haftarah Shemini's motif on the fall of Shaul's house in the Ashkenazi version features Michal's rebuke towards David. We also do not hear of Achio again after this incident, which would line up with the political purge seen explicitly in the text.

Legends of the Jews, Abarbanel, Radak, and the Malbim attribute Yishvi as belonging to Avinadav (Legends of the Jews 4:3:42; Abarbanel on Samuel I 14:49; Malbim on Samuel I 14:49; Radak on Samuel I 14:49). Yishvi (יִשְׁוִ֖י) means "he resembles me." The parts can be divided as follows: Yish (יִשְׁ) means "there is/are, possession/property, existence/substance/reality" while the second part of the name vowelized differently means "woe/alas." Divided differently, the yud serves as a stress letter as "sh'vi" (שְׁוִ֖י) means "to become like/to be set or made", "to join/combine", "to be even/equal/alike," "to place side by side/make even," or "value/worth/price." 

Tanakh:

וַיִּֽהְיוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י שָׁא֔וּל יוֹנָתָ֥ן וְיִשְׁוִ֖י וּמַלְכִּישׁ֑וּעַ וְשֵׁם֙ שְׁתֵּ֣י בְנֹתָ֔יו שֵׁ֤ם הַבְּכִירָה֙ מֵרַ֔ב וְשֵׁ֥ם הַקְּטַנָּ֖ה מִיכַֽל׃ 

"Now the sons of Sha'ul were: Yonatan, Yishvi, Malki-Shua. And the name of his two daughters: the name of the firstborn was Merav, and the name of the younger-one was Mikhal." — Sh'muel Aleph (Samuel I) 14:49; 1995 Schocken Bible Everett Fox translation

Date Finished:

March 20, 2025

Name:

Malkishua means "my king saves/is my help." I gave Malkishua a sword because swords given to Yonatan and Shaul ultimately won the battle against the Philistines n chapter 14. The midrash says that Hashem gave the swords as a gift via an angel (Vayikra Rabbah 25:8; Bamidbar Rabbah 10:1; Midrash Sh'muel 17:3-4). I took creative license and interpreted the swords as made from meteoric iron, which fell from the heavens. Meteoric iron has been associated with royalty and used in several Bronze Age artifacts (Omens 2019) like the Gerzeh iron beads from ancient Egypt (Rehren 2013 4787; Jambon 2017, 49), the Hittite Alaca Höyük iron dagger (Jambon 2017, 49; Souckova-Siegelova 2001, 190), the Umm el-Marra iron pendant (Jambon 2017, 49), the Ugarit iron axe (Jambon 2017, 48), and Tutankhamun's iron dagger, bracelet, and headrest (Comelli 2016).

Tanakh:

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר שָׁא֜וּל אֶל־דָּוִ֗ד הִנֵּה֩ בִתִּ֨י הַגְּדוֹלָ֤ה מֵרַב֙ אֹתָהּ֙ אֶתֶּן־לְךָ֣ לְאִשָּׁ֔ה אַ֚ךְ הֱיֵה־לִ֣י לְבֶן־חַ֔יִל וְהִלָּחֵ֖ם מִלְחֲמ֣וֹת יְהֹוָ֑ה וְשָׁא֣וּל אָמַ֗ר אַל־תְּהִ֤י יָדִי֙ בּ֔וֹ וּתְהִי־ב֖וֹ יַד־פְּלִשְׁתִּֽים׃ {ס}  

"Sha’ul said to David: 'Here is my oldest daughter, Merav—her I will give you as a wife; only be a son of valor for me and fight the battles of Hashem!—For Sha’ul said [to himself]: 'Let not my own hand be against him, but let the Philistines’ hand be against him!'"— Sh'muel Aleph (Samuel I) 18:17; 1995 Schocken Bible Everett Fox translation

Talmud, Midrash, and Commentary

שָׁאֲלוּ תַּלְמִידָיו אֶת רַבִּי יוֹסֵי: הֵיאַךְ נָשָׂא דָּוִד שְׁתֵּי אֲחָיוֹת בְּחַיֵּיהֶן? אָמַר לָהֶן: מִיכַל אַחַר מִיתַת מֵירַב נְשָׂאָהּ. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן קׇרְחָה אוֹמֵר: קִידּוּשֵׁי טָעוּת הָיוּ לוֹ בְּמֵירַב, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״תְּנָה אֶת אִשְׁתִּי אֶת מִיכַל אֲשֶׁר אֵרַסְתִּי לִי בְּמֵאָה עׇרְלוֹת פְּלִשְׁתִּים״. 

"The Gemara relates a discussion about David’s marriage to Merab and Michal from a baraita (Tosefta, Sota 11:9): Rabbi Yosei’s students asked him: How did David marry two sisters while they were both alive? Rabbi Yosei said to them: He married Michal only after the death of Merab, which is permitted. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa says a different explanation: His betrothal to Merab was in error and therefore void from the outset, and so Michal was permitted to him. This is as it is stated in the words of King David to Saul’s son Ish-bosheth: “Deliver me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to me for one hundred foreskins of the Philistines” (II Samuel 3:14)." — Sanhedrin 19b:4; William Davidson Talmud Koren-Steinsaltz translation

רבי יהושע בן לוי בשם רבי יוסי אומר תינוקות שהיו בימי שאול ושמואל עד שלא הביאו שתי שערות היו דורשין את התורה במ"ט פנים טהור ובמ"ט פנים טמא

"Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said in the name of Rabbi Yosei, "In the days of Saul and Samuel, infants who had not yet grown two hairs would learn Torah, and they were able to distinguish between pure and impure faces."  — Midrash Tehillim 7:8; William Davidson Talmud Koren-Steinsaltz translation

Date Finished:

April 9, 2025

Description

I see her as a perfectionist and a scholar due to these concepts of greatness thrust upon her. Since Michal wore tefillin without disapproval from her father or the Sanhedrin, I envisioned Merav as teaching the next generation about Torah since it says the infants (plural), which could mean only the male infants but more likely meaning all infants. Now this could be exaggerated for hyperbolic effect since this is midrash after all, but given a later verse that says the daughters of Yisrael should weep for Shaul because he clothed them in scarlet and gold ornaments, perhaps the education in his kingdom was in fact egalitarian. Similar to the daughters of Yisrael, Torah scrolls are often dressed in finery as well. 

Name:

Merav's (מֵרַב֙) name means "to increase," and if vowelized differently, it means "maximum" in modern Hebrew. Its components include "rav" meaning large, great, or much as well as superior/master/teacher. If the first part of her name is vowelized differently, it could mean "mar" (to be strong, man, lord, master or mistress; adjective: bitter, pain; drop, flowing down) or "mor" meaning myrrh. I based her design on the ideas of greatness and curves.

Tanakh:

וַתֶּאֱהַ֛ב מִיכַ֥ל בַּת־שָׁא֖וּל אֶת־דָּוִ֑ד וַיַּגִּ֣דוּ לְשָׁא֔וּל וַיִּשַׁ֥ר הַדָּבָ֖ר בְּעֵינָֽיו׃   

"Now Mikhal daughter of Sha’ul had fallen in love with David, and when it was told to Sha’ul, the matter was right in his eyes." — Sh'muel Aleph (Samuel I) 18:20; 1995 Schocken Bible Everett Fox translation

Talmud, Midrash, and Halachah

אֶלָּא הַאי תַּנָּא הוּא דְּתַנְיָא: מִיכַל בַּת כּוּשִׁי הָיְתָה מַנַּחַת תְּפִילִּין וְלֹא מִיחוּ בָּהּ חֲכָמִים, וְאִשְׁתּוֹ שֶׁל יוֹנָה הָיְתָה עוֹלָה לָרֶגֶל וְלֹא מִיחוּ בָּהּ חֲכָמִים. מִדְּלֹא מִיחוּ בָּהּ חֲכָמִים — אַלְמָא קָסָבְרִי מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁלֹּא הַזְּמַן גְּרָמָא הִיא. 

"Rather, we must say that it is this tanna who maintains that Shabbat is a time for phylacteries, as it was taught in a baraita: Michal, daughter of Kushi, King Saul, would don phylacteries, and the Sages did not protest against her behavior, as she was permitted to do so. And similarly, Jonah’s wife would undertake the Festival pilgrimage and the Sages did not protest against her practice. From the fact that the Sages did not protest against Michal’s donning phylacteries, it is apparent that these Sages hold that phylacteries is a positive mitzva not bound by time, i.e., it is a mitzva whose performance is mandated at all times, including nights and Shabbat. There is an accepted principle that women are obligated in all positive mitzvot not bound by time." — Eruvin 96a; William Davidson Talmud Koren Steinsaltz

Date Finished:

April 14, 2025

Description:

I see Michal as a Torah scholar. Like her sister Merav, Michal benefited greatly from the schooling of all under Sh'muel and Shaul. However, she wanted to go further than just teaching the women like Merav wanted to. She's ambitious yet a romantic and this romanticism leads to her downfall. 

Name:

Michal's name (מִיכַ֥ל) may mean brook or stream but a more apt translation seems to be "who is like Hashem." This name calls back to Shirah HaYam (Song of the Sea). If we capitalize on the "water" meaning, Torah is often compared to the water of life and traditionally, Jews must read from the Torah every 3 days.

Certain Rabbis claim Michal is the same as David's wife Eglah (עֶגְלָ֖ה; "calf or heifer"; vowelized differently: "cart/wagon"), who bore David one son, Ithream (Sanhedrin 21a:14-15; Rashi on Samuel II 3:5:1; Midrash Tehillim 59:3) to reduce the number of wives David had and because of Michal's courageous resistance against her father (Sh'muel Aleph (Samuel I) 19:17; Midrash Tehillim 59:3), because she was dear to David (Sanhedrin 21a:14; Bereshit Rabbah 82:7), or because of how she died from fever (Midrash Sh'muel 11:3; Midrash Sh'muel 22:4). Her name is composed of "who" and "all/whole."

Design Notes

Because of all the callbacks to the splitting of the sea, I decided to base her design heavily on blues to align with the rainbow theme of Shaul's children and David's blue. She is the only woman known for loving a man in all Tanakh while other references to love were for men towards women. I gave her a turban-like headcovering instead of a veil because several sources attest to Michal wearing tefillin, which was considered a man's mitzvah (Tractate Tefillin 1:3; Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 2:3:9; Jerusalem Talmud Eruvin 10:1:4; Melkhita DeRabbi Yishmael, Tractate Pischa 17:32; Sefer HaCinukh 421:9; Mishneh Torah Tefillin, Mezzuzah, and the Torah Scroll 4:13). Sources disagree on whether the Sages protested against Michal wearing them or not. The Babylonian Talmud (Eruvin 96a) and halachah (Sefer HaCinukh 421:9) say that the Sages did not protest while the Jerusalem Talmud maintains that the Sages protested and/or forbid her to wear them (Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 2:3:9, Jerusalem Talmud Eruvin 10:1:4). This debate mirrors the Sages' debate on if David was allowed into our people because of his ger (convert) great grandmother Rut (Ruth Rabbah 4:6; Yevamot 76b:2, 76b:14-77a:4).

Tanakh:

וַיִּֽהְיוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י שָׁא֔וּל יוֹנָתָ֥ן וְיִשְׁוִ֖י וּמַלְכִּישׁ֑וּעַ וְשֵׁם֙ שְׁתֵּ֣י בְנֹתָ֔יו שֵׁ֤ם הַבְּכִירָה֙ מֵרַ֔ב וְשֵׁ֥ם הַקְּטַנָּ֖ה מִיכַֽל׃    

"Now the sons of Sha’ul were: Yonatan, Yishvi, and Malki-Shua. And the name of his two daughters: the name of the firstborn was Merav, and the name of the younger-one was Mikhal." — Sh'muel Aleph (Samuel I) 14:49; 1995 Schocken Bible Everett Fox translation

וְאַבְנֵ֣ר בֶּן־נֵ֔ר שַׂר־צָבָ֖א אֲשֶׁ֣ר לְשָׁא֑וּל לָקַ֗ח אֶת־אִ֥ישׁ בֹּ֙שֶׁת֙ בֶּן־שָׁא֔וּל וַיַּעֲבִרֵ֖הוּ מַחֲנָֽיִם׃

וַיַּמְלִכֵ֙הוּ֙ אֶל־הַגִּלְעָ֔ד וְאֶל־הָאֲשׁוּרִ֖י וְאֶֽל־יִזְרְעֶ֑אל וְעַל־אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ וְעַל־בִּנְיָמִ֔ן וְעַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל כֻּלֹּֽה׃ {פ}

"But Avner son of Ner, commander of the armed-forces that belonged to Sha’ul, had taken Ish-Boshet son of Sha’ul, and had had him cross over to Mahanayim;
he had made him king over Gil’ad, over the Geshurites, and over Yizre’el, over Efrayim and over Binyamin—over Israel, all of it." — Sh'muel Bet (Samuel II) 2:8-9; 1995 Schocken Bible Everett Fox translation

וְנֵר֙ הוֹלִ֣יד אֶת־קִ֔ישׁ וְקִ֖ישׁ הוֹלִ֣יד אֶת־שָׁא֑וּל וְשָׁא֗וּל הוֹלִ֤יד אֶת־יְהֽוֹנָתָן֙ וְאֶת־מַלְכִּישׁ֔וּעַ וְאֶת־אֲבִינָדָ֖ב וְאֶת־אֶשְׁבָּֽעַל׃ 

"Ner begot Kish, Kish begot Saul, Saul begot Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal." — Di'vrei HaYamim Aleph (Chronicles I) 9:39; 1985 Jewish Publication Society (JPS) translation

Talmud, Midrash, and Halachah

את יהונתן ואת מלכי שוע ואת אבינדב ואת אשבעל. אבינדב הוא ישוי שזוכר בספר שמואל (ש"א יד,מט), וכן זוכר אותו שם "אבינדב" כשמתו במלחמה (ש"א לא,ב). ואשבעל הוא איש בשת בן שאול (ש"ב ב,ח); ו"בעל" ו"בשת" אחד, כי הבעל נקרא "בשת" כמו שנ' "וינזרו לבשת" (הו' ט,י); וכן אמ' "שמתם מזבחות לבשת מזבחות לקטר לבעל" (יר' יא,יג). וכן גדעון נקרא "ירבעל" (שו' ו,לב) ונקרא "ירבשת" (ש"ב יא,כא); ולא ספר לנו הכת' למה נקרא שמו כן. וכן בן יהונתן: בספר שמואל זוכר אותו "מפיבשת" (ש"ב ד,ד), והנה "מריב בעל" (להלן פס' לד): הנה "בעל" במקום "בשת"; ו"מריב" במקום "מפי" כי קרובים הם, כי המריבה היא על הפה. ונקראו כן על ענין ידוע אצלם ולא נודע אצלנו:

"Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal. Abinadab is the same as Ishvi mentioned in the book of Samuel (1 14:49): the text calls him Abinadab there also when they died at war (1 Sam 31:2). Eshbaal is the same as Ish-bosheth (Ish Boshet) son of Saul (2 Sam 2:8): “baal” and “bosheth” are the same, because the Baal-deity is called Boshet (=shame), as it says, “They turned aside to Boshet” (Hos 9:10). It also says, “you have set up altars to Boshet, altars for sacrifice to Baal” (Jer 11:13). Furthermore, Gideon is called both Jerubbaal (Judg 6:32) and Jerubbesheth (2 Sam 11:21). (The text, however, does not tell us why he was called that.) The same is true for Jonathan’s son: in the book of Samuel it calls him Mephibosheth (2 4:4), and here “Merib-baal” (v. 34). “Baal” stands in place of “bosheth”; and “Merib (meriv)” stands in place of “Mephi (mefi [מפי])” because they are similar, for a merivah (=quarrel) is ‘al ha-peh (על הפה; [=oral]). This is what they were called because of some matter known to them that it not known to us. " — Radak on Divrei HaYamim Aleph (Chronicles I) 8:33:2

Date Finished:

April 15, 2025

Description:

Unlike Shaul's other children, Yishvi gets little in terms of commentary and Talmud time and there's also disagreement on who he is or what his name was. For what little exists, I decided to base Yishvi's design heavily on purples since he is the only one of Shaul's children who becomes king for however short of a time (2 years). Within Biblical scholarship, there's even less agreement on his age since the ages and reign lengths are weird for both Shaul and his son Eshbaal (Brooks 1998). Shaul's reign is listed as starting when he was one year and that it lasted for two years, which does not make sense. Similarly, Eshbaal's reign starts when he is forty and lasts for two years, which again. Brooks therefore supposes that Eshbaal became king as an infant with Avner as his regent and that he was assasinated at 17. Another alternative is making him a young king like Yochi Brandes at approximately 20. He's agreeable and mild-mannered but also timid and more of a scholar than a warrior as well as inheriting his father's modesty. Yishvi's main strength is diplomacy rather than war, born during a time of relative peace.

Name:

Yishvi's name is unclear given three versions of his name in the three different Tanakh sources listed above. 

Eshbaal (אֶשְׁבָּֽעַל) means "a man of Baal" and seems to be the uncensored version of his name compared to the name Yishboshet. "Esh" (אֶשְׁ) means fire, flames, supernatural fire, and also Hashem's anger. "Baal" (בָּֽעַל) in Hebrew means owner/master/lord/ruler, husband, or soil watered by rain but infamously associated with the Caananite deity Ba'al, who displaced worship of the Caananite deity El in the Iron Age. Historically, Judaism evolved Within Tanakh, Ba'al is an idol, and therefore, Eshbaal's name got transformed into Yishboshet.

Ishboshet (אִ֥ישׁ בֹּ֙שֶׁת֙) means "man of shame." "Ish" (אִ֥ישׁ) means "man, husband, masculine, hero, everyone/each one/anyone/anybody, person, or champion." In contrast, "boshet" (בֹּ֙שֶׁת֙) means "to put to shame/be ashamed/be disappointed" or "to delay (in shame)."

In contrast to both of these names, Yishvi (יִשְׁוִ֖י) has a more positive meaning of "he resembles me." The parts can be divided as follows: Yish (יִשְׁ) means "there is/are, possession/property, existence/substance/reality" while the second part of the name vowelized differently means "woe/alas." Divided differently, the yud serves as a stress letter as "sh'vi" (שְׁוִ֖י) means "to become like/to be set or made", "to join/combine", "to be even/equal/alike," "to place side by side/make even," or "value/worth/price." Legends of the Jews, Abarbanel, Radak, and the Malbim attribute this name as belonging to Avinadav (Legends of the Jews 4:3:42; Abarbanel on Samuel I 14:49; Malbim on Samuel I 14:49; Radak on Samuel I 14:49), but other sources like Metzudat David and Jewish Publication Society suggest that Yishvi is Ishboshet/Esh-baal (Metzudat David on 14:49:1; JPS 1985 footnotes Samuel I 14, 16).

Design Notes:

Because Ishvi's name can mean "to combine" or "to make even," I tried to emphasize symmetry in the design and have things come in twos since he only reigned for two years as king. Since the tribe of Binyamin had a plethora of colors on its flag, I decided to extend the rainbow palette to all of Shaul's children. Since Yishvi is the last and the only one to become king, I clothed him heavily in many Tyrian purple tones. Because the name means "he resembles me," I tried to make Yishvi resemble young Shaul in design but not in all the ways: mainly his height, his curlier hair, and his rounder face. Unlike the young Shaul, Yishvi grew up with relative stability until Shaul's mental illness grew worse. 

Tanakh

וַיִּקַּ֣ח הַמֶּ֡לֶךְ אֶת־שְׁ֠נֵ֠י בְּנֵ֨י רִצְפָּ֤ה בַת־אַיָּה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יָלְדָ֣ה לְשָׁא֔וּל אֶת־אַרְמֹנִ֖י וְאֶת־מְפִבֹ֑שֶׁת וְאֶת־חֲמֵ֗שֶׁת בְּנֵי֙ מִיכַ֣ל בַּת־שָׁא֔וּל אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָלְדָ֛ה לְעַדְרִיאֵ֥ל בֶּן־בַּרְזִלַּ֖י הַמְּחֹלָתִֽי׃

"So the king took the two sons of Ritzpa daughter of Aya, whom she had borne to Sha’ul, Armoni and Mefiboshet, and the five sons of Merav daughter of Sha’ul, whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholatite," — Sh´muel Aleph (Samuel I) 21:8

Talmud, Midrash, and Commentary

״וַיִּקַּח הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת שְׁנֵי בְּנֵי רִצְפָּה בַת אַיָּה אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה לְשָׁאוּל אֶת אַרְמֹנִי וְאֶת מְפִבֹשֶׁת וְאֶת חֲמֵשֶׁת בְּנֵי מִיכַל בַּת שָׁאוּל אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה לְעַדְרִיאֵל בֶּן בַּרְזִילַּי הַמְּחֹלָתִי״. מַאי שְׁנָא הָנֵי? אָמַר רַב הוּנָא: הֶעֱבִירוּם לִפְנֵי אָרוֹן, כֹּל שֶׁאָרוֹן קוֹלְטוֹ — לְמִיתָה, כֹּל שֶׁאֵין אָרוֹן קוֹלְטוֹ — לְחַיִּים.

"The Gemara continues with its understanding of the incident: “And the king took the two sons of Rizpah, daughter of Aiah, whom she bore unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth, and the five sons of Michal, daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite” (II Samuel 21:8). The Gemara asks: What is different about these sons that David chose them from among all the descendants of Saul? Rav Huna said: He passed all of Saul’s descendants before the Ark of the Covenant. Whoever was held back by the Ark, so that he could not move on, was condemned to death; whoever was not held back by the Ark was set apart for life." — Yevamot 79a:4; William Davidson Talmud Steinsaltz translation

Date Finished:

May 3, 2025

Description

I finally started to draw Rtizpah´s sons to Shaul born many years after his six initial children. I wanted to give each of Shaul´s sons a weapon or lack thereof in Yishvi´s case. 

For Armoni, I wanted to give him a shield since a citadel´s makn purpose is to defend against attackers. Notably minus his hunt for David and the command from Hashem on Amalek, Shaul´s battles with surrounding nations were primarily defensive wars fighting against Philistia, the Ammonites, and the Moavites. 

I gave Meriv-Baal his fists since the first part of his name refers to one who strives or contends, which reminded me of Yaakov wrestling an angel and getting renamed Yisrael. I also wanted to call to mind how some academic scholars connected Shimshon (known for his legendary strength) to Shaul. 

Name 

Armoni (אַרְמֹנִ֖י) means "one of the palace." Dividing his name into parts yields armon meaning enclosure or palace and ni meaning wailing or lament. changing the vowels for the first part yields aram meaning exalted. Another interpretation of his name includes division/portion, to cast or shoot or hurl or to beguile.

Meriv-Baal has two names within Tanakh since Yonatan's son is named the same thing as his half-uncle. Mefiboshet (מְפִבֹ֑שֶׁת) means "exterminating the idol." Dividing his name into parts without vowels yields "mef" meaning Memphis or "haven of good" and "boshet" meaning "to shame/disappoint," "bashfulness," or "charity."

Meriv-Baal (מְרִ֣יב בָּ֑עַל) means "Baal is my advocate." Dividing the name into parts yields something closer to what it was intended: "meriv" means adversary coming from the root of "to strive/contend" while "baal" means "owner, master, husband, lord, citizen" or "soil watered by rain." Vowelizing the first part differently can yield "mar" based around strength and being somebody or bitterness (mar)/embittered/sad, drop, myrrh, exchange, hoe/rake. If we look at the second meaning, we could get something similar to Yisrael meaning one who wrestles with Hashem. Therefore, I made Meriv-Baal's main combat hand-to-hand and scaled his muscles appropriately. The other meanings informed Meriv-Baal's design since I tried to look at drops and myrrh trees for his design.