Michal, Daughter of a King, Wife of a King, and Woman of Strength

Michal, the youngest daughter of King Shaul and the first wife of King David, is one of the most complex women in Tanach. Her story, found throughout Sefer Shmuel, weaves together love, politics, spiritual courage, and tragic consequences.

Love, Loyalty, and a Political Pawn

After David killed Goliat, the women of Israel praised him, sparking King Shaul’s jealousy. Though Shaul had promised his daughter to whoever defeated Goliat, he offered David his eldest daughter, Meirav, as a ploy, hoping David would die in battle. David humbly declined, and Meirav married Adriel HaMecholati.

When Shaul learned that Michal loved David, he offered her hand instead, on the condition that David bring him 100 Philistine foreskins as a bride price, once again hoping David would fall. David fulfilled the challenge, and he and Michal married.

Later, when Shaul sought to kill David, Michal courageously helped him escape through a window, disguising a household idol in his bed and claiming David was ill. When the ruse was discovered, she told her father that David had threatened her.

Following David’s flight, Shaul gave Michal to another man, Palti ben Laish. This second marriage raised halachic (Jewish legal) questions, as David was still alive. Commentators explain that Shaul either coerced David to give a get (bill of divorce) to Michal or that a halachic error led to Michal’s remarriage.

Palti, also called Paltiel, is praised in Sanhedrin 20a for never having been intimate with Michal. He placed a sword between them in bed and declared, “Whoever crosses this line shall be pierced by it.” When David reclaimed his throne, Michal was returned to him, with Paltiel accompanying her in tears. The Talmud interprets his weeping not as romantic sorrow but as mourning the loss of a mitzvah (Divine commandment).

The sages extol Paltiel's moral strength alongside that of Yosef and Yael. In Vayikra Rabbah (23:10), they say: “Three fled from sin and Hashem joined His name to theirs, Yosef, Yael, and Paltiel.”

Defiance and Punishment

Michal reappears during one of the most triumphant moments of David’s reign: the procession of the aron (ark) to Jerusalem. Watching from a window, Michal sees David dancing with abandon before Hashem and despises him in her heart.

When David returns home, she rebukes him: “You dishonored yourself today like a vulgar man.” David responds forcefully, saying that unlike her father’s house, which sought its own honor, he celebrates the honor of Heaven.

As a consequence of her scorn, Michal is punished. Shmuel II (6:23) states, “And Michal the daughter of Shaul had no children until the day of her death.” The sages interpret this in two ways: some say she never had children until the day she died, while others say she had children, although from that day on, she didn't give birth to any more.

A Complicated Legacy

Elsewhere, Michal is described as raising five sons, though the verse refers to them as the children of Adriel HaMecholati. The Gemara clarifies that these were Meirav’s biological children, whom Michal raised after Meirav’s death. The sages explain that one who raises an orphan is regarded as if they had given birth to them (Sanhedrin 19b).

Michal is listed among the four most beautiful women in the world (Otzar HaMidrashim), alongside Rachav, Yael, and Avigayil. She was intelligent, bold, and devoted, but her life was defined as much by sacrifice as by royalty. Her bravery saved David’s life. Her personal loss reflected the spiritual values she upheld, even at great cost.