In brief
Michal is the daughter of King Saul. She loves David, becomes his wife and saves his life by letting him down through a window when her father wants to kill him. Years later, when David dances with all his might before the ark of the LORD, she watches him from a window and despises him in her heart. The account ends on a sad note: she has no children to the day of her death. Her story invites us to keep a heart open to worship.
What does the name Michal mean?
The name Michal is generally linked to a Hebrew question meaning "who is like God?", though the Bible gives no explanation of it. The text first introduces her through her family: Saul's daughter Michal loved David (1 Samuel 18:20).
The story of Michal
A king's daughter who loves David
1 Samuel 18:20-27Michal, Saul's daughter, loves David. Saul sees this as a trap to hand him over to the Philistines and asks a dangerous bride price. David pays it, and Saul gives him Michal as his wife. Saul then realizes that the LORD is with David, and that his daughter loves him.
She saves David
1 Samuel 19:11-17Saul sends men to David's house to kill him in the morning. Michal warns him, lets him down through the window, then puts the household idol in the bed, covered with goats' hair. She says David is sick. Questioned by her father, she answers with an excuse.
The ark enters the city of David
2 Samuel 6:12-16David brings the ark of God up to the city of David amid rejoicing. He dances before the LORD with all his might. Michal, Saul's daughter, looks out of the window. Seeing David leaping and dancing, she despises him in her heart.
David's reply and the end of Michal
2 Samuel 6:20-23Michal reproaches David for his conduct. David replies that he danced before the LORD who chose him, and that he is ready to be even more lightly esteemed. The account ends this way: Michal, Saul's daughter, had no child to the day of her death.
What Michal teaches us
- Michal's love and courage saved David, but a heart can close afterward.
- Watching other people's worship from a window, without entering in, leads to contempt.
- God looks at the heart: David dances before the LORD, not before men.
- It is better to look undignified before men than to be cold before God.
Key verses
Saul's daughter Michal loved David. The first verse of the account, it shows that her attachment to David was sincere, amid her father's intrigues.
Michal lets David down through the window, and he escapes. This courageous act saves him from death and places her on David's side against her father.
Michal looks out of the window, sees David leaping and dancing before the LORD and despises him in her heart. This verse marks the turning point of her story.
Sermons about Michal
Frequently asked questions
Who was Michal in the Bible?
Michal is the daughter of King Saul. She loves David and becomes his wife (1 Samuel 18:20-27). She saves him when Saul wants to kill him (1 Samuel 19:11-17). Later, she despises him when she sees him dancing before the ark (2 Samuel 6:16).
What does the name Michal mean?
Her name is generally linked to a Hebrew question meaning "who is like God?". The Bible gives no explanation of this name. It is therefore wiser to stay with what the text tells of her life rather than build on etymology.
Where can I find the story of Michal in the Bible?
Her story is found in the books of Samuel: her love for David in 1 Samuel 18:20-27, her ruse to save him in 1 Samuel 19:11-17, then her reaction before the ark and her childless end in 2 Samuel 6:16-23.