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מִיכָל

𐤌𐤉𐤊𐤋

Mikhal

H4324 noun

SILEX Entry

Root מיכ who (interrogative), like, God (as a theophoric element)

Definition

A proper name referring to a woman, specifically the younger daughter of Saul and first wife of David. The etymology suggests a meaning somewhat akin to 'Who is like El (God)?', but in the biblical text, the term functions as a personal name, not as a descriptive or titular phrase, and is devoid of transparent meaning in most contexts.

Semantic Range

proper name; the feminine personal name of Saul's daughter; never used as common noun or title

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root מיכ, likely a theophoric name combining מִי ('who?') + כְּ ('like, as') + אֵל ('El, God'), producing the sense 'Who is like (the) God?' The precise formation is debated; in Hebrew, personal names often express rhetorical questions or attributes of deity; the feminine name מִיכָל (Mîykâl) appears independently and is to be distinguished from the masculine form מִיכָאֵל (Mîkāʾēl).

Historical & Contextual Notes

מִיכָל (Mîykâl) is exclusively attested as a proper name in the Hebrew Bible—most notably, the younger daughter of Saul, who becomes the first wife of David (1 Samuel 14:49, 18:20–27, etc.). Unlike the masculine form מִיכָאֵל (Michael), which becomes the name of an archangel in post-biblical literature, the feminine מִיכָל refers only to this royal figure. The connection to the meaning 'Who is like God?' is less explicit in narrative usage, and there is no indication that her name reflects traits or characteristics attributed to her. Rather, its function is strictly nominative. The use of 'Michal' in English Bibles derives from the transliteration tradition; the meaning 'revulet' given in older sources such as Strong's is unfounded etymologically and is not supported by modern scholarship. There is no evidence of מִיכָל being a common noun with an independent lexical sense apart from the personal name.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

apparently the same as מִיכָל; revulet; Mikal, Saul's daughter; Michal.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

מיכ (m-y-k) — who, like, God (theophoric element)

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4316 מִיכָא Who is like Yah?
H4318 מִיכָה to Who-is-like?
H4323 מִיכָל Mikhal

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4324-01 מִיכַֽל mikhal HNp Michal Mikhal 14
H4324-03 וּ/מִיכַ֥ל umikhal HC/Np and Michal And Mikhal 3
H4324-02 וּ/לְ/מִיכַל֙ ulemikhal HC/R/Np And to Michal and to Michal 1

Occurrences in Scripture

18 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4324-01 1 Samuel 14:49 מִיכַֽל mikhal HNp Michal Mikhal
H4324-01 1 Samuel 18:20 מִיכַ֥ל mikhal HNp Michal Mikhal
H4324-01 1 Samuel 18:27 מִיכַ֥ל mikhal HNp Michal Mikhal
H4324-03 1 Samuel 18:28 וּ/מִיכַ֥ל umikhal HC/Np and Michal And Mikhal
H4324-01 1 Samuel 19:11 מִיכַ֤ל mikhal HNp Michal Mikhal
H4324-01 1 Samuel 19:12 מִיכַ֛ל mikhal HNp Michal Mikhal
H4324-01 1 Samuel 19:13 מִיכַ֜ל mikhal HNp Michal Mikhal
H4324-01 1 Samuel 19:17 מִיכַ֗ל mikhal HNp Michal Mikhal
H4324-01 1 Samuel 19:17 מִיכַל֙ mikhal-2 HNp Michal Mikhal
H4324-01 1 Samuel 25:44 מִיכַ֥ל mikhal HNp Michal Mikhal
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