Who was Adriel in the Bible?

Adriel was a man from the town of Meholah who married Merab, the daughter of King Saul. He is known for being the father of five sons, as recorded in 1 Samuel 18:19 and 2 Samuel 21:8.

What happened to Adriel's sons?

Adriel's five sons were handed over by King David to be executed by the Gibeonites to atone for Saul's earlier injustice against them. This tragic event is described in 2 Samuel 21:8-9.

Why is Adriel significant in the Bible?

Adriel's significance lies in his family connection to King Saul and the tragic fate of his sons, which illustrates the severe consequences of a broken covenant and the principle of corporate responsibility in the Old Testament (2 Samuel 21:1-9).

Adriel

Old TestamentUnited MonarchyMaleSon

Adriel married Saul's daughter Merab and had five sons. (1Sa.18.19; 2Sa.21.8)

Adriel

Biography

Adriel was the son of Barzillai the Meholathite and the husband of Merab, King Saul's eldest daughter (1 Samuel 18:19). Although Saul had initially promised Merab to David, he gave her instead to Adriel, a slight that added to the complex web of tensions between Saul and David. Adriel and Merab had five sons together. Years later, during David's reign, a three-year famine prompted an inquiry of the LORD, who revealed it was divine judgment for Saul's slaughter of the Gibeonites. The Gibeonites demanded the execution of seven of Saul's descendants as restitution, and David surrendered five of Adriel's sons (through Merab) along with two sons of Rizpah (2 Samuel 21:8–9). They were hanged before the LORD on the mountain.

Significance

Adriel himself is a peripheral figure whose significance lies largely in his connection to Saul's dynasty and in the tragic fate of his sons. The execution of his five sons in 2 Samuel 21 raises profound theological questions about collective guilt and covenantal obligation. The episode demonstrates that unaddressed covenant violations, Saul's broken treaty with the Gibeonites (cf. Joshua 9), have long-reaching consequences that pass across generations. The haunting image of Rizpah guarding the bodies of the executed men (2 Samuel 21:10–11) moved David to give them honorable burial alongside Saul and Jonathan, suggesting that even in divine judgment, human dignity and proper mourning have their place. Adriel's story is a sobering reminder that the sins of leaders ripple outward to touch those connected to them.

Verse Appearances (2)

1 Samuel

1 Samuel 18:19

2 Samuel

2 Samuel 21:8

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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