MICHAL, THE BARREN WIFE Lillian R. K l e i n David's procreativity is substantiated by the sons he fathers by each of his many wives1—with the singular exception of his wife Michal, who remains childless 'to her dying day' (2 Sam. 6.23). It seems clear that the infertility in this instance lies with the woman, with Michal,2 but there still remains the significance of her infertility. In biblical texts women may be 'forgotten' by God, as Sarah is (Gen. 17.17),3 or they may fail to conceive because God favors another woman's con- ception, as Rachel is barren while her sister Leah repeatedly bears sons (Gen. 29.31). God usually remembers or rectifies his judgment, resulting in the woman's long-delayed and much-anticipated preg- nancy (e.g. Gen. 30.22). Michal, however, remains infertile to the end of her life. The singularity of Michal's marked identification as a child- less woman invites the reader to explore the sources and ramifications of her infertility.4 David is still a young man, as yet unmarried, and, as he puts it, 'a poor man of no consequence' (1 Sam. 18.23) when Saul offers his daughter Michal to him as wife. In fact, Michal is the second daughter Saul offers to David as wife. The daughter first offered, Merab, was the older, and—for no obvious reason—was instead given to another man. Michal, we recall, is 'given' to David by Saul, much as an object is given, and with the intention not of gaining a son-in-law but of dis- posing of David as a threat. In fact, Saul plots that Michal will serve as 1. Daughters, s u c h as Tamar, are mentioned o n l y as they appear in narrative texts. 2. Biblical texts do not admit to the possibility of male infertility among Israelites. 3. Sarah is 90 years old when she first conceives (Gen. 17.17). 4. Sarah (Gen. 11.30) is forgotten, and Rachel is neglected in favor of Leah Copyright © 2000. Sheffield Academic Press. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except fair uses permitted under Copyright © U.S. or applicable copyright law. (Gen. 29.31). Both women are later 'remembered'. Hannah (1 Sam. 2.21) gains pregnancEBSCO Publishingy by prayer : eBook. Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 12/3/2017 5:24 PM via EASTERN KENTUCKY UNIV AN: 378143 ; Brenner, Athalya.; A Feminist Companion to Samuel and Kings Account: s8356098 38 Samuel and Kings a 'snare7 to put David in a vulnerable position against the Philistines (1 Sam. 18.21). In effect, Saul gives Michal in marriage to David with the plan that David will be killed, thereby preventing the marriage. And when David and Michal do marry, Saul's intention is to widow his daughter, to kill his daughter's husband, whom she loves. Michal is thus caught in a triangle with her father and her husband, with Saul persecuting David out of jealousy. Saul's relationship to Michal is clearly less important to him than his jealousy of David. These mes- sages from father to daughter do not show love or esteem, and they surely impinge upon Michal's perception of herself. Furthermore, Michal is not described as 'beautiful' like two of David's other significant wives, Abigail and Bathsheba. Indeed, David is nowhere described as even being attracted to Michal. The text sug- gests he marries her for his advantage: 'David was pleased with becoming the king's son-in-law' (1 Sam. 18.26). On the other hand, Michal is twice reported as loving David (1 Sam. 18.20, 28).5 Michal's position is not difficult to infer. She has not received love and valida- tion from her father, and she is entering a similarly non-loving rela- tionship with David. Outwardly, Michal is in a privileged position. In a marriage in which Michal loves her husband but David presumably fulfills his conjugal duties without love, Michal may well confuse her social worth and prestige with love. It is conceivable that Michal's sense of her own worth is partially based on her position as daughter of the king; she could well have convinced himself that this handsome shep- herd/warrior is actually enamored of her. Inwardly—daughter-as-object, daughter less important to her father than revenge on a perceived enemy, daughter whose feelings are totally ignored—Michal is probably not emotionally secure. These cir- cumstances may contribute to Michal's loving David, a man socially beneath her, as she seeks love and esteem from a man. Saul the king 5. Adele Berlin attributes the 'notice that she loved David and that she made it known' to Michal's 'unfeminine traits', and suggests that David 'expresses more feelings of love and tenderness for the passive and submissive Jonathan than for the aggressive and physical Michal'; Adele Berlin, 'Characterization in Biblical Narrative: David's Wives', in David J.A. Clines and Tamara C. Eskenazi (eds.), Telling Queen Michal's Story: An Experiment in Comparative Interpretation (JSOTSup, 119; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1991), pp. 91-93. In view of David's devel- oping history of relationships with women (e.g. Abigail, Bathsheba) and men (e.g. Nabor, Uriah), Berlin's focus on gender in these relationships seems unwarranted. Copyright © 2000. Sheffield Academic Press. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except fair uses permitted under Copyright © U.S. or applicable copyright law. David's preference is for individuals he can control: he apparently prefers docile women—anEBSCO Publishingd men—t : eBooko independenCollection (EBSCOhost)t and resourcefu- printed on l12/3/2017 ones. 5:24 PM via EASTERN KENTUCKY UNIV AN: 378143 ; Brenner, Athalya.; A Feminist Companion to Samuel and Kings Account: s8356098 KLEIN Michal, the Barren Wife 39 has not shown Michal love; perhaps she thinks David the shep- herd/warrior will show the king's daughter that love. Michal pre- sumably does not know that David's pleasure is in being the king's son-in-law (1 Sam. 18.26) and not in being Michal's wife. Instead of receiving validation from her loved one, Michal has, it seems, married a man much like her father. There is no indication that David has any regard for Michal. Significantly, in a society which regards woman's role as bearer of children, Michal has not conceived while married to David. All of these elements contribute to emotional shame. Nevertheless, Michal's conflict of inward shame and privi- leged life do not destroy her capacity to love. Her strength of char- acter is indicated in that she does not continue in the victim role established with her father. Instead, Michal acts as rescuer of David in the triangulation with Saul: when Saul plots to kill his son-in-law, Michal assumes a rescuer role to save her victim husband—even though he is a warrior. She does not consult; she directs the action; and David silently complies. Saul persecutes David, Michal rescues David, thereby persecuting Saul. These actions show ambivalence in Michal's relationships with males. When Michal protects David from her father's orders to his mes- sengers to kill him, she 'let him down from the window' (1 Sam. 19.12), an effort which took rapid planning and possibly physical strength. Michal further postpones pursuit of David by putting terra- phim, household idols, in bed in his place and even claiming that he is sick and can not appear to Saul's messengers (1 Sam. 19.14). Saul insists that David be brought before him, in his sickbed if need be; when her ruse is exposed, Michal lies to her father to justify her actions (1 Sam. 19.17). In this demonstration of her allegiance, Michal 'chooses her husband over her father; this is an ironic anticipation of David's later rebuke to her that it was "the Lord who chose me rather than your father"' (2 Sam. 6.21).6 On a practical level, Michal's lie permits her to remain safe from her father's wrath and possibly an integral part of the king's family (though as a married woman she belongs to her husband's family).7 She acts resourcefully and admir- ably on behalf of her husband, but betrays her father—who has already betrayed her in his actions. One way of interpreting this series of events is in terms of Michal's 6. Peter D. Miscall, 'Michal and her Sisters', in Clines and Eskenazi (eds.), Telling Queen Michal's Story, p. 250. Copyright © 2000. Sheffield Academic Press. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except fair uses permitted under Copyright © U.S. or applicable copyright law. 7. Zafrira Ben-Barak, The Legal Background to the Restoration of Michal to David'EBSCO, iPublishingn Clines :an eBookd Eskenaz Collectioni (eds.)(EBSCOhost), Telling - printed Queen on Michal's12/3/2017 5:24Story, PM viapp .EASTERN 74-90 (86). KENTUCKY UNIV AN: 378143 ; Brenner, Athalya.; A Feminist Companion to Samuel and Kings Account: s8356098 40 Samuel and Kings self-sacrifice. One could also regard Michal's sending David away as a tacit recognition that her love for David has not been reciprocated. The household idols she places in her bed to deceive the king's mes- sengers may be seen as symbolic representations of her husband's behavior in their relationship: images of wood or clay or stone or metal, unresponsive to the love Michal brought to the marriage.