Rizpah — Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

Daughter of Aiah and a concubine of Saul. She bore two sons, Armoni and Mephibosheth, to Saul. In a dispute between Ishbosheth and Abner, Ishbosheth accused Abner of having relations with Rizpah, suggesting an attempt to become a royal claimant to Saul’s throne. Infuriated at this apparent false accusation, Abner vowed to assist David in defeating Saul and to make David king of Israel (2 Sm 3:7-10). During the reign of David, Rizpah’s two sons, along with five other sons of Saul, were killed by the Gibeonites as reparation for Saul’s unwarranted slaughter of the sons of Gibeon. Rizpah courageously protected her son’s exposed bodies from natural predators until they were buried by David (2 Sm 21:8-11).

Show passage in OET: SA2 3:7–10

OET-RV SA2 3:7

7 Now Sha’ul had had a slave-wife named Ritspah (daughter of Ayah) and Avner slept with her. So Ish-Boshet demanded, “Why have you slept with my father’s slave-wife?”

OET-RV SA2 3:8

8 Avner became very angry at this challenge from Ish -Boshet and snapped back, “Do you think I’m Yehudah’s (Judah’s) dog hiding out over here? Today I’ve been helping Sha’ul’s family: your father, his brothers, and his friends, and I won’t let you fall into David’s hands. Yet today you bring some charge against me to do with a woman?

OET-RV SA2 3:9

9 May God punish me if I don’t do for David exactly what Yahweh promised him

OET-RV SA2 3:10

10 and help with the transfer of the kingdom away from your family and to establish David’s kingdom over both Yehudah and Yisrael (Israel), from Dan down to Be’er -Sheva (Beersheba).”

OET-LV SA2 3:7

7 And_belonged_to_Shāʼūl a _concubine and_name _of_her was_Riʦpāh the _daughter _of ʼAy^yāh and_he/it _said to ʼAⱱnēr why have _you _gone into the _concubine _of my _father _of_my.

OET-LV SA2 3:8

8 And_it _glowed/burnt to_ʼAⱱnēr exceedingly on the _words/messages _of Ish- boshet and_he/it _said the_head _of a _dog am_I which belongs_to_Yəhūdāh/(Judah) the_day I _show loyalty with the _house _of Shāʼūl/(Saul) father _of_your to brothers _of_his and_near/to friend[s]_of_his _close and_not I_have _delivered _you in_the _hand _of Dāvid and_you _have _visited on_me the _guilt _of the_woman the_day.

OET-LV SA2 3:9

9 Thus god may _he _do to_ʼAⱱnēr and_thus may _he _add to_him/it if/because just_as YHWH he _swore to_Dāvid if/because so I _will _do for_him/it.

OET-LV SA2 3:10

10 To_take _away the_kingdom from_the _house _of Shāʼūl and_to_establish DOM the _throne _of Dāvid over Yisrā^ʼēl/(Israel) and_over Yəhūdāh from_Dān and_unto Bəʼēr Sheⱱaˊ.

Show passage in OET: SA2 21:8–11

OET-RV SA2 21:8

8 Instead he took two of the sons (Armoni and Mefiboshet) of Ritspah (Ayah’s daughter and one of Sha’ul’s slave-wives), as well as five sons of Sha’ul’s daughter Mikal, that she’d bore to Adriel (the son of Barzilay, the Meholati).

OET-RV SA2 21:9

9 He handed them over to the Givonim, and they hung them on a hill before Yahweh, and the seven of them died together. This happened at the beginning of the barley harvest.

OET-RV SA2 21:10

10 Then Ayah’s daughter Ritspah took sackcloth and she spread it on the rock where the corpses were. She kept the birds away during the day and the animals at night—staying there from the beginning of the harvest until the beginning of the rainy season.

OET-RV SA2 21:11

11 David was told what Ritspah had done,

OET-LV SA2 21:8

8 And_ the_king _he/it _took DOM the _two _of the _sons _of Riʦpāh the _daughter _of ʼAy^yāh whom she _had _borne to_Shāʼūl DOM ʼArmonī and_DOM Mephiboshet and_DOM the _five _of the _sons _of Mīkāl the _daughter _of Shāʼūl whom she _had _borne to_ˊAdrī^ʼēl the _son _of Barzillay the_Məḩolātī.

OET-LV SA2 21:9

9 And_he_gave _them in_the _hand _of the _Giⱱˊōnites and_they_impaled _them on_mountain to_(the)_face _of/in _front _of/before YHWH and_they _fell the _seven _of_of _them together and they _were _put _to _death days _of harvest in_first at_the_beginning _of of_the_harvest _of barley(s).

OET-LV SA2 21:10

10 And_ Riʦpāh the _daughter _of ʼAy^yāh _she/it _took DOM (the)_sackcloth and_she_spread _it _out to/for_her/it to the_rock from_the_beginning _of harvest until water it _was _poured _out on_them from the_heavens and_not she _permitted the _bird[s]_of the_heavens to_rest on_them by _day and_DOM the _animal[s]_of the_field night.

OET-LV SA2 21:11

11 And_it _was _told to_Dāvid DOM that_which Riʦpāh the _daughter _of ʼAy^yāh the _concubine _of Shāʼūl/(Saul) she _had _done.

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