Descendants of the First King of Israel. 2 July 2026, 17 Tammuz 5786.
Saul was a prototype for the Messiah son of Joseph ("MBJ" Moshiah ben Yosef)) just as David was for the Messiah son of David ("MBD" Moshiah ben David).
see:
Samuel and Saul
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/bible/samuel/
Saul Background
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/bible/samuel/saul4.html
1-Samuel (NASB) 9:
1 NOW THERE WAS A MAN OF BENJAMIN WHOSE NAME WAS KISH THE SON OF ABIEL, SON OF ZEROR, SON OF BECORATH, SON OF APHIAH, SON OF A BENJAMINITE, A VALIANT MIGHTY MAN.
2 HE HAD A SON WHOSE NAME WAS SAUL, A YOUNG AND HANDSOME MAN, AND THERE WAS NOT A MORE HANDSOME MAN THAN HE AMONG THE SONS OF ISRAEL; FROM HIS SHOULDERS AND UP HE WAS TALLER THAN ANY OF THE PEOPLE.
See:
Saul-1. His First Appearance. Was Saul Darkish?
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/bible/samuel/saul1.html
Saul belonged to the Tribe of Benjamin which according to the Rabbis had shortly beforehand been decimated.
The war had broken out as a result of a gang rape resulting in the death of a female (Judges ch.20). The victim was the concubine of a Levite from the territory of Ephraim. The culprits were from the Tribe of Benjamin. The rest of the Tribe of Benjamin refused to hand the offenders over to the other Tribes for punishment.
Following this, because of the way the woman had been treated the rest of the Israelites had taken a vow not to give any of their females to Benjaminites to wife (Judges 21:1).
It was the custom for unmarried women to congregate once a year at Shiloh in the territory of Ephraim. In order to circumvent their vow and save Benjamin the other Tribes decided that the bachelors of Benjamin should be allowed to grab the females from Shiloh and marry them. Saul was one of the men concerned except in his case he was the one whose future wife, Achinoam, seized hold of!
From his wife, Ahinoam daughter of Ahimaaz, Saul begat at least five sons (Jonathan, Abinadab, Malchishua, Ishvi, and Ish-bosheth, and two daughters - Merab and Michal).
Saul also had a concubine named Rizpah, daughter of Aiah, who bore him two sons, Armoni and Mephibosheth.
See:
Wife of Saul
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/bible/samuel/achinoam.html
Saul belonged to the Matri clan of Benjamin. When he was first chosen many Israelites were reluctant to accept him. This changed after Divine Inspiration came upon Saul and he led the Israelites in a successful war against the Ammonites (1-Samuel ch. 11).
The son of Saul and designated heir had been Jonathan (Yehonatan). Jonathan along with Saul and two more of the sons of Saul (Abinadab, and Malchishua) were killed fighting the Philistines at the Battle of Mount Gilboa in the north.
Saul had been killed fighting against the Philistines. The Bible says that one of the reasons for his death was that he had made inquiries of the Witch at Endor concerning the outcome of the battle (1-Chronicles 10:13).
The surviving son of Saul was Ish-bosheth. He was later killed by two of his own captains from the tribe of Benjamin.
David became ruler at first of Judah and after that of all Israel. During a famine, God told King David that the disaster occurred because of how Saul had treated the Gibeonites. (The Gibeonites were descendants of Canaanites who had made peace with Israel). The Gibeonites told David that only the death of seven sons of Saul would compensate them. They had lost their livelihood after the priests at Nob were killed at the command of Saul. David then granted the Gibeonites the jurisdiction to individually execute Saul's surviving two sons and five of Saul's grandsons the offspring of his daughters Merab and Adriel. The Gibeonites killed all seven, and hung up their bodies at the sanctuary at Gibeah.
2-Samuel (TCB) 6:
23 AND MICHAL THE DAUGHTER OF SAUL HAD NO CHILD UNTIL THE DAY OF HER DEATH.
The Talmud (Sanhedrin 21;a) says this means (according to one opinion) that she did give birth on the day that she died whereas another understanding says Michal had had children prior to the time of the curse and not after it.
The only male descendant of Saul to survive was Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan.
Mephibosheth had a young son, Micah, who had four sons and descendants named until the ninth generation.
Descendants of Saul
1-Chronicles (TCB) 8:
33 AND NER BEGOT KISH, AND KISH BEGOT SAUL, AND SAUL BEGOT JONATHAN, AND MALCISHUA, AND ABINADAB, AND ESHBAAL.
34 AND JONATHAN'S SON WAS MERIB-BAAL, AND MERIB-BAAL BEGOT MICAH.
35 AND THE SONS OF MICAH: PITHON, AND MELECH, AND TAREA, AND AHAZ.
36 AND AHAZ BEGOT JEHOADDAH, AND JEHOADDAH BEGOT ALEMETH, AND AZMAVETH, AND ZIMRI, AND ZIMRI BEGOT MOZA.
37 AND MOZA BEGOT BINAH; RAPHAH HIS SON, ELASAH HIS SON, AZEL HIS SON.
38 AND AZEL HAD SIX SONS, AND THESE ARE THEIR NAMES: AZRIKAM HIS FIRSTBORN, AND ISHMAEL, AND SHEARIAH, AND OBADIAH, AND HANAN-ALL THESE WERE THE SONS OF AZEL.
39 AND THE SONS OF ASHEK, HIS BROTHER: ULAM HIS FIRSTBORN, JEUSH THE SECOND, AND ELIPHELET THE THIRD.
40 AND THE SONS OF ULAM WERE MIGHTY WARRIORS WHO DRAW THE BOW, WITH MANY CHILDREN AND GRAND
Meribaal (verse 34 above, cf. 2-Chronicles 9:40) l is considered another name for Mephiboset.