King David’s life was a tempest of spiritual heights and complex domestic struggles. While he was a “man after God’s own heart,” his household was often a place of division, largely due to his many marriages—a practice that, while common for kings of that era, often led to sorrow and internal strife.
Michal: The Princess and the Snare
Michal was the younger daughter of King Saul. Her story is one of the most tragic in the Davidic narrative.
- The Dowry of Death: Saul, consumed by jealousy, offered Michal to David not out of love, but as a “snare.” He demanded a dowry of 100 Philistine foreskins, hoping David would be killed in the process. David, however, brought back 200, and Saul was forced to give him Michal in marriage (1 Samuel 18:27).
- The Great Betrayal: When Saul tried to murder David in his bed, Michal saved his life by letting him down through a window and placing an idol in his bed to deceive the guards (1 Samuel 19:11-17).
- The Estrangement: While David was a fugitive, Saul gave Michal to another man, Palti. Years later, David demanded her return as a political condition for taking the throne of Israel. The marriage never recovered.
- The Final Rift: When David danced before the Ark of the Covenant, Michal “despised him in her heart,” criticizing his lack of royal dignity. Scripture records that she remained childless until the day of her death (2 Samuel 6:23).
The Other Named Wives
Scripture explicitly names eight women as David’s wives, though he took many more concubines and unnamed wives once he established his throne in Jerusalem.
| Wife | Background | Notable Children |
| Michal | Daughter of King Saul | None |
| Ahinoam | From Jezreel | Amnon (David’s firstborn) |
| Abigail | Widow of Nabal the Fool | Chileab (also called Daniel) |
| Maacah | Daughter of the King of Geshur | Absalom and Tamar |
| Haggith | Mother of a royal claimant | Adonijah |
| Abital | Mentioned in the Hebron list | Shephatiah |
| Eglah | Called “David’s wife” in the list | Ithream |
| Bathsheba | Widow of Uriah the Hittite | Solomon (The next King) |
The Cost of Polygamy
While God used the line of David to bring forth the Messiah, the Bible does not gloss over the consequences of David’s many marriages.
- A House Divided: The sons of these different wives—Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah—engaged in rape, murder, and rebellion against their own father.
- Political vs. Spiritual: Many of these marriages (like Maacah’s) were political alliances with pagan neighbors, which often introduced worldly influences into the palace.
- The Bathsheba Scandal: David’s desire for Bathsheba led to adultery and the murder of Uriah, bringing a sword upon David’s house that never departed (2 Samuel 12:10).
A Lesson for the Return
For the student of TheLordsReturn.com, David’s household serves as a “forensic” warning. Even a man of great faith can find his legacy tarnished when he conforms to the cultural standards of his time (like taking many wives) rather than the original design of God.
“Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away…” — Deuteronomy 17:17 (KJV)
David’s failures remind us that our true hope is not in an earthly king, but in the Greater Son of David, Jesus Christ, who has one Bride—the Church—and who reigns in perfect righteousness.