Michal childless vs. 5 sons

Here are the two verses cited as evidence for this alleged contradiction:

Saul had two daughters: Merab (the firstborn) and Michal (the younger) (1 Sam. 14:49).  It was apparently expected that the older daughter would have been given to David, but she (Merab), was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife.

Michal loved David, and when it became known to Saul, it pleased him and he promised her to David (1 Sam 18:20-21).  Saul hoped in this union to provide a snare to David by causing the Philistines to oppose David -- since Saul's dowry requirement was that David kill 100 Philistine men. David fulfilled the dowry requirement and more, and Michal was given to him (1 Sam 18:28).  When it became clear that Saul would try to kill David, Michal helped him escape (1 Sam 19:11). Then Saul gave Michal to Palti the son of Laish (1 Sam 25:44).  When David came into power he demanded that Michal be returned to him as wife (2 Sam 3:13). When the Ark was brought into the city, as David danced at the head of the procession, Michal despised him in her heart, and this is cited as a reason why she remained childless (2 Sam 6:23).

The 5 sons mentioned in 2 Sam 21:8 are apparently the sons of Merab, since it was she who was given to Adriel as wife.  Some scholars refer this difference to a copyist error, since the author obviously knew that Merab was given to Adriel and that Michal was childless.  The NIV (and others) lists Merab in place of Michal in this text on the basis of two Hebrew manuscripts, and some Septuagint manuscripts and the Syriac.

The Hebrew word translated "brought up" is "yalad", which means (according to Strong's Dictionary):

3205. yalad, yaw-lad'; a prim. root; to bear young; causat. to beget; med. to act as midwife; spec. to show lineage:--bear, beget, birth ([-day]), born, (make to) bring forth (children, young), bring up, calve, child, come, be delivered (of a child), time of delivery, gender, hatch, labour, (do the office of a) midwife, declare pedigrees, be the son of, (woman in, woman that) travail (-eth, -ing woman).

Therefore, this word while having a primary meaning of "child-bearing", can also mean to bring forth, as in performing the duty of a midwife, or to "bring up" a child as a son.  In a similar sense, Moses refused to be called the "son of Pharaoh's daughter", and while he was not born of her, he was brought up by her as a son. It is possible and reasonable that Merab may have born sons, died, and her sons raised by Michal on behalf of their father (Adriel).

If this is a copyist error, then it is of concern with regards to the accuracy of the text. Specific instances of textual problems are usually referred to so as to show that the text is not 100% perfect in its transmission. Inaccuracies in textual transmission are often cited as  contradictions by the skeptic who hope to demonstrate that the scriptures are not from God.  However, the burden of proof is on the skeptic to demonstrate that any contradiction is an error in the original, and not a copyist error. The preponderance of evidence is that the Biblical text is more trustworthy than any other document of antiquity and even the rare textual problems that do exist do not compromise any doctrinal teaching. For more information on the reliability of the text, refer to the FAQ on this topic.

Conclusion

The burden of proof here is on the skeptic.  A reasonable explanation exists for this alleged contradiction, and it cannot be demonstrated by the skeptic that it is a contradiction. If it be a copyist error, it does not destroy the reliability of the overall document.

-- David A. Duncan