Phaltiel

Name

The Hebrew name is Paltiel, and its shortened form is Palti. It is interpreted to mean "God is my deliverance (rescue)." The New Korean Revised Version renders it as "Baldi" in 1 Samuel 25:44 and as "Baldiel" in 2 Samuel 3:15; the King James Version has "Phalti" and "Phaltiel," respectively. The man named in the two passages is regarded as the same person.

Biblical Account

• Marriage to Michal: While David was fleeing from Saul, Saul gave his daughter Michal, who had been David's wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim (1 Samuel 25:44). Gallim, which also appears in Isaiah 10:30, is known as a village in the territory of Benjamin.
• Loss of Michal: After Saul's death, Abner, the commander of Saul's army, sought to go over to David. David made the return of Michal his condition (2 Samuel 3:13). He then also demanded of Ish-bosheth, "Deliver me my wife Michal, which I espoused to me for an hundred foreskins of the Philistines" (2 Samuel 3:14). Ish-bosheth took Michal from Phaltiel. Phaltiel went with her, weeping behind her, as far as Bahurim; when Abner said to him, "Go, return," he returned (2 Samuel 3:15–16).

Scripture records nothing further about Phaltiel, and none of his words are recorded.

Significance within Scripture

The account of Phaltiel is one scene in the process by which David regained his standing as Saul's son-in-law and consolidated his royal authority. Many commentators read the text's brief notice of Phaltiel's weeping as exposing the plight of an individual caught up in the political dealings of the powerful. The New Testament does not mention Phaltiel.

Other individuals bear the same name. Numbers 34:26 mentions "Paltiel the son of Azzan," the prince of the tribe of Issachar appointed for the division of the land of Canaan. "Palti the son of Raphu," the spy from the tribe of Benjamin in Numbers 13:9, is also a different person (see Twelve Spies).

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• Legitimacy of the marriage: Interpretations differ on how David's reclaiming of Michal relates to Deuteronomy 24:1–4. This law forbids a former husband to take back a divorced wife after she has married another man. Some commentators hold that the law does not apply, since David never divorced Michal and Saul unilaterally gave his daughter to another man. Others point out that David's demand stands in tension with the intent of the law.
• David's motives: Many interpreters view David's effort to reclaim Michal as a means of securing political legitimacy. The text, however, does not directly state David's inner intentions.
• Later traditions: Jewish rabbinic tradition holds that Phaltiel did not consummate his marriage with Michal. Some also interpret the change of his name from Phalti to Phaltiel as a sign that God delivered him from sin. These are later interpretations and are not found in the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

Sermons or Sunday school lessons that treat Phaltiel as their main subject are rare. He is usually mentioned in sermons dealing with the life of Michal or with the negotiations between David and Abner.