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Rizpah was the daughter of Aiah and a concubine of King Saul, the first King of Israel. She gave birth to two sons with Saul, named Armoni and Mephibosheth.
Rizpah and her sons met a tragic end. Her sons, along with five grandsons of Saul, were killed by the Gibeonites.
King David, who succeeded King Saul, handed Rizpah's sons Armoni and Mephibosheth, along with five of Saul's grandsons, over to the Gibeonites. The Gibeonites killed the seven males as revenge because Saul had tried to annihilate the Gibeonites.
The Gibeonites left the dead bodies for public display on a hill. Rizpah went to that area and spread some sackcloth on a rock for herself. She stayed there day and night for a while to make sure that birds and wild animals did not eat the bodies.
When King David had heard what Rizpah done, he had the bodies of Rizpah's sons, and the other five descendants of Saul who were killed, gathered up and buried.
Rizpah is mentioned by name four times in scripture, in 2 Samuel 3:7, 2 Samuel 21:8, 2 Samuel 21:10 and 2 Samuel 21:11.
The name Rizpah is Greek and it means "a hot stone" or "a baking stone."
Next person in the Bible: Ruth
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