King Saul's concubine to whom she bore two sons, Armoni and Mephibosheth (not to be confused with Jonathan's son of the same name).
We first hear of Rizpah when, after Saul's death, Abner (his counsin and commander of his army) had taken Ish-Bosheth and made him king over the northern tribes. One day, however, Ish-Bosheth complained to Abner about the latter's sleeping with his father's concubine (2 Sam 3:7). This breach between them would eventually lead to Abner seceeding to David's camp and also Ish-Bosheth's murder.
Sometime later, during the reign of David over entire Israel, a famine swept the land and it was revealed that it was on account of Saul's unlawful attempt to annihilate the Gibeonites (2 Sam 21:1-2). When asked what he could do for the Gibeonites by way of restitution, David was asked to "let seven of his [Saul's] male descendants be given to us to be killed and exposed before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul—the Lord's chosen one" (v6). Out of his love for Jonathan David spared Mephibosheth (Jonathan's son) but gave over to the Gibeonites both of Rizpah's sons and five of Saul's daughter, Merab (v7). Rizpah's response to the terrifying ordeal is captured poignantly in vv9-10:
Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds of the air touch them by day or the wild animals by night.
When David was told about it he made an attempt to made things better by bringing back Saul's and Jonathan's bones which had been buried in Jabesh-Gilead and, together all the bodies of those who were so exposed, had them buried in Saul's home-town of Zela, (vv11-14).
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