KISH

[bow, power].

l. A Merarite Levite who was the son of Mahli and brother of Eleazar. As Eleazar died without sons, having had only daughters, the sons of Kish took these heiresses as wives. One of the “sons of Kish” was Jerahmeel.—1 Chron. 23:21, 22; 24:29.

2. A Benjamite; the son of Jeiel and his wife Maacah. (1 Chron. 8:29, 30) His brother Ner was the grandfather of Saul, Israel’s first king. (1 Chron. 9:35-39) Apparently Kish’s father Jeiel was also called Abiel.—See ABIEL No. 1.

3. A Benjamite who was the father of King Saul. (1 Sam. 14:51; Acts 13:21) He was a wealthy member of the family of the Matrites. (1 Sam. 9:1; 10:21) This Kish was the son of Ner and grandson of Jeiel (Abiel), thus being the nephew of the Kish mentioned above. (1 Chron. 8:29-33; 9:35-39) However, 1 Samuel 9:1 calls him the son of Abiel, apparently using the term “son” to represent him not as the immediate son of Abiel (Jeiel), but rather as his grandson.

The home of Kish was evidently at Gibeah, in Benjamin (1 Sam. 10:26), although his burial place was in Zela. (2 Sam. 21:14) The only event mentioned in the Bible regarding Kish concerns his sending his son Saul and an attendant out to search for some lost she-asses.—1 Sam. 9:3, 4.

4. A Levite of King Hezekiah’s time; son of Abdi of the sons of Merari. Kish was one of the Levites who helped to cleanse the temple in the first year of Hezekiah’s reign.—2 Chron. 29:1-5, 12-17.

5. A Benjamite ancestor of Esther’s cousin Mordecai.—Esther 2:5-7.