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Comments and insights on the name Rizpah

This name, extremely uncommon now, saw a long period of use in New England, where Old Testament names of all kinds were preferred from the 1600s through the 1800s.

Personal experiences with the name Rizpah

Nicknames for Rizpah

Riz, Rizzy

Meanings and history of the name Rizpah

From Hebrew, meaning "coal" or hot stone. The Biblical Rizpah been cited as the epitome of the devoted mother. In the Book of Samuel, Rizpah was one of Saul's concubines, the mother of Armoni and Mephibosheth. When her sons were executed as hostages, she watched over their bodies for five months until honorable burial could be arranged by King David. British rabbi Jonathan Magonet has described Rizpah as "every mother who sees her sons killed before their time for reasons of state, be they in time of peace or in war. All that remains is for her to preserve the dignity of their memory and live on to bear witness and call to account the rulers of the world."

Famous real-life people named Rizpah

Rizpah, jazz harpist

Rizpah in song, story & screen

"Rizpah", poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
"Rizpah", poem by William Cullen Bryant