| Ish-bosheth | |
|---|---|
 Illustration from theMorgan Bible depicting the death of Ish-bosheth | |
| King of Israel | |
| Predecessor | Saul |
| Successor | David |
| House | House of Saul |
| Father | Saul |
Ish-bosheth (Hebrew:אִישׁ־בֹּשֶׁת,romanized: ʼĪš-bōšeṯ, "man of shame"), also calledEshbaal (אֶשְׁבַּעַל,’Ešba‘al; alternatively spelledIshbaal, "man ofBaal") was, according to theHebrew Bible, the son ofSaul who, after his father's death, ascended to the throne and reigned for two years.[1]
During his reign, Ish-bosheth engaged in a protracted conflict withDavid, who had been anointed as Saul's successor by the prophetSamuel. This rivalry between the two leaders shaped the political landscape of the kingdom at the time. The Hebrew Bible recounts that Ish-bosheth's reign was marked by war with David's forces, as both factions vied for control and legitimacy. According to biblical accounts, he was killed by two of his own army captains,Baanah andRechab, who believed that assassinating Ish-bosheth would earn them favour with David. This act not only brought a premature conclusion to Ish-bosheth's rule but also played a significant role in the subsequent unification of the kingdom under David's leadership.
In the biblical account,Abner, the captain of Saul's army, proclaimed Ish-bosheth king over Israel atMahanaim in Transjordan (2 Samuel 2:8), after the slaying of Ish-bosheth's father and brothers in thebattle of Gilboa (1 Samuel 31:1). Ish-bosheth was 40 years old at this time and reigned for two years (2 Samuel 2:10).
However, after the death of King Saul, thetribe of Judah seceded from the rule of the House of Saul by proclaimingDavid as its king (2 Samuel 2:4), and war ensued (2 Samuel 2:12). David's faction eventually prevailed against Ish-bosheth's (2 Samuel 3:1), but the war continued until Abner joined David (2 Samuel 3:6).
Before the death of Saul, David had been married to Saul's daughterMichal, Ish-bosheth's sister, until Saul and David had a falling-out and Saul gave her to another man (1 Samuel 25:44). Later, at the conclusion of the war with Ish-bosheth, David's terms for peace required returning Michal to him, and Ish-bosheth complied (2 Samuel 3:14). After Abner's death, Ish-bosheth seems to have given up hope of retaining power (2 Samuel 4:1).
Two of Ish-bosheth's own army-captains,Rechab andBaanah, assassinated the deposed king, (2 Samuel 4:5) expecting a reward from David for this. David, however, refused to give any commendation forhigh treason; he had both killers executed and their hands and feet cut off. David's supporters buried the head of Ish-bosheth in Abner's grave atHebron (2 Samuel 4:12).
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The namesIsh-bosheth andEshbaal have ambiguous meanings in the originalHebrew. In Hebrew,Ish-bosheth means "Man of shame".[2] He is also calledEshbaal, in Hebrew meaning "Baal exists",[2] or "fire of Baal".
Critical scholarship suggests thatBosheth was a substitute forBaʿal, beginning when Baʿal became an unspeakable word;[3] as (in the opposite direction)Adonai became substituted for the ineffableTetragrammaton (seeEuphemism § Pronunciation (phonetic modification)).
He is exclusively called Ish-bosheth in theBooks of Samuel in theOld Testament:
Now Abner the son ofNer, captain of Saul's host, had takenIsh-bosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; and he made him king over Gilead, and over theAshurites, and overJezreel, and overEphraim, and overBenjamin, and over all Israel.Ish-bosheth Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years.
— 2 Samuel 2:8–10, Jewish Publication Society, 1917
When he was assassinated and KingDavid punished the killers:
...Rechab andBaanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, as he took his rest at noon, and they came into the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they struck him in the groin; and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. ... And they brought the head ofIsh-bosheth to David in Hebron, and said to the king: "Behold the head ofIsh-bosheth the son of Saul your enemy, who sought your life; and the Lord has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed." ... And David answered ... "shall I not now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?" ... But they took the head ofIsh-bosheth, and buried it in the grave of Abner in Hebron.
Meanwhile, in theBooks of Chronicles, he is exclusively called Eshbaal:
And Ner begot Kish; and Kish begot Saul; and Saul begot Jonathan, and Malchi-shua, and Abinadab, andEshbaal.
— 1 Chronicles 8:33 and1 Chronicles 9:39, Jewish Publication Society, 1917
In 2012, according to theIsrael Antiquities Authority, archaeologists had discovered a 3,000-year-old inscription on a reconstructed large ceramic jar found inKhirbet Qeiyafa, containing the name "Eshbaal ben Beda". Though this Eshbaal is a different person than the Eshbaal/Ish-bosheth of the Bible, it was the first time the name was discovered in an ancient inscription. It is one of only four Hebrew inscriptions ever discovered dating to the 10th century BC.[4][5]
David Rohl identifies Ish-bosheth or Ishbaal withMutbaal as the names have the same meaning and, both, Ishbosheth son of Saul as well as Mutbaal son of Labaya ruled from an ancient city inTransjordan. But the chronology that would make this identification feasible is not accepted by the majority of scholars and two people may have the same name and still belong to different time-periods.
Ish-bosheth Cadet branch of theTribe of Benjamin | ||
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| Preceded by | King of Israel | Succeeded by |
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