Ish-bosheth

toc = Name =

The name originally was Eshbaal, meaning probably "Baal exists." The name was reinterpreted as "man of Baal" and then pejorative 'bosheth' (shame) was substituted for Baal. Another form of same name, Ish-baal, never appears in the Bible, and he is usually referred as Ish-Bosheth. Here the term “baal” does not stand for the Canaanite deity Baal, but, rather, it stands for the “lord,” which is the epithet for Yahweh. [i

= Ascension to Throne =

The battle of Gilboa, in which Saul unsuccessfully attempted to capture the city-state of Beth-Shean, ended with most of the Saulide royal house decimated. Saul and his three eldest sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, were killed. Only the youngest son of Ahinoam, Eshbaal, and two sons born to Saul by his concubine Rizpah, Armoni and Mephibaal, remained alive as male offspring of the former king; they could be considered as immediate dynastic candidates to succeed Saul to the throne. Beside them, there were Jonathan’s grandson, Mephibosheth, and five sons of Merab, Saul’s eldest daughter, as possible candidates for the throne. Abner, the general of Saulide army and Saul’s cousin, brought escorted Eshbaal to Cisjordan, where Eshbaal was acclaimed king by the troops. (2 Sam 2:8) Eshbaal was no more than 20 years old when he started to reign because he was not present at the battle of Gilboa, meaning he was not old enough to serve in military according to Num. 26:2, 4. [ii

= Only a Public Figure =

Eshbaal’s youth and inexperience would have led him to rely heavily on his uncle Abner’s judgment and leadership as general of the Israelite army; and Abner seems to have decided to attempt to take direct control of the throne for himself, perhaps in collision with David. Abner’s overt move to depose Eshbaal is reported to have been made by his taking over control of Saul’s former harem (2 Sam. 3:7). Eshbaal is said merely to have rebuked his uncle (2 Sam. 3:8) but apparently was able to quash the attempted takeover. It was in the wake of his failure to gain the throne that Abner met an untimely death at the hands of Joab, the commander of David’s army, during a visit to David at Hebron. [iii

= The Assassination =

After Abner's death by Joab, there was no leader in northern Israel, and Bannah and Recab, the leaders of raiding bands, decided it is better for the nation if they get rid of anyone who prevents David from claiming the throne. They, without knowing what David had done with the Amalekite who brought the news of Saul's death to David, proudly presented the head of Ish-bosheth to David, only to meet their death for killing Saul's family. [iv

[i William McKane, //I & II Samuel: Introduction and Commentary// (London: S.C.M. Press, 1963), 189-91; Hans Wilhelm Hertzberg, //I & II Samuel, a Commentary// (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1964), 249; //The Anchor Bible Dictionary//, 1st. ed. (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 615. [ii //The Anchor Bible Dictionary//, 615. [iii Ibid., 616. [iv Mary J Evans, //1 and 2 Samuel// (Peabody, Mass: Hendrickson Publishers, 2000), 153-4; McKane, //I & II Samuel//, 197-9.

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