Ishbosheth

Ishbosheth (flourished 11th century bce) was in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), the fourth son of King Saul and the last representative of his family to be king over Israel (the northern kingdom, as opposed to the southern kingdom of Judah). His name was originally Ishbaal (Esh-baal; 1 Chronicles 8:33 and 9:39), “Man of Baal.” Baal, which could mean “master,” was a title of dignity. Because the name came to be increasingly associated with Canaanite fertility gods, Hebrew editors later substituted bosheth, meaning “shame,” for baal.

According to 2 Samuel 2:8–4:12, after his father’s death, Ishbosheth was proclaimed king of Israel by Abner, Saul’s cousin and commander in chief, who then became the real power behind the throne. Judah, however, followed David, and war broke out between the two kingdoms. When Abner took Rizpah, one of Saul’s concubines, Ishbosheth objected because Abner’s action was a symbolic usurpation of power. Abner then attempted to defect to David but was killed by David’s general Joab for the murder of Joab’s brother. The loss of Abner weakened Ishbosheth’s reign, leaving the northern tribes without effective leadership. The civil war ended when Ishbosheth was murdered by two of his captains; David had the murderers put to death.

Although the Bible states that Ishbosheth was 40 years old when he became king and that his reign lasted two years, scholars have found that these figures are incorrect. More likely, he was quite young, and his reign equaled that of David’s reign at Hebron, about 7.5 years.

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