Ish-bosheth
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Ish-bosheth (Template:Langx, "man of shame"), also called Eshbaal (Template:Script/Hebrew, Template:Text; alternatively spelled Ishbaal, "man of Baal") was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the son of Saul who, after his father's death, ascended to the throne and reigned for two years.Template:Sfn
During his reign, Ish-bosheth engaged in a protracted conflict with David, who had been anointed as Saul's successor by the prophet Samuel. 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 and Rechab, 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.
Biblical narrative
In the biblical account, Abner, the captain of Saul's army, proclaimed Ish-bosheth king over Israel at Mahanaim in Transjordan (Template:Bibleverse), after the slaying of Ish-bosheth's father and brothers in the battle of Gilboa (Template:Bibleverse). Ish-bosheth was 40 years old at this time and reigned for two years (Template:Bibleverse).
However, after the death of King Saul, the tribe of Judah seceded from the rule of the House of Saul by proclaiming David as its king (Template:Bibleverse), and war ensued (Template:Bibleverse). David's faction eventually prevailed against Ish-bosheth's (Template:Bibleverse), but the war continued until Abner joined David (Template:Bibleverse).
Before the death of Saul, David had been married to Saul's daughter Michal, Ish-bosheth's sister, until Saul and David had a falling-out and Saul gave her to another man (Template:Bibleverse). Later, at the conclusion of the war with Ish-bosheth, David's terms for peace required returning Michal to him, and Ish-bosheth complied (Template:Bibleverse). After Abner's death, Ish-bosheth seems to have given up hope of retaining power (Template:Bibleverse).
Two of Ish-bosheth's own army-captains, Rechab and Baanah, assassinated the deposed king, (Template:Bibleverse) expecting a reward from David for this. David, however, refused to give any commendation for high 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 at Hebron (Template:Bibleverse).
Problem of naming
Template:Refimprove section The names Ish-bosheth and Eshbaal have ambiguous meanings in the original Hebrew. In Hebrew, Ish-bosheth means "Man of shame".Template:Sfn He is also called Eshbaal, in Hebrew meaning "Baal exists",Template:Sfn or "fire of Baal".
Critical scholarship suggests that Bosheth was a substitute for Baʿal, beginning when Baʿal became an unspeakable word;Template:Sfn as (in the opposite direction) Adonai became substituted for the ineffable Tetragrammaton (see Template:Format link).
As Ish-bosheth
He is exclusively called Ish-bosheth in the Books of Samuel in the Old Testament:
When he was assassinated and King David punished the killers:
As Eshbaal
Meanwhile, in the Books of Chronicles, he is exclusively called Eshbaal: Template:Blockquote
Archaeology
In 2012, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority, archaeologists had discovered a 3,000-year-old inscription on a reconstructed large ceramic jar found in Khirbet 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
References
Bibliography
External links
- Ish-bosheth (Article by: Emil G. Hirsch and M. Seligsohn in Jewish Encyclopedia)
- King Ishbosheth - Biography (Christian view)
- Easton's Bible Dictionary (Ish-bosheth) Template:Webarchive
- "Eshbaʽal Ben Bedaʽ" pottery inscription discovery, from the Time of King David
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