Bible Dictionaries
Ish-Bosheth

Holman Bible Dictionary

(ihssh-boh' sshehth) Personal name meaning “man of shame.” Son of Saul and his successor as king of Israel (2 Samuel 2:8 ). After Saul's death, Abner the commander of Saul's army proclaimed Ish-bosheth king. He reigned for two years. He was finally murdered by his own captains (2 Samuel 4:1-7 ). The name Ish-bosheth means “man of shame.” Originally his name was Ish-baal (1 Chronicles 8:33 ), which means “man of Baal.” The repugnance with which Baal worship was regarded by the faithful in Israel frequently led to the substitution of the word for shame in the place of the name of the Canaanite deity. See Saul .