Alrighty, let’s get our bearings on where we’re at.
Yesterday, we talked about the name of Saul’s last remaining son Ishboshesh.
Ishboshesh means “man of shame.”
So we know there’s no way this can be his real name.
However, in the Book of Kings, Ishbosheth is later referred to as Eshba’al.
This was likely his original name given by his parents.
Eshba’al means “Fire of Ba’al.”
To the heathen gentiles, it was a name that symbolized strength.
But why in the world would a Hebrew king like Saul give his son a pagan name?
Well, here’s the thing homies.
The answer lies in the meaning of BA’AL during that time.
Baal actually had a few meanings.
It could mean “lord” or “master,” and was sometimes used to refer to a person.
It was also used to refer to spiritual beings, in other words, “god” with a small “g” and sometimes referred to many gods, “ba’alim” in Hebrew.
Lastly, Ba’al was the name or title of the Canaanites’ chief male god (with his female partner being Ashtoreth).
This was similar to how we use “lord” today to either refer to a ruler or refer to God.
So what’s the takeaway today?
The takeaway is the meaning of the same word will have a different meaning depending on its context.
Ya feel me?
For example, ELOHIM can be used to refer to the one and only God of Israel…
But depending on the context, it could also be referring to the pagan gods of the gentile nations Israel was surrounded by.
To tell the difference, we gotta understand the context.
We’ll continue this discussion the next time we meet.
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