“Avner the son of Ner, commander of Sha’ul’s army, had taken Ish-Boshet the son of Sha’ul, brought him over to Machanayim…”-2 Samuel 2:8
Verse 8 shifts over from David’s southern headquarters in Hebron to the government headquarters of the northern tribal alliance.
At this very moment, Saul’s top military commander, Avner, was the real power in the northern kingdom simply because he had the might of the army backing him.
Opinions differ, but he was also either Saul’s uncle or his 1st cousin.
So the North had just lost their king.
This means there was a major power vacuum to be filled.
Since there was only one son of Saul who remained, Avner had no choice but to establish him as the new king.
His name was Ishbosheth.
Now here’s the thing.
I don’t know how good you’re Hebrew is, but do you have any idea what Ishobosheth means literally?
It means “man of shame.”
No parent in their right mind would give their son such a name.
So we know right off the bat that Ishbosheth is not this person’s real name.
Then why is he referred to in such insulting terms?
Well, here’s the thing.
Later on in the Book of Kings, this last remaining son of Saul is mentioned again but he’s called ESHBA’AL.
There’s no reason to doubt this was his original name given to him by his parents.
Now you may think I’m going way deeper than necessary with this issue.
But I’m not.
Understanding the nuts and bolts behind this name will not only give us insight into the ancient Hebrew mindset…
It’s gonna unlock many mysteries and difficulties of the Bible that have confused pastors, preachers, and teachers for centuries…
We’ll get into that the next time we meet.
Stay tuned.
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