אִישׁ־בֹ֫שֶׁת
ish-bo.shet
Ish-bosheth
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe word "Ish-bosheth" (אִישׁ־בֹ֫שֶׁת) is a proper noun, specifically a personal name that occurs 22 times in the Hebrew Bible. Its meaning and significance can be understood through its composition: "Ish" (אִישׁ) means "man" or "person," while "Bosheth" likely means "shame" or "reproach." Together, the name Ish-bosheth can be transliterated as "shame-man" or "man-of-shame." Given its composition, it's likely that the name "Ish-bosheth" carries a negative or derogatory connotation. This is supported by the fact that the biblical text often associates this name with shame, defeat, or humiliation. Ish-bosheth's name itself becomes a symbol of his fate and the condition of those associated with him. In the biblical narrative, Ish-bosheth is a king of Israel who is ultimately defeated and marginalized. The frequency of its appearance in the Bible (22 times) underscores the significance of Ish-bosheth's story within the narrative of the Israelites. His name becomes a reference point for other biblical characters and events, highlighting the ongoing struggles and power dynamics among the Israelites during this period.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
22 total occurrences across the text
Now Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s army, had taken Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim;
2 Samuel 2:8Now Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s army, had taken Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim;
2 Samuel 2:10Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.
2 Samuel 2:10Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.
2 Samuel 2:12Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
2 Samuel 2:12Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
2 Samuel 2:15Then they arose and went over by number: twelve for Benjamin and for Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of David’s servants.
2 Samuel 2:15Then they arose and went over by number: twelve for Benjamin and for Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of David’s servants.
2 Samuel 3:8Then Abner was very angry about Ishbosheth’s words, and said, “Am I a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? Today I show kindness to Saul’s house your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David; and yet you charge me today with a fault concerning this woman!
2 Samuel 3:8Then Abner was very angry about Ishbosheth’s words, and said, “Am I a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? Today I show kindness to Saul’s house your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David; and yet you charge me today with a fault concerning this woman!
2 Samuel 3:14David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “Deliver me my wife Michal, whom I was given to marry for one hundred foreskins of the Philistines.”
2 Samuel 3:14David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “Deliver me my wife Michal, whom I was given to marry for one hundred foreskins of the Philistines.”
2 Samuel 3:15Ishbosheth sent and took her from her husband, even from Paltiel the son of Laish.
2 Samuel 3:15Ishbosheth sent and took her from her husband, even from Paltiel the son of Laish.
2 Samuel 4:5The sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went and came at about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, as he took his rest at noon.
2 Samuel 4:5The sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went and came at about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, as he took his rest at noon.
2 Samuel 4:8They brought the head of Ishbosheth to David to Hebron, and said to the king, “Behold, the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life! Yahweh has avenged my lord the king today of Saul, and of his offspring.”
2 Samuel 4:8They brought the head of Ishbosheth to David to Hebron, and said to the king, “Behold, the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life! Yahweh has avenged my lord the king today of Saul, and of his offspring.”
2 Samuel 4:8They brought the head of Ishbosheth to David to Hebron, and said to the king, “Behold, the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life! Yahweh has avenged my lord the king today of Saul, and of his offspring.”
2 Samuel 4:8They brought the head of Ishbosheth to David to Hebron, and said to the king, “Behold, the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life! Yahweh has avenged my lord the king today of Saul, and of his offspring.”
2 Samuel 4:12David commanded his young men, and they killed them, cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up beside the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it in Abner’s grave in Hebron.
2 Samuel 4:12David commanded his young men, and they killed them, cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up beside the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it in Abner’s grave in Hebron.