Ishbosheth
maleUnited MonarchyMeaning: “Man of shame”
A surviving son of Saul, set up as a rival king over Israel by Abner, who reigned weakly for two years before being assassinated.
Biography
Ishbosheth was a son of King Saul who survived the disaster at Gilboa. With Saul and three of his brothers dead, the army commander Abner installed Ishbosheth as king over Israel, while the tribe of Judah anointed David at Hebron (2 Samuel 2:8–10).
A weak reign
Ishbosheth reigned two years, but real power lay with Abner, and "there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David," with David growing ever stronger (2 Samuel 3:1). When Ishbosheth rebuked Abner, the commander abandoned him for David.
Assassination
Left without his protector, Ishbosheth was murdered in his bed by two of his own captains, who brought his head to David hoping for reward. David, who had never sought Saul's house's blood, executed the murderers instead (2 Samuel 4:5–12). His death cleared the way for David to reign over all Israel.
Life Timeline
Made rival king of Israel by Abner
Assassinated in his bed by his own captains
On the Bible timeline
Ishbosheth belongs to the The United Monarchy era (c. 1050 – 930 BC).
- c. 1010 – 970 BCDavid's Reign
- c. 966 BCSolomon's Temple Built
- c. 930 BCThe Kingdom Divides
Family Tree
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Themes & lessons from Ishbosheth
Biblical themes that run through the passages where Ishbosheth appears.
People they appear with
Places in their story
Scripture Appearances
12 verses in 2 books2 Samuel11 verses
2 Samuel 2:8
But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; Saul's host: Heb. the host which was Saul's Ishbosheth: or, Eshbaal
2 Samuel 2:10
Ishbosheth Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.
2 Samuel 2:12
And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
2 Samuel 2:15
Then there arose and went over by number twelve of Benjamin, which pertained to Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
2 Samuel 3:7
And Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah: and Ishbosheth said to Abner, Wherefore hast thou gone in unto my father's concubine?
2 Samuel 3:8
Then was Abner very wroth for the words of Ishbosheth, and said, Am I a dog's head, which against Judah do shew kindness this day unto the house of Saul thy father, to his brethren, and to his friends, and have not delivered thee into the hand of David, that thou chargest me to day with a fault concerning this woman?
2 Samuel 3:14
And David sent messengers to Ishbosheth Saul's son, saying, Deliver me my wife Michal, which I espoused to me for an hundred foreskins of the Philistines.
2 Samuel 3:15
And Ishbosheth sent, and took her from her husband, even from Phaltiel the son of Laish.
2 Samuel 4:5
And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, who lay on a bed at noon.
2 Samuel 4:8
And they brought the head of Ishbosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ishbosheth the son of Saul thine enemy, which sought thy life; and the LORD hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed.
2 Samuel 4:12
And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.
1 Chronicles1 verse
1 Chronicles 8:33
And Ner begat Kish, and Kish begat Saul, and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal. Eshbaal: or, Ishbosheth.Sam.2.8
Frequently asked about Ishbosheth
Who was Ishbosheth in the Bible?
A surviving son of Saul, set up as a rival king over Israel by Abner, who reigned weakly for two years before being assassinated.
What does the name Ishbosheth mean?
The name Ishbosheth means “Man of shame”.
What did Ishbosheth do in the Bible?
Ishbosheth served as king of israel, of the tribe of Benjamin.
Who were Ishbosheth's parents?
Ishbosheth was the child of Saul.
Where does Ishbosheth appear in the Bible?
Ishbosheth is mentioned 12 times across 2 books: 2 Samuel, 1 Chronicles.
What can we learn from Ishbosheth?
The story of Ishbosheth touches on themes of ish-bosheth, abner, armies, mahanaim — explore each to study the lessons drawn from Ishbosheth's life.
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