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Mephibosheth


Mi-fib´oh-sheth

An intentionally distorted form of the original name Mippi-baal (Heb., “out of the mouth of Baal”). Baal, which means “lord,” was used as a simple epithet for God, but because the epithet was also used for a major Canaanite deity, later scribes often replaced this element in proper names with the word bosheth, “shame.” Two men in the Bible bear this name. 1 A son of Saul whom David handed over to the Gibeonites for execution (2Sam 21:8-9). 2 A son of Jonathan (and grandson of Saul), whom David spared because of his covenant with Jonathan (2Sam 4:4; 2Sam 21:7); but in (1Chr 8:34; 1Chr 9:40), the name of Jonathan’s son is given as Meribbaal).

  • Powell, Mark Allan, ed. HarperCollins Bible Dictionary. Abridged Edition. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2009.