Eshbaal

or ISHBOSHETH, the fourth son of Saul. The Hebrews, to avoid pronouncing the word baal, “lord,” used bosheth, “confusion.” Instead of Mephi-baal, they said Mephi-bosheth; and, instead of Esh-baal, they said Ish-bosheth, 2Sa 2:8.

Esh´baal [ISH-BOSHETH]

1Ch 8:33, the fourth son of Saul, generally called Ishbosheth. The word BAAL, the name of an idol, was not pronounced by scrupulous Jews; they substituted BOSHETH, confusion. For Meribbaal, they said Mephibosheth, etc. See ISHBOSHETH.\par

[some Esh-ba’al] (Hebrew Esba’al, אֶשְׁבִּעִל, in pause אֶשְׁבָּעִל, man of Baal; Sept. Α᾿σαβάλ v.r. Ι᾿εβάλ and Βαάλ, Vulg. Esbaal), the appropriate name of the fourth son of king Saul, according to the genealogy of 1Ch 8:33; 1Ch 9:39. He is doubtless the same person (see 1Sa 31:2, compared with 2Sa 2:8) as ISH-BOSHETH SEE ISH-BOSHETH (q..v.), since it was the practice to change the obnoxious name of Baal into Bosheth or Besheth, as in the case of Jerub-besheth for Jerub-baal, and (in this very genealogy) of Merib-baal for Mephi-bosheth: compare also Hos 9:10, where Bosheth (A.V. "shame") appears to be used as a synonym for Baal. SEE BAAL.

[Esh-ba’al]

Fourth son of Saul. 1Ch 8:33; 1Ch 9:39. Apparently the same as ISH-BOSHETH, q.v. The one name signifies ’man of Baal,’ and the other ’man of shame.’

ESHBAAL.—See Ishbosheth.

esh´bā-al. See ISH-BOSHETH.