Mephibosheth
Bible Dictionary and Concordance:
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Mephibosheth
(Probably an intentional modification of Merib-Baal (I Chr 8:34; 9:40)
which substituted bosheth (shame) for the name of the pagan god Baal).
The name of two members of King Saul's family.
1. The son of Jonathan (II Sam 4:4; 21:7). In I Chronicles 8:34 and 9:40 he is called Merib Baal which was probably his original name. He was crippled at the age of five when his nurse dropped him while fleeing from the palace on hearing of the deaths of King Saul and of the Child's father (II Sam 4:4)
When David handed over the male members of Saul's family to the Gibeonites, he spared Mephibosheth because of his oath to Jonathan (II Sam 21:7).
Mephibosheth was in Transjordan at the house of Machir the son of Ammiel (II Sam 9:4) when he was invited by David to stay at his court and dine at his table. As a mark of indebtedness to Jonathan, David restored the property of the house of Saul to Mephibosheth, appointing Saul's steward Ziba to administer it (II Sam 9:7-11, 13).
During Absalom's rebellion, Mephibosheth remained in Jerusalem with Absalom, whereas Ziba assisted David in bringing him food and animals, and was consequently rewarded with part of Mephibosheth's property (II Sam 16:1-4). When David returned to Jerusalem, he discovered Mephibosheth in mourning clothes; although accepting his recantation, the king did not allow him to retain all his property, instead ordering it to be shared with Ziba (II Sam 19:24-30).
Mephibosheth had one son, Micha (II Sam 9:12) who founded a well-known family (I Chr 8:35; 9:41).
2. The son of Saul by his concubine Rizpah the daughter of Aiah. Along with his brother Armoni and the five sons of Saul's daughter Merab, Mephibosheth was handed over by King David to the Gibeonites (II Sam 21:8-9) in expiation of the massacres the latter had suffered at Saul's hands (cf Josh 9:15ff). The Gibeonites executed the prisoners, leaving the bodies unburied. Mephibosheth's mother stood guard over the corpses until they were interred by the order of David.
Concordance
MEPHIBOSHETH 1:
II Sam 4:4; 9:6, 10-13; 16:1, 4; 19:24-25, 30; 21:7
MEPHIBOSHETH 2:
II Sam 21:8
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Mephibosheth
Mephibosheth (מפיבושת) was the name of two men of the family of Saul, who is stated in the books of Samuel of the Hebrew Bible to have been the first king of ancient Israel:
- The name of Saul's son by the concubine Rizpah, daughter of Aiah. During the reign of King David, some members of Saul's family were punished for what had been done to the Gibeonites. Mephibosheth and his brother Armoni along with five others, were "hanged on a hill before the Lord" by the Gibeonites, and their bodies left exposed in the sun for five months (2 Sam. 21:8-10).
- The son of Jonathan, and grandson of Saul (2 Sam. 4:4). He was five years old when his father and grandfather fell in the Battle of Mount Gilboa. Hearing of this calamity, his nurse fled with him from Gibeah, the royal residence. He was carried to the land of Gilead, where he found refuge in the house of Machir, son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar, by whom he was reared.
Some years later, when King David had subdued all the adversaries of Israel, he recalled the family of Jonathan, and discovered that Mephibosheth was residing in the house of Machir. So he sent royal messengers there, and brought Mephibosheth and his infant son Micah to Jerusalem, where they resided from that point on (2 Sam. 9).
When David was a fugitive, according to the story of Ziba (2 Sam. 16:1-4), Mephibosheth proved unfaithful to him, and Ziba was subsequently awarded all of Mephibosheth's estate. However (2 Sam. 19:24-30), Mephibosheth later told David that he had remained loyal to him, and that Ziba had lied. David then ordered the estate divided between the two. Mephibosheth allowed Ziba to keep everything as he was simply content in knowing that David was safe. After this incident, Mephibosheth is only mentioned as having been protected by David (2 Sam. 21:7).
This article incorporates text from Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897), a publication now in the public domain.
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