What's in a Name?

Reflections on 2 Sam. 2:8-11

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
and favor is better than silver or gold.
-- Prov. 22:1

After Saul was killed and Israel defeated on Mt. Gilboa, Saul’s cousin Abner (1 Sam. 14:50), who was captain of his army, regathered his forces at Mahanaim, a town east of the Jordan on the border between Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh (Josh. 13:24-31). There he proclaimed Saul’s son Ish-bosheth king over Israel, probably after he regained control of the territory west of the Jordan perhaps four or five years later. Thus, the civil war between the house of Saul and David would not have begun until David’s fourth or fifth year and ended with Ish-bosheth’s death two years later when David had been king for six or seven years.

THE SURVIVING SON. Ish-bosheth was not, of course, mentioned among Saul’s sons who were slain on Mt. Gilboa. Those sons were Jonathan, Malki-Shua, and Abinadab (1 Sam. 31:2). Surprisingly, Ish-bosheth does not appear in any other lists of Saul’s sons. In 1 Sam. 14:49, they are listed as Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malki-Shua. In 1 Chron. 8:33 and 9:39, they are listed as Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal. The names of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, and Abinadab are consistent. Accordingly, it appears that Ish-bosheth was the same person as Ishvi and Esh-Baal because all include the same root “Esh/Ish.”

AN AMBIGUOUS NAME. Many suggest that Saul named his son Esh-Baal (Youngblood, 1992, p. 823). He probably intended the name to mean “Man of the Lord” as “baal” could mean “lord” as well as “husband” or “master.” However, “baal” could also refer to the Canaanite god worshipped in the region. In order to avoid that association, he was called Ishvi in 1 Sam. 14:49. Ishvi means “Man of Yahweh” (Nelson’s Quick Reference Topical Bible Index, 1995, p. 324). Ishvi would mean the same as Esh-baal, but it would not have the idolatrous associations of the latter name.

AMBIGUITIES MULTIPLIED. Ish-bosheth may have arisen in a similar way. In this case, scribes substituted “sheth,” meaning “shame,” for “baal” to show their abhorrence of anything associated with idolatry (Youngblood, 1992, p. 823). Ish-bosheth, therefore, would mean “Man of Shame.” On the other hand, some have suggested recently that Ish-bosheth means “Man of Strength” where “strength” refers to a divine attribute (Wood, et al., 1996, New Bible Dictionary, p. 518). Even if this were true, it would not have eliminated the ambiguous associations created by the name, but would have multiplied them: Esh-Baal would mean “Man of the Lord/Baal,” and Ish-bosheth would mean “Man of Strength/Shame.” Perhaps the ambiguity of his names suggests the weak, wavering character of Saul’s son who became king for two short years.

Today, the associations that gather around our names during our lives are more important than the meanings of the names themselves. We would do well to reflect on what people think when they hear our names.