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אִישׁ־בֹּשֶׁת

𐤀𐤉𐤔־𐤁𐤔𐤕

Ish Boshet

H378 noun

SILEX Entry

Root אישׁ–בושׁ man, male, to be ashamed, to confound

Definition

Personal name meaning 'man of shame' or 'man of disgrace'; specifically, the name borne by a son of King Saul who briefly ruled over the northern Israelite tribes after Saul's death. In context, the compound is used as a proper name, but its component parts imply dishonor, perhaps used polemically or through later editorial substitution to avoid pronouncing an original theophoric element.

Semantic Range

personal name ('man of shame'), polemic replacement for 'man of Baal,' indication of disgrace or dishonor in editorial name substitutions

Root / Etymology

Compound of אִישׁ ('man') from root אישׁ (to be a man, male, husband) and בֹּשֶׁת ('shame, disgrace') from root בּושׁ (to be ashamed, confounded). The name is likely a later alteration of the original איש-בעל ('man of Baal'), with 'Baal' replaced by 'shame' as polemic against the Canaanite deity.

Historical & Contextual Notes

This name appears predominantly in 2 Samuel as the designation for Saul's son who became a rival king to David. Earlier sources and some genealogical lists (e.g., 1 Chronicles 8:33, 9:39) preserve the form 'Eshbaal' (אֶשְׁבָּעַל), indicating the original included the theonym Baal. Later biblical editors likely replaced 'Baal' with 'Bosheth' (shame), reflecting a shift in Israelite attitudes toward the use of Canaanite divine names. The use of 'shame' as a substitute is a deliberate editorial practice seen also in names like 'Mephibosheth' (from Meribbaal). Standard English translations transliterate the name directly, often without conveying the underlying polemic or linguistic history. The term does not refer generically to 'a man characterized by shame,' but is a personal name loaded with theological and polemical significance in the Deuteronomistic history.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from אִישׁ and בֹּשֶׁת; man of shame; Ish-Bosheth, a son of King Saul; Ish-bosheth.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

אישׁ–בושׁ (ʾ-y-sh / b-w-sh) — man, male; shame, disgrace, to be ashamed

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1322 בֹּשֶׁת Man of Shame

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H378-01 בֹּ֨שֶׁת֙ boshet HNp bosheth Man-of-Shame Ish Boshet 11
H378-02 אִ֥ישׁ ish HNp of man individual man Ish Boshet 10
H378-03 וּ/לְ/אִ֥ישׁ uleish HC/R/Np and for Ish and to Man-of-Shame and to Ish Boshet 1

Occurrences in Scripture

22 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H378-02 2 Samuel 2:8 אִ֥ישׁ ish HNp Ish individual man Ish Boshet
H378-01 2 Samuel 2:8 בֹּ֨שֶׁת֙ boshet HNp bosheth Man-of-Shame Ish Boshet
H378-02 2 Samuel 2:10 אִֽישׁ ish HNp Ishbosheth individual man Ish Boshet
H378-01 2 Samuel 2:10 בֹּ֣שֶׁת boshet HNp Bosheth Man-of-Shame Ish Boshet
H378-02 2 Samuel 2:12 אִֽישׁ ish HNp Ish individual man Ish Boshet
H378-01 2 Samuel 2:12 בֹּ֣שֶׁת boshet HNp bosheth Man-of-Shame Ish Boshet
H378-03 2 Samuel 2:15 וּ/לְ/אִ֥ישׁ uleish HC/R/Np and for Ish and to Man-of-Shame and to Ish Boshet
H378-01 2 Samuel 2:15 בֹּ֨שֶׁת֙ boshet HNp bosheth Man-of-Shame Ish Boshet
H378-02 2 Samuel 3:8 אִֽישׁ ish HNp the man individual man Ish Boshet
H378-01 2 Samuel 3:8 בֹּ֗שֶׁת boshet HNp of shame Man-of-Shame Ish Boshet
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