Ishbosheths

Ishbosheth was a son of King Saul and a claimant to the throne of Israel. Following the death of his father and brothers at the battle of Mount Gilboa, he was proclaimed king by Abner, Saul's former commander. Ishbosheth reigned for two years, establishing his capital at Mahanaim. His reign was largely contested by David, who had been anointed king by Samuel and was supported by the tribe of Judah. Most of the other tribes initially remained loyal to Ishbosheth. The conflict between Ishbosheth's forces, led by Abner, and David's forces, led by Joab, was ongoing. A pivotal event occurred when Abner defected to David's side after a dispute with Ishbosheth. Shortly thereafter, Ishbosheth was assassinated by two of his own captains, Baanah and Rechab, who hoped to gain favor with David by presenting him with Abner's head. David, however, did not reward the assassins, instead ordering their execution. Ishbosheth's reign was short and marked by instability and internal conflict, ultimately paving the way for David to unite all the tribes of Israel under his rule. His name, originally Ishbaal, was later changed to Ishbosheth, likely a deliberate alteration by later scribes to replace the name of the Canaanite deity Baal with the Hebrew word for "shame" or "to be ashamed."