Mephibosheth

Mephibosheth

Mephibosheth 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:

  1. 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).
  2. 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, and in her haste stumbled, dropping him on the ground and causing his paralysis (2 Sam. 19:26). 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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  • MEPHIBOSHETH — (Heb. מְפִיבֹשֶׁת), a son of Jonathan and a grandson of Saul; called Merib Baal (מְרִיב־בַּעַל) or Meribaal (מְרִיבַעַל) in the genealogy of the house of Saul (I Chron. 8:34; 9:40) where the name is parallel to Eshbaal (see ish bosheth ). The… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Mephibosheth —    Exterminator of shame; i.e., of idols.    1) The name of Saul s son by the concubine Rizpah (q.v.), the daughter of Aiah. He and his brother Armoni were with five others hanged on a hill before the Lord by the Gibeonites, and their bodies… …   Easton's Bible Dictionary

  • Mephibosheth — On hearing the news of the death of Jonathan (Mephibosheth s father) and Saul (his grandfather), his nurse dropped the infant Mephibosheth in her haste (2 Sam. 4:4), after which he was permanently lame. David treated him generously, even when he… …   Dictionary of the Bible

  • Mephibosheth — Merib baal ist nach biblischer Überlieferung der Sohn von Jonatan und Enkel von König Saul, (2.Samuel) Da sein Onkel Isch baal geächtet ist, ist der Fünfjährige der Thronanwärter aus dem Hause Saul, nachdem der König und seine Söhne in der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Mephibosheth — /meuh fib euh sheth /, n. a son of Jonathan, and the grandson of Saul. II Sam 4:4. * * * …   Universalium

  • Mephibosheth — /meuh fib euh sheth /, n. a son of Jonathan, and the grandson of Saul. II Sam 4:4 …   Useful english dictionary

  • 2 Samuel 9 — 1 And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan s sake? 2 And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said… …   The King James version of the Bible

  • ZIBA — (Heb. צִיבָא), servant of the house of saul , probably the official keeper of the household. Ziba informed david about the whereabouts of mephibosheth , the lame son of jonathan , when David sought to locate the surviving members of the house of… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • List of minor biblical figures — This list contains persons named in the Bible of minor notability, about whom either nothing or very little is known, aside from any family connections. This literature related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. Contents: A B C D …   Wikipedia

  • 2 Samuel 19 — 1 And it was told Joab, Behold, the king weepeth and mourneth for Absalom. 2 And the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all the people: for the people heard say that day how the king was grieved for his son. 3 And the people gat them… …   The King James version of the Bible

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