Hebrew word · H3380

יְרֻבֶּשֶׁת

yerubeshet

Jerubbesheth

A form of the name Jerubbaal ('let Baal contend', Judges 6:32), Gideon's second name. The element ba'al has been replaced by bosheth, 'shame'.

Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A man living before Israel's Monarchy, first mentioned at Jdg.6.11;

son of: Joash (H3101);

father of: Jether (H3500), Abimelech (H0040H) and Jotham (H3147); also called Jerubbaal at Jdg.6.32; 7.1; 8.29,35; 9.1,2,5,16,19,24,28,57; 1xJerubbesheth at 2Sa.11.21;

Another name of gid.on (גִּדְעוֹן "Gideon" H1439)

§ Jerubbesheth = "shame will contend"

a variant name of Jerubbaal (the other name of Gideon [ ye.rub.ba.al (יְרֻבַּ֫עַל "Jerubbaal" H3378)]) substituting the word 'shame' for the name of the pagan god 'Baal'

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 2 Samuel 11:21

Range of meaning

A form of the name Jerubbaal ('let Baal contend', Judges 6:32), Gideon's second name. The element ba'al has been replaced by bosheth, 'shame'.

Against the English

English versions transliterate it, so most readers do not realise this is Gideon. Some paraphrases help by supplying the more familiar name.

How it drifted

Not drift in the usual sense, but a hidden scribal change. Compare Ish-bosheth for Eshbaal (1 Chronicles 8:33) and Mephibosheth for Merib-baal (1 Chronicles 8:34).

Used elsewhere in the period

Judges consistently has Jerubbaal. The Septuagint here has Ierobaal. Hosea 9:10 and Jeremiah 3:24 use bosheth, 'shame', as a stand-in for Baal worship.

Where it appears

2 Samuel · 1

  1. 2 Samuel 11:21 יְרֻבֶּ֗שֶׁת Jerub-Besheth

    Who struck Abimelech son of Jerubbesheth? Was it not a woman who dropped an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?’ If he asks you this, then you are to say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead as well.’”

    Here: Another name for Gideon, called Jerubbaal in Judges 6:32. Here 'Baal' has been replaced with 'besheth' ('shame'), a scribal habit of avoiding the pagan god's name.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.