Hebrew word · H4807

מְרִיב בַּ֫עַל

meriv

Merib-baal

A personal name made of two parts. The first is most often linked to rîb, 'to strive, contend, plead someone's case', so the name may mean 'Baal (the Lord) contends / is my advocate' or, less likely, 'opponent of Baal'.

Appears 6 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A man of the tribe of Benjamin living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Sa.4.4;

son of: Jonathan (H3083H);

father of: Micah (H4318H); also called Merib-baal at 1Ch.8.34; 9.40;

Another name of me.phi.vo.shet (מְפִיבֹשֶׁת "Mephibosheth" H4648G)

§ Merib-baal = "Baal is my advocate"

1) another name for Mephibosheth

1a) son of Jonathan and grandson of Saul

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 1 Chronicles 8:34

Range of meaning

A personal name made of two parts. The first is most often linked to rîb, 'to strive, contend, plead someone's case', so the name may mean 'Baal (the Lord) contends / is my advocate' or, less likely, 'opponent of Baal'. The variant Meri-baal (1 Chronicles 9:40) has been read as 'my lord is Baal' (compare Aramaic mārî, 'my lord') or as 'beloved of Baal' (compare Egyptian mry, 'beloved'). Names of this type usually make a statement about a god acting on behalf of the child.

Against the English

English versions simply transliterate the name ('Merib-baal'). That is accurate. The problem is that readers who know the more famous name Mephibosheth from 2 Samuel may not realise this is the same man.

Used elsewhere in the period

The parallel in 1 Chronicles 9:40 has both Merib-baal and Meri-baal. In 2 Samuel 4:4; 9:6–13; 16:1–4; 19:24–30; 21:7 he is called Mephibosheth. There is a different Mephibosheth, Saul's son by Rizpah, in 2 Samuel 21:8. The Greek Old Testament (LXX) of Chronicles has Meribaal. The Greek of Samuel mostly has Memphibosthe, though some Greek witnesses and, as reported, 4QSam(a) at 2 Samuel 4:4 have a form ending in -baal. Compare Jerubbaal, Gideon's other name, explained in Judges 6:32 as 'let Baal contend'. That name uses the same verb rîb together with ba'al.

Where it appears

1 Chronicles · 6

  1. 1 Chronicles 8:34 מְרִ֣יב בָּ֑עַל וּמְרִ֥יב בַּ֖עַל [was] Merib-, -baal, and Merib-

    The son of Jonathan: Merib-baal, and Merib-baal was the father of Micah.

    Here: The first part of a two-part personal name, probably built from the verb rîb, 'to contend, to plead a case'. The verse leaves the name standing with no comment.

  2. 1 Chronicles 9:40 מְרִ֣יב בָּ֑עַל [was] Merib-, -baal

    The son of Jonathan: Merib-baal, who was the father of Micah.

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