Eshbaal

Eshbaal was the fourth son of King Saul, listed in 1 Chronicles 8:33 and 9:39 under his original name, which means man of Baal or Baal exists. The same individual is referred to throughout 2 Samuel as Ish-bosheth (man of shame), a scribal substitution of the derogatory term bosheth (shame) for the theophoric element Baal—a pious alteration to avoid preserving the name of the Canaanite deity in connection with Israel's first royal family.

After Saul's death at Jezreel, Abner son of Ner took Ish-bosheth and made him king over Israel in Mahanaim, where he reigned two years in opposition to David's rule over Judah. His reign was weak from the start: Abner was the real power, and when Abner defected to David following a dispute over Saul's concubine Rizpah, Ish-bosheth's position became untenable. He was subsequently assassinated in his bed by two of his own officers, Baanah and Rechab, who hoped to gain David's favor—but David executed them for their crime. His death cleared the way for the elders of Israel to anoint David king over all Israel.