Jerubbesheth

Jerubbesheth (meaning let the idol of confusion defend itself) is an alternate form of the name Jerubbaal (Gideon's surname), appearing only once in Scripture — in 2 Samuel 11:21, where Joab's message to David references the death of Abimelech who was killed by a millstone dropped by a woman at Thebez. The reference is to the narrative of Judges 9, where Abimelech, Gideon's son by a concubine, attempted to establish a kingship at Shechem but was fatally wounded by a woman's millstone.

The substitution of besheth (shame, confusion) for baal (lord) is a scribal practice found in several Old Testament names where the Baal element was considered offensive. Other examples include Ish-bosheth for Eshbaal (Saul's son) and Mephibosheth for Meribbaal (Jonathan's son). This practice illustrates how later scribes and editors worked to remove or neutralize Baal theophoric elements from the names preserved in the text.