Merib-baal

Merib-baal was the son of Jonathan and grandson of King Saul, better known by the alternative name Mephibosheth. The name Merib-baal — possibly meaning Baal contends or the lord pleads — appears in the genealogical lists of 1 Chronicles 8:34 and 9:40, while in the narrative sections of 2 Samuel he is called Mephibosheth, a name apparently substituting bosheth (shame) for the Baal element, following a scribal convention that replaced Baal-compound names to avoid honoring the Canaanite deity. He was lame in both feet from a childhood fall during the panic following his father's and grandfather's deaths at Jezreel (2 Samuel 4:4).

His life was transformed when King David, honoring his covenant with Jonathan, brought him to Jerusalem and restored all of Saul's land to him, seating him at the royal table as one of the king's sons (2 Samuel 9:11). He is a striking figure of grace — a crippled member of the defeated royal house restored by covenantal loyalty.