3380. Yerubbesheth

Lexical Summary

Yerubbesheth: Yerubbesheth

Original Word: יְרֻבֶּשֶׁת
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Yrubbesheth
Pronunciation: yeh-roob-beh'-sheth
Phonetic Spelling: (yer-oob-beh'-sheth)
KJV: Jerubbesheth
NASB: Jerubbesheth
Word Origin: [from H7378 (רִיבּ רוּב - contend) and H1322 (בּוֹשֶׁת - shame)]

1. shame (i.e. the idol) will contend
2. Jerubbesheth, a symbolic name for Gideon

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Jerubbesheth, a symbol.

From riyb and bosheth; shame (i.e. The idol) will contend; Jerubbesheth, a symbol. Name for Gideon:

see HEBREW riyb

see HEBREW bosheth

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from rib and bosheth
Definition
"shame will contend," a name of Gideon
NASB Translation
Jerubbesheth (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

יְרֻבֶּ֫שֶׁת 2 Samuel 11:21 see foregoing.

Topical Lexicon

Name and Etymology

Jerubbesheth is a deliberate alteration of the better-known title Jerubbaal that was given to Gideon after he tore down the altar of Baal (Judges 6:32). In later usage the theophoric element “Baal” is replaced by “bosheth” (“shame”) to safeguard Israel’s confession that the LORD alone is God and to expose the disgrace of idolatry. Thus the revised name testifies both to Gideon’s stand against Baal and to Israel’s growing sensitivity to the presence of pagan terminology in its memory and speech.

Biblical Occurrence

The form Jerubbesheth appears only once, in 2 Samuel 11:21. Joab anticipates David’s displeasure at the high casualty report from the siege of Rabbah and reminds the king, “Who struck down Abimelek son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the wall of Thebez, so that he died there? Why did you get so close to the wall?”. By recalling this episode, Joab implicitly argues that bold assaults on fortified walls have long carried lethal risk and that even Israel’s heroes suffered for it.

Historical Context

1. Gideon’s Legacy
• Gideon’s valiant obedience in Judges 6–8 delivered Israel from Midian, yet the narrative closes with his household sliding toward idolatry (Judges 8:27, 33). The renaming Jerubbaal/-besheth therefore looks back to both his triumph over Baal and the tragic ambiguity that followed.
2. Abimelech’s Fate
• Abimelech, Gideon’s son by a concubine, murdered his brothers to claim rule in Shechem (Judges 9). His death beneath a woman’s millstone (Judges 9:53) became a standing example of God’s retribution on tyranny. Joab’s citation in 2 Samuel 11 appeals to that well-known precedent.

Textual and Theological Significance

1. Anti-Idolatry Polemic
• The substitution of “bosheth” for “Baal” reinforces the prophetic conviction that idols are a disgrace (compare Hosea 9:10). Scripture itself models linguistic separation from paganism while preserving historical memory.
2. Covenant Consistency
• By linking David’s campaign with Gideon’s era, the narrative underscores a continuous pattern in redemptive history: God humbles pride and delivers His people, whether through Gideon’s three hundred or the unnamed woman of Thebez.
3. Providential Irony
• Abimelech sought glory but died by a woman’s hand; centuries later Joab’s reminder highlights the futility of self-exaltation, a theme echoed in Proverbs 16:18 and manifested in David’s own moral failure within the same chapter of 2 Samuel.

Lessons for Ministry Today

• Guard the Tongue: Scripture’s careful avoidance of the name of Baal challenges believers to sanctify their speech (Ephesians 4:29), ensuring that language reflects loyalty to the LORD alone.
• Remember Precedents: Wise leaders, like Joab in this instance, know history and draw on it to interpret present challenges; pastors and teachers should likewise trace God’s past dealings to strengthen faith amid new trials (1 Corinthians 10:11).
• Expect Divine Justice: Abimelech’s demise beneath a household tool wielded by an unheralded woman proves that the Sovereign can overturn oppression by the simplest means; the church therefore rests in His justice while resisting evil (Romans 12:19).

Summary

Jerubbesheth, though mentioned only once, bridges Gideon’s confrontation with Baal and Joab’s counsel to David, reminding readers that God’s covenant faithfulness, hatred of idolatry, and sure judgment run like an unbroken thread through Israel’s story—and continue to shape the mission and message of God’s people today.

Forms and Transliterations

יְרֻבֶּ֗שֶׁת ירבשת yə·rub·be·šeṯ yərubbešeṯ yerubBeshet

Englishman's Concordance

2 Samuel 11:21
HEB: אֲבִימֶ֣לֶךְ בֶּן־ יְרֻבֶּ֗שֶׁת הֲלֽוֹא־ אִשָּׁ֡ה
NAS: the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman
KJV: the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman
INT: Abimelech the son Jerubbesheth not ess

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 3380
1 Occurrence

yə·rub·be·šeṯ — 1 Occ.