🔼The name Jerubbesheth: Summary
- Meaning
- Let Shame Contend, He Will Contend With Shame
- Etymology
- From (1) the verb ריב (rib), to contend, and (2) the noun בשת (boshet), shame.
🔼The name Jerubbesheth in the Bible
The name Jerubbesheth occurs only once in the Bible, namely in 2 Samuel 11:21, where it occurs instead of Jerubbaal, and Jerubbaal was a honorary name of Gideon the father of Abimelech of Shechem.
🔼Etymology of the name Jerubbesheth
The name Jerubbesheth consists of two elements. The first part of our name comes from the verb ריב (rib), meaning to contend:
ריב
The very common verb ריב (rib) means to strive or contend and ranges from a mere bickering to full scale combat. Noun ריב (rib) means strife, dispute or plea. Noun יריב (yarib) denotes an opponent or adversary. Noun מריבה (meriba) refers to a place or agent of strife or contention.
The second part of our name is the noun בשת (boshet), meaning shame or weakness:
יבש בוש
The verb יבש (yabesh) means to wither (of plants or body parts). Adjective יבש (yabesh) means dry or dried. Nouns יבשה (yabbasha) and יבשת (yabbashet) refer to dry land.
The verb בוש (bosh) means to be ashamed and nouns בושה (busha), בושה (bosha) and בשת (boshet) mean shame. But although these words are usually translated with shame, humility might be a better word:
Noun מבוש (mabosh) is a rare word that appears to describe a man's private parts, but sexual modesty wasn't imposed upon society until modern times. Instead, our noun relates to the ebbing of bodily fluids from parts celebrated for their periodic retention of it.
A man's private and intuitive will was considered seated in his penis, and a flaccid and docile member demonstrated a considerate and cooperative man. This is also why Greco-Roman statues have such small willies: it reflects the understanding that men of modest private drives form the dry land upon which a society may build her glorious cities.
🔼Jerubbesheth meaning
For a meaning of the name Jerubbesheth, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads Let Shame Contend and Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names has He Will Contend With Shame. BDB Theological Dictionary does not offer a translation of our name.