tions with David were entirely carried on by Abner (2 Sam. ii, 11; iii, G, 12). After various skirmishes be- tween the forces of the rival kings, a pitched battle was fought, in which the army of David under Joab was completely victorious. After this the interest of David continually waxed stronger, while that of Ish-bosheth declined (2 Sam. iii, 1). At length Ish-bosheth accused Abner (whether rightly or wrongly does not appear) of an attempt on his father's concubine, Rizpah, which, according to Oriental usage, amounted to treason (2 Sam. iii, 7 ; comp. 1 Kings ii, 13 ; 2 Sam. xvi, 21 ; xx, 3). Although accustomed to tremble before Abner, even Ish-bosheth's temper was roused to resentment by the discovery that Abner had thus invaded the harem of his late father Said, which was in a peculiar manner sacred under his care as a son and a king. By this act Abner exposed the king to public contempt, if it did not indeed leave himself open to the suspicion of intend- ing to advance a claim to the crown on his own behalf, Abner resented this suspicion in a burst of passion, which vented itself in a solemn vow to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul to the house of David, a purpose which from this time he appears steadily to have kept in view. Ish-bosheth was too much cowed to answer; and when, shortly afterwards, through Ab- ner's negotiation, David demanded the restoration of his former wife, Michal, he at once tore his sister from her reluctant husband, and committed lier to Abner's charge (2 Sam. iii, 14, 15). It is, perhaps, right to at- tribute this act to his weakness; altliough, as David allows that he was a righteous man (2 Sam. iv, 10), it may have been owing to his sense of justice. This trust seems to linve given Abner a convenient opportu- nity to enter iiiin m -utiations with David; but in the midst of them he liiinsrlf fell a victim to the resentment of Joab for the death of Abishai. The death of Abner deprived the house of Saul of their lust reniaiiiing sup- port. See Abnek. Wh;'u l.sU-bdslieth lieard of it, "his hands were fisebl?, and all the Israelites were troubled" (2 Sam. iv, 1). In this extremity of weakness he fell a victim, probal)ly, to a revenge for a crime of his father. The guard of Ish-bosheth, as of Saul, was taken from their own royal tribe of Benjamin (1 Chron. xii, 29). But among the sons of Benjamin were reckoned the de- scendants of the old Canaanitish inhabitants of Beeroth, one of the cities in league with Gibeon (2 Sam. iv, 2, 3). Two of those Beerothites, Baana and Bechab, in re- membrance, it has been conjectured, of Saul's slaughter of their kinsmen the Gibeonites, determined to tal^e ad- vantage of the helplessness of the royal house to destroy the only representative that was left, excepting the child jMephihosheth (2 Sam. iv, 4). They were "chiefs of the marauding troops" which used from time to time to attack the territory of Judah (comp. 2 Sam. iv, 2; iii, 22, where the same word isi'lj is used; Ynlg.principes latronum). They knew the habits of the king and court, and acted accordingly. In the stillness of an Eastern noon they entered the palace, as if to carry off the wheat which was yiiled up near the entrance. The female slave, who, as usual in Eastern houses, kept the door, and was herself sifting the wheat, had, in the heat of the day, fallen asleep at her task (2 Sam. iv, 5, 6, in Sept. and Vulg.). They stole in, and passed into the royal bedchamber, where Ish-bosheth was aslee]) on his couch during his midday siesta.-' They stabbed him in the stomach, cut off his head, made their escape, all that afternoon, all that night, down the valley of the Jordan (Arabah, A.V. "plain;" 2 Sam iv, 7), and pre- sented the head to David as a welcome present. B.C. 104G. They met with a stern reception from the mon- arch, who — as both right feeling and good policy re- quired— testified the utmost horror and concern. He rebuked them for the cold-blooded murder of an inno- cent man, and ordered them to be executed ; their hands and feet were cut off, and their bodies suspended over the tank at Hebron. Tlie head ,of Ish-bosheth was carefully buried in the sepulchre of his great kinsman
ISHI
682
ISHMAEL
Al)nor, at the same place (2 Sam. iv, 9-12). — Smith; Kitto; Fairbaim. See David.
I'shi (Hah. Yishi',''^^T:i'^,salutarj/; Sept.'Ii(7Ei,"Eg, 'liad), the name of four men.
1. The son of Appaim, and father of Sheshan, the eighth in descent from Judah (1 Chron. ii, 31). B.C. prob. post 1G12.
2. The father of Zoheth and Ben-zoheth, a descend- ant of Judah, but through what line does not appear (1 Chron. iv, 20). The name is possibly a corruption for the IsiiBAU of ver. 17. B.C. perh. cir. 1017.
3. Fatlier (progenitor) of several (four only are named) Simeonites who invaded Mt. Seir and dispos- sessed the Amalekites (1 Chron. iv, 42). B.C. ante 726.
4. One of the chiefs of Manasseli East, of famous val- or (1 Chron. v, 24). B.C. cir. 720.
I'SHI (Heb. Ishi', '^O'^N, w»y husband; Sept. ci aviip ^lov, Vulg. Vir mens), a metaphorical name prescribed for himself by Jehovah, to be usc<l by the Jewish Church, expressive of her future fidelity and privilege of intima- cy, in contrast with the spirit of legalism indicated by the title Buali, " my master" (Hos. ii, IG).