Eshbaal was the fourth son of King Saul. He became the king of Israel after Saul died. Eshbaal's name means “man of Baal” or “Baal exists.” (1 Chronicles 8:33; 9:39). In the time of the judges and when Israel first had kings, many Hebrew names included the word baal (which means “master” or “possessor”).
Later, people wanted to avoid saying the name baal, because Baal was the name of a false god. So they changed baal to bosheth, which means “shame“ (compare Hosea 2:16–17). That is why Eshbaal is called Ishbosheth in 2 Samuel 2:8, which means “man of shame.” Some think scribes changed the name in the book of Samuel because people read it out loud in public during synagogue services. The book of Chronicles was not read in the same way.
After Saul and his older sons died, Abner (Saul’s army commander) made Ishbosheth king (2 Samuel 2:8–9). But the tribe of Judah followed David instead. This caused a long struggle between David and Ishbosheth. Over time, David’s side grew stronger, while Ishbosheth’s side became weaker (3:1).
Later, Abner left Ishbosheth. Soon after, Joab, one of David’s men, killed Abner (2 Samuel 3:27). After Abner’s death, the people lost hope (4:1). Soon after, two of Ishbosheth’s own captains killed him (verse 7). David did not approve of these deaths. But with Abner and Ishbosheth gone, nothing stood in the way of David becoming king over all the tribes.