Meribbaal

Meribbaal was the original name for Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan who could not walk (1 Chronicles 8:34; 9:40). The name Meribbaal means "Baal contends." In 2 Samuel 4:4 and 9:6, he is called by the later name Mephibosheth, which means "idol breaker." This change in name happened because the word "baal" (which means "lord") later became associated with idol worship. When this happened, the Israelites often replaced "baal" in names with "bosheth," which means "shame." This was a common practice (compare 2 Samuel 11:21).