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Mephibosheth (, also called Meribaal, , Mərīḇ-Baʻal), or Miphibosheth, was the son of Jonathan—and, thus, a grandson of Saul, the first king of the United Monarchy of Israel and Judah. He is mentioned in the Bible Books of Samuel and Chronicles.
After the accident, Mephibosheth was carried with the rest of his family beyond the Jordan to the mountains of Gilead, where he found refuge in the house of Makhir ben Ammiel, a powerful Gadite or Manassite headman at Lo-debar, not far from Mahanaim, which during the reign of his uncle Ishbosheth was the headquarters of his family. The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature. (James Strong and John McClintock, eds.) Harper and Brothers; NY; 1880
Some years later, after his accession to the kingship of the United Monarchy, King David sought "someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God" and Mephibosheth was brought to him by Ziba, Saul's servant. Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann says the mention of Mephibosheth's disability may have been added to show that he was not a military or political threat to David. The Moody Bible Commentary, (Michael Rydelnik, Michael Vanlaningham, eds.) Moody Publishers, 2014
David restored Saul's inheritance to Mephibosheth and permitted him to live within his palace in Jerusalem.
According to , and he had a son called Micah.
There is some scholarly agreement that Mephibosheth replaced Meribbaal (or Memphibaal) in order to conceal the theophoric name "baal", a reference to a Canaanite deity, which became taboo.
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