Thus Kish, Ner’s son, was presumably a grandson of Jehiel (ch. 9:35, 36, 39), or Abiel (1 Sam. 14:51). Kish is called Abiel’s son (1 Sam. 9:1) in the wider meaning of “son” (see on 1 Chron. 2:7).

 The home of Saul was at Gibeah rather than Gibeon (1 Sam. 10:26; 11:4; 15:34; 2 Sam. 21:6).

 The employment of the name “Baal” in Esh-baal and in Merib-baal, the son of Jonathan (v. 34), does not necessarily indicate that Saul was devoted to the worship of the god Baal. The Heb. ba‘al simply means “owner,” “husband,” “lord.” However, after the word came to be definitely connected with the god Baal it appears no longer to have been used by Hebrews who were faithful to Jehovah in the naming of their children. The change from Esh-baal (literally, “man of Baal”) to Ishbosheth (literally, “man of shame”) and possibly also that of Merib-baal (1 Chron. 9:40) to Mephibosheth (see on 2 Sam. 2:8; see also 2 Sam. 4:4; 9:6) was probably a deliberate substitution to eliminate the implication of idolatry. The Hebrew people were fond of such adaptations in names as a means of giving expression to their feelings.