Bible Dictionaries
Ishbibenob

Holman Bible Dictionary

(ihssh' bi bee nahb) Personal name meaning, “inhabitant of Nob.” See 2 Samuel 21:16-17 ). He is described literally as “who (was) among the children of the Raphah.” Traditionally, this has been connected with the Rephaim and translated “giant” (KJV, TEV, NAS, REB, NRSV). NIV translates literally, “the descendants of Rapha.” Some Bible students interpret this as being an elite group of warriors under a vow to the god Rapha. Or it may mean, “the men of the scimitar” or sword. Other Bible students use Greek manuscript evidence to replace the unusual name Ishbibenob with another—Dodo son of Joash—but this is a drastic solution. Another solution changes the text to read the name as a verb meaning, “they camped in Nob,” leaving the soldier unnamed. The soldier Ishbibenob was killed by David's faithful soldier Abishai.