How has Wikipedia's Mephibosheth article changed?

Wikipedia's first sentence called it "son of jonathan —and". Today it says "son of jonathan and thus a grandson of saul". We saved the article's opening at 5 moments between 2015 and 2025, and every claim links the exact revision.

How can I verify what Wikipedia's Mephibosheth article used to say?

Each snapshot on this page links the Wikipedia revision it came from, so you can open their own history and compare. We also keep our own copy of the text, which stays readable if the article changes again.

How Wikipedia rewrote the Mephibosheth article

The opening as it read in 2015

Mephibosheth kneeling before David. According to the Books of Samuel of the Tanakh , Mephibosheth ( Bib Heb : מְפִיבֹשֶׁת , Trans : Mefivoshet , Məp̄îḇṓšeṯ ; meaning "from the mouth of shame" or "from the mouth of god Bashtu" ) or Merib-baal ( Bib Heb: מְרִיב־בַּעַל , Trans: Meriv-Ba'al , Mərîḇ-Báʻal ) is the son of Jonathan , and grandson of King Saul ,. According to the biblical narrative, Mephibosheth was five years old when both his father and grandfather died at the Battle of Mount Gilboa . When the report about the deaths of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel , Mephibosheth’s nurse took him and fled in panic.¹ In her haste, the child had fallen, or been dropped upon fleeing.² Since then, he was unable to walk.³ King David learned this from Ziba , a former servant in Saul’s house. In order to fulfill his covenant with Jonathan , David wished to exercise loving-kindness toward anyone “left over of the house of Saul.” After David had subdued all the adversaries of Israel , Mephibosheth was brought before David, and when the king explained that it was his desire to exercise loving-kindness toward Mephibosheth by returning to him “all the field of Saul” and by having him “eat bread at my table constantly,” Mephibosheth responded humbly: “What is your servant, that you have turned your face to the dead dog such as I am?” However, in keeping with David’s determination in the matter, Ziba and all those dwelling in his house (including 15 sons and 20 servants) became servants to Mephibosheth, who was given Saul’s property. He thereafter resided in Jerusalem and constantly ate at the table of the king. When David fled from Jerusalem because of Absalom ’s conspiracy, he was met by Ziba, who provided him with supplies. Answering David’s inquiries as to the whereabouts of Mephibosheth, Ziba claimed that Mephibosheth was in Jerusalem preparing to receive the kingship back. In response, David awarded Ziba all of Mephibosheth's estate (2 Sam. 16:1-4). When Mephibosheth came to meet David upon the king’s return to Jerusalem, the account saying “he had not attended to his feet nor had he attended to his mustache nor had he washed his garments from the day that the king went away until the day that he came in peace.” Mephibosheth explained that Ziba, his servant, had tricked him and then slandered him to the king. Mephibosheth sought that David would see the matter in its true light. David evidently recognized Mephibosheth’s innocence, and that he had remained loyal. David thus altered his first decree to gave Mephibosheth and Ziba a share in the field. However, Mephibosheth was content with the kings return and suggested that Ziba just receive the whole lot. When the Gibeonites sought the death of Saul’s descendants to atone for that king’s evil attempt against them, David again showed kindness to Mephibosheth because of the oath of Jehovah between David and Jonathan . So he spared Mephibosheth's life by refusing to hand him over to the Gibeonites. Though the Hebrew Bible provides no further information about Mephibosheth, Saul’s family continued in existence to a later generation through Mephibosheth’s son Mica (Micah) .⁴ 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 .⁵

This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 666960711.

The opening as it stood in 2010

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Easton, Matthew George (1897). Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). Nelson and Sons. : Missing or empty |title= ( help ) Meri-baal - "beloved of Baal "/"beloved of the Lord". In view of later religious sensibilities, textually later parts of the Bible rename Meribaal to Mephibosheth - "exterminator of the shameful one", while textually earlier parts preserve the name Meribaal . This change from "-Baal" to "-Bosheth" is common throughout other Biblical names, the exception being Beliah ( Yahweh is Lord / Yahweh is Baal ) since this couldn't be allowed to become Boshethiah or Jebosheth ( Yahweh is shameful ). (1.) The name of Saul 's son by the concubine Rizpah , daughter of Aiah . During the reign of King David , some members of Saul's family were punished for what had been done unto the Gibeonites . Mephibosheth and his brother Armoni along with five others, were "hanged on a hill before the Lord" by the Gibeonites, and their bodies left exposed in the sun for five months ( 2 Sam. 21:8–10 ). (2.) The son of Jonathan , and grandson of Saul ( 2 Sam. 4:4 ). He was lame in his feet. He was five years old when his father and grandfather fell in the Battle of Mount Gilboa . Hearing of this calamity, his nurse fled with him from Gibeah , the royal residence, and in her haste stumbled, dropping him on the ground and causing his paralysis ( 2 Sam. 19:26 ). He was carried to the land of Gilead , where he found refuge in the house of Machir , son of Ammiel , at Lo-debar , by whom he was reared. Some years later, when King David had subdued all the adversaries of Israel , he recalled the family of Jonathan , and discovered that Mephibosheth was residing in the house of Machir. So he sent royal messengers there, and brought Mephibosheth and his infant son Micah to Jerusalem , where they resided from that point on ( 2 Sam. 9 ). When David was a fugitive, according to the story of Ziba ( 2 Sam. 16:1–4 ), Mephibosheth proved unfaithful to him, and Ziba was subsequently awarded all of Mephibosheth's estate. However ( 2 Sam. 19:24–30 ), Mephibosheth later told David that he had remained loyal to him, and that Ziba had lied. David then ordered the estate divided between the two; Mephibosheth allowed Ziba to keep everything as he was simply content in knowing that David was safe. After this incident, Mephibosheth is only mentioned as having been protected by David against the vengeance the Gibeonites were permitted to execute on the house of Saul ( 2 Sam. 21:7 ).

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 368932336.

The opening as it stood in 2020 15 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Illustration from the Morgan Bible of Mephibosheth kneeling before David. According to the Books of Samuel of the Tanakh , Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan , grandson of King Saul and father of Mica or Micha. According to the biblical narrative ( 2 Samuel 4:4 ), Mephibosheth was 5 years old when both his father and grandfather died at the Battle of Mount Gilboa . After the deaths of Saul and Jonathan, Mephibosheth's nurse took him and fled in panic. In her haste, the child fell, or was dropped while fleeing. After that, he was unable to walk . 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. David restored Saul's inheritance to Mephibosheth and permitted him to live within his palace in Jerusalem . The Hebrew name is Mefivoshet , meaning "from the mouth of shame" or "from the mouth of god Bashtu", or Merib-baal ( Bib Heb: מְרִיב־בַּעַל , Trans: Meriv-Ba'al , Mərîḇ-Báʻal ). 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 .

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 963588937.

The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 9 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Biblical character For Mephibosheth, the son of Saul, see Armoni and Mephibosheth . Illustration from the Morgan Bible of Mephibosheth kneeling before David. Mephibosheth (Biblical Hebrew: מְפִיבֹשֶׁת ‎, Məfīḇōšeṯ , also called Meribaal , מְרִיב־בַּעַל ‎, Mərīḇ-Baʻal ), or Miphibosheth , was the son of Jonathan —and, thus, a grandson of Saul —mentioned in the Biblical Books of Samuel and Chronicles .

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1178622127.

The opening as it stood in 2025

Biblical character For Mephibosheth, the son of Saul, see Armoni and Mephibosheth . Illustration from the Morgan Bible of Mephibosheth kneeling before David. Mephibosheth ( Biblical Hebrew : מְפִיבֹשֶׁת , romanized: Məp̄īḇošeṯ , also called Meribaal , מְרִיב־בַּעַל ‎, 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 Biblical Books of Samuel and Chronicles .

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1287705867. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.

What Wikipedia says this is