There was of Saul’s house a servant whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” He said, “I am your servant.”
Parallel Translations
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There was of Saul’s house a servant whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” He said, “I am your servant.”
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And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he.
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Now there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba, and they called him unto David; and the king said unto him: 'Art thou Ziba?' And he said: 'Thy servant is he.'
Cross-references (6)
Passages linked to 2 Samuel 9:2 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 2 Samuel 16:1-4 When David was a little past the top, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him with a couple of donkeys saddled, and on them two hundred loaves of bread, and one hundred clusters of raisins, and one hundred summer fruits, and a container of wine. The king said to Ziba, “What do you mean by these?” Ziba said, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that those who are faint in the wilderness may drink.” The king said, “Where is your master’s son?” Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is staying in Jerusalem; for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will restore me the kingdom of my father.’ ” Then the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.” Ziba said, “I bow down. Let me find favor in your sight, my lord, O king.”
- 2 Samuel 19:17 There were a thousand men of Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of Saul’s house, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him; and they went through the Jordan in the presence of the king.
- Genesis 15:2-3 Abram said, “Lord Yahweh, what will you give me, since I go childless, and he who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” Abram said, “Behold, you have given no children to me: and, behold, one born in my house is my heir.”
- Genesis 24:2 Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please put your hand under my thigh.
- Genesis 39:6 He left all that he had in Joseph’s hand. He didn’t concern himself with anything, except for the food which he ate. Joseph was well-built and handsome.
- 2 Samuel 19:27-29 He has slandered your servant to my lord the king, but my lord the king is as an angel of God. Therefore do what is good in your eyes. For all my father’s house were but dead men before my lord the king; yet you set your servant among those who ate at your own table. What right therefore have I yet that I should cry any more to the king?” The king said to him, “Why do you speak any more of your matters? I say, you and Ziba divide the land.”
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (6 sources)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 2Sa 9:2 And [there was] of the house of…
2Sa 9:2 And [there was] of the house of Saul a servant whose name [was] Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, [Art] thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant [is he].
Ver. 2. A servant whose name was Ziba.] An old flatter, such as Saul had many about him; Qualis herus, tolis servus.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain A servant; one who had been a servant, and,…
A servant; one who had been a servant, and, as it may seem, a steward to Saul. See Poole "2Sa 9:10".
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And there was of the house of Saul a…
And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba,.... Or there was a servant that belonged to Saul's family; not that any of Saul's family was a servant; and this servant the Jews commonly say was a Canaanitish servant, and who upon the death of his master was not made free, but became the inheritance and possession of his children after him, Lev 25:46; though Josephus (n) says he was made free by Saul:
and when they had called him unto David; who it seems was now at court, or in Jerusalem, on some account or another; or was in David's service, in some inferior post or another; however, having been a quondam servant of Saul, it was thought he could give the best intelligence of his family, and whether any were living, and therefore was sent for; and when he was come into the king's presence:
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the king said unto him, art thou Ziba? for he had been told before by some of his courtiers what his name was:
and he said, thy servant is he; or my name is Ziba, and I am at thy command.
(n) Ut supra, (Antiqu. l. 7. c. 5.) sect. 5.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Servant, of free man of Saul, and a convert.…
Servant, of free man of Saul, and a convert. (Josephus) (Menochius) --- Yet he might very well be a Hebrew, who refused to accept his liberty, and continued as superintendent over the rest of his master’s house, (ver. 10,) like Eleazar, Joseph, (Genesis xxiv., and xxxix.) or the servant of whom our Saviour speaks, Luke xii. 42. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 2. Ziba — This slave of Saul seems to…
2. Ziba — This slave of Saul seems to have become a freedman at his master’s death, and so well did he improve all advantages that at this time he had himself become the head of a family of fifteen sons and twenty slaves. 2Sa_9:10.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain A servant whose name was Ziba. It is evident…
A servant whose name was Ziba. It is evident from this that David was not certain that Jonathan had left behind him a son; but not because of the change of name from Meribbaal; (1Ch_8:34) for Baal retained its innocent meaning of "lord" until the time of Jezebel. It then became the title of the Phoenician sun god; and Jezebel"s shameless worship of this deity, and her cruelty to Jehovah"s prophets, made the people henceforth change the name Baal into Bosheth, "the shameful thing". (see note on 2Sa_2:8) Mephibosheth had not changed his name, but had lived in obscurity in the wild region beyond Mahanaim. Meanwhile Ziba had probably taken care of Saul"s property in the tribe of Benjamin. There is no reason to doubt that he had been steward there for Saul, and after his master"s death had continued in possession of the estate. David, we may feel sure, would not interfere with it, and Ziba would hold it for Saul"s heirs, who could not themselves take possession. To him David now sends, not because he expected to hear of a son of his dear friend Jonathan, but because he was ready to show kindness to any representative of the fallen monarch.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.