David said to him, “Don’t be afraid; for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your father. You will eat bread at my table continually.”
He bowed down, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look at such a dead dog as I am?” Then the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s son. Till the land for him, you, your sons, and your servants. Bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have bread to eat; but Mephibosheth your master’s son will always eat bread at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so your servant will do.” So Mephibosheth ate at the king’s table, like one of the king’s sons. Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. All that lived in Ziba’s house were servants to Mephibosheth. So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem; for he ate continually at the king’s table. He was lame in both his feet.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv7–11 Or, lands.
Or, lands.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv7–13 2Sa 9:7 And David said unto him, Fear not:…
2Sa 9:7 And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.
Ver. 7. And David said unto him, Fear not.] Mephi-bosheth feared, belike, that he was sent for to be put to death, as being Saul’s nephew. Kings are not without their jealousies; that Mephi-bosheth well knew, and afterwards smarted for. {2Sa 16:4}
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For I will surely show thee kindness.] It would be a great stay of mind if some great man should say to us, as David here doth to Mephibosheth, and as afterwards he did to Barzillai the Gileadite. Behold, God, the only potentate, saith more than all this; and shall we not trust him?
And will restore thee all the land.] Which had been confiscated for Ishbosheth’s rebellion, saith Vatablus.
And thou shalt eat bread at my table continually,] i.e., At fit times; like as we are commanded to pray continually. Here take notice how they that humble themselves are exalted. Mephi-bosheth, who made himself a dog, and therefore fit only to lie under the table; yea, a dead dog, and therefore fit only for the ditch; is raised up to the table of a king.
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 On vv7, 8, 10, 11, 12 All the land of Saul is now seized and…
All the land of Saul is now seized and possessed by David, as due to him, either in right of his wife, to whom the inheritance was devolved, Saul’s sons by his wives being all dead; see Num 27:8; or by Divine donation, as belonging to the crown which God had now given him; or by forfeiture, because of Ish-bosheth’s rebellion against his lord and king.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v9 The matter is here settled concerning Mephibosheth. 1. This…
The matter is here settled concerning Mephibosheth. 1. This grant of his father's estate is confirmed to him, and Ziba called to be a witness to it (Sa2 9:9); and, it should seem, Saul had a very good estate, for his father was a mighty man of substance (Sa1 9:1), and he had fields and vineyards to bestow, Sa1 22:7. Be it ever so much, Mephibosheth is now master of it all. 2. The management of the estate is committed to Ziba, who knew what it was and how to make the most of it, in whom, having been his father's servant, he might confide, and who, having a numerous family of sons and servants, had hands sufficient to be employed about it, Sa2 9:10. Thus Mephibosheth is made very easy, having a good estate without care, and is in a fair way of being very rich, having much coming in and little occasion to spend, himself being kept at David's table. Yet he must have food to eat besides his own bread, provisions for his son and servants; and Ziba's sons and servants would come in for their share of his revenue, for which reason perhaps their number is here mentioned, fifteen sons and twenty servants, who would require nearly all there was; for as goods are increased those are increased that eat them, and what good has the owner thereof save the beholding of them with his eyes? Ecc 5:11. All that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth (Sa2 9:12), that is, they all lived upon him, and made a prey of his estate, under pretence of waiting on him and doing him service. The Jews have a saying, "He that multiplies servants multiplies thieves." Ziba is now pleased, for he loves wealth, and will have abundance. "As the king has commanded, so will thy servant do, Sa2 9:11. Let me alone with the estate: and as for Mephibosheth" (they seem to be Ziba's words), "if the king please, he need not trouble the court, he shall eat at my table, and be as well treated as one of the king's sons." But David will have him at his own table, and Mephibosheth is as well pleased with his post as Ziba with his. How unfaithful Ziba was to him we shall find afterwards, Sa2 16:3. Now because David was a type of Christ, his Lord and son, his root and offspring, let his kindness to Mephibosheth serve to illustrate the kindness and love of God our Saviour towards fallen man, which yet he was under no obligation to, as David was to Jonathan. Man was convicted of rebellion against God, and, like Saul's house, under a sentence of rejection from him, was not only brought low and impoverished, but lame and impotent, made so by the fall. The Son of God enquires after this degenerate race, that enquired not after him, comes to seek and save them. To those of them that humble themselves before him, and commit themselves to him, he restores the forfeited inheritance, he entitles them to a better paradise than that which Adam lost, and takes them into communion with himself, sets them with his children at his table, and feasts them with the dainties of heaven. Lord, what is man, that thou shouldst thus magnify him!
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv7–13 And David said unto him, fear not,.... He might…
And David said unto him, fear not,.... He might observe a dejection in his countenance, a trembling in his limbs, and might discover signs of fear lest David should cut him off, because he was of the seed royal:
for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake; whom he loved as his own soul, and to whom he had sworn that he would not cut off his kindness from his house for ever, and now remembering his oath was determined to observe it:
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and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; his grandfather, such sometimes being called fathers; which David had taken to him, as crown lands, or in the right of his wife; or as being confiscated by Ishbosheth's rebellion:
and thou shall eat bread at my table continually; he gave him an apartment in the court, a place at his table, admitted him to be a guest with him as long as he should live; which was a very great favour and high honour, and showed what an unshaken friendship he had for his father, and would maintain with him. This was the kindness of God he meant to show to him.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v8 Bowed himself - It is good to have the…
Bowed himself - It is good to have the heart humbled under humbling providences. If when divine providence brings our condition down, divine grace brings our spirits down, we shall be easy.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv7, 9, 10, 11, 13 Verse 7. Will restore thee all the land] I…
Verse 7. Will restore thee all the land] I believe this means the mere family estate of the house of Kish, which David as king might have retained, but which most certainly belonged, according to the Israelitish law, to the descendants of the family.
And thou shalt eat bread at my table] This was kindness, (the giving up the land was justice,) and it was the highest honour that any subject could enjoy, as we may see from the reference made to it by our Lord, Lu 22:30: That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom. For such a person David could do no more. His lameness rendered him unfit for any public employment.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v10 2Sa 9:10-13. Mephibosheth shall eat bread alway at my…
2Sa 9:10-13. Mephibosheth shall eat bread alway at my table — Now David declares publicly what he had said privately to Mephibosheth. His family was to be maintained by the fruit of the estate that David gave him, though he himself was to eat always with David. And he was lame on both his feet — Or, though he was lame, &c. This defect and blemish did not hinder him from being entertained by the king with the greatest kindness; which procured him, though despicable in his person, honour from the people, as one in great favour with the king.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv8–12 Mephibosheth’s humility of expression, even in the mouth of…
Mephibosheth’s humility of expression, even in the mouth of an Oriental, is painful. It was perhaps in part the result of his helpless lameness, and of the other misfortunes of his life.
A dead dog - The wild dogs of the East, which still abound in every town, are the natural objects of contempt and dislike.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv7, 9, 10, 11, 13 Father, or grandfather. (Haydock) --- It is thought that…
Father, or grandfather. (Haydock) --- It is thought that all his goods had been confiscated, in consequence of Isboseth’s assuming the regal dignity. (Calmet) --- David might give the property to whom he pleased. (Menochius) --- Always. This was a mark of the greatest distinction, Luke xxii. 30. The Romans sometimes made their slaves free, in this manner, per mensam. (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).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv10, 12 Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants--The mention of…
Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants--The mention of his sons and the slaves in his house was to show that Mephibosheth would be honored with an equipage "as one of the king's sons."
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv7, 8, 9, 12 7. Restore thee all the land of Saul —…
7. Restore thee all the land of Saul — The private estate of Saul is doubtless meant, comprising both what fell to him by inheritance from Kish, and what he had himself acquired. “The landed property belonging to Saul had either fallen to David as crown lands, or had been taken possession of by distant relations after the death of Saul.” — Keil.
Eat bread at my table — Be a royal courtier, and receive the treatment and familiarity of a member of the royal family.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv7, 8, 10, 11, 12 7. Fear not] Mephibosheth might be afraid that David…
7. Fear not] Mephibosheth might be afraid that David had only hunted him out to treat him after the common fashion of Oriental usurpers, who often put all their predecessor’s kindred to death. He seems to have lived in concealment at Lo-debar.
the land of Saul thy father] Saul’s private estate at Gibeah, which passed into David’s possession when he came to the throne (ch. 2Sa_12:8). Father = grandfather, as frequently: so in 2Sa_9:9 son = grandson.
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thou shalt eat bread at my table] A common mark of honour in Oriental countries. See 1Ki_2:7; 2Ki_25:29. The physician Democedes, who cured Darius, was made “a member of the king’s table” (ὁμοτράπεζος βασιλέϊ, Herod. III. 132): and Histiaeus of Miletus was invited to come up to Susa, and be Darius’ “mess-companion” (σύσσιτος, Herod, v. 24).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv7–13 All the land of Saul thy father. David probably…
All the land of Saul thy father. David probably restored to Mephibosheth not only the lands at Gibeah, which Ziba had managed to hold, but Saul"s estates generally. There seems, nevertheless, to have been on Ziba"s part a grudge against Mephibosheth for thus getting back from the king what he had hoped to keep as his own. The privilege of being the king"s friend, and eating at his table, was an honour that would be more highly prized than even the possession of the estates.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v9 I will give unto thy masters son all that…
2Sa_9:9
I will give unto thy masters son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house,
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A lost inheritance recovered
When Warren Hastings was a boy he had to grieve at the fact that his family had lost their paternal estate at Dayleford, and he formed an early resolution of bringing it back once again into the family.
To purchase that forfeited estate became to him a great ambition of his life, and he ultimately succeeded: he bought back the estate, and died at Daylesford. But no such possibility lay before the disinherited prince Mephibosheth. As far as his own achievements go, he must live and die alienated from his ancestral possessions. What, however, is impossible to Mephibosheth to achieve is not beyond the grace of David freely to bestow, and thus the grant of Sauls patrimony to his forlorn and impoverished grandson is analogous to the method of Divine grace whereby, in Christ, the lost station and purity of Adam are restored to us who have inherited his fallen condition (Charles Deal.)
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The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v9 David Gives Orders Fob Mephibosheth’s CaRev. 9. Then the…
David Gives Orders Fob Mephibosheth’s CaRev. 9. Then the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, who may have resided upon the property of the family of Saul at Gibeah as steward, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master’s son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house, thereby giving him all the rights of the sole heir.
v. 10. Thou, therefore, and thy sons and thy servants shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, have entire charge of the farm-lands and be responsible for the crop, that thy master’s son may have food to eat, that his house or family might be taken care of; but Mephibosheth, thy master’s son, shall eat bread alway at my table, he personally was to have this honor of dining daily at the king’s table. Now, Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants, he was therefore in a position to manage so large an estate as that hereby transferred to Mephibosheth.
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v. 11. Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table as one of the king’s sons. Ziba repeated the exact words of the king, to show his full agreement and ready obedience. He thought it expedient to show himself as tractable as possible, in order to get into David’s good graces.
v. 12. And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micha, 1Ch 8:34. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth, they took care of the estate at Gibeah, according to David’s orders.
v. 13. So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem; for he did eat continually at the king’s table, as David had arranged, a companion of the royal family in the house and at the table; and was lame on both his feet. David’s manner of acting was noble, truly royal in showing such kindness to Mephibosheth, a type of the loving-kindness and tender mercies of his great descendant, Jesus Christ, in His care for all those who are poor, miserable, and heavy laden.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv7, 9, 11 for Jonathan your father's sake
for Jonathan your father's sake
"because I loved your father, Jonathan"
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you will always eat at my table
Here "my table" represents being together with David or in his presence. Eating with the king at his table was a great honor. AT: "you will always eat with me" (See: Metonymy)
What is your servant, that you should look with favor on such a dead dog as I am?
This rhetorical question shows that Mephibosheth understands that he is not important enough for the king to take care of him. This can be translated as a statement. AT: "I am like a dead dog. I do not deserve for you to be kind to me." (See: Rhetorical Question)
such a dead dog
Here Mephibosheth represents the line of Saul, and he compares himself to a "dead dog." Dogs were feral animals, not cared for, and of little importance. A dead dog would be considered even less important. AT: "such a person like me who is worthless as a dead dog" (See: Metaphor)
translationWords
fear
restore
favor
die
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv7, 8, 11, 13 9:7 David had confiscated all the property that had…
9:7 David had confiscated all the property that had belonged to . . . Saul.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.