Outline of Chapter 9:

Introduction

         v.       1              David Desires to Show Grace to the House of Saul

         vv.     2–4           David’s First Conversation with Ziba, Saul’s Slave

         vv.     5–8           David’s Conversation with Mephibosheth, Saul’s Grandson

         vv.     9–11         David’s Second Conversation with Ziba

         vv.    12–13         The Changed Life of Mephibosheth

Addendum

Charts, Maps and Short Doctrines:

         Introduction         2Samuel 8–10: A Possible Parallel

         Introduction         Clarke and Henry’s Outline of 2Samuel 9

         v.       1              The Doctrine of David and Jonathan

         v.       4              Background Information on Lo-debar

         v.       6              Commentators on Mephibosheth

         v.       7              A Summation of David's Promises to Mephibosheth (and what they mean to us)

         v.      11              The 3 Interpretations of 2Samuel 9:11

         v.      11              The Discreet Conversations of 2Samuel 9

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of 2Samuel 09

         Addendum          Mephibosheth is a Testament to God’s Grace

         Addendum          Guzik’s Summary of the Mephibosheth Narrative

         Addendum          Lessons from 2Samuel 9

         Addendum          The Parable of 2Samuel 9

         Addendum          The Narrative Arc of Mephibosheth (the Doctrine of Mephibosheth)

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An Introduction to 2Samuel 9

I ntroduction: 2Sam. 9 seems to be located in an odd place. You will recall from 2Sam. 8, we have a list of the nations that David has defeated. In 2Sam. 10, there will be the conflict between David and both Ammon and Syria. However, in between, David will locate Saul’s only remaining relative and show grace to him, based upon his friendship and love for Jonathan. A parallel occurs to me, although I do not know if this is what was intended. The end of the Age of Israel is one of many wars, where God defeats and destroys all of Israel’s enemies. Then there will be a time of peace, the Millennium, where God shows grace to the remnant of believers who are still alive. However, at the end of the Millennium, Satan will be let out of his confinement and he will inspire the Gog and Magog revolution, a revolution against perfect environment.

What could also be the case is, David is Jesus Christ in shadow form. He executes justice and righteousness throughout the land (which included the destruction of Israel's enemies—2Sam. 8). However, God is also a God of love and compassion and forgiveness, and that is what we find here. David holds no grudge against the house of Saul. David has fond memories of his close friend Jonathan (Saul's son, and apparently David's closest friend). David has been promised by God an eternal dynasty (2Sam. 7). Therefore, David does not have to be concerned about Saul's line somehow inserting itself and become prominent once again. So David will show grace to Mephibosheth, the grandson of Saul; just as God shows grace to us, and does not recall the past to hold it against us.

When examining any historical chapter or book, it is always important to realize that there is more being developed than simply filling in some missing historical gaps. The Bible does not give us a complete history of Israel. One of the missing portions of Israel’s history are details about how the Zadok line assumed the priesthood responsibilities after Saul had killed all of the priests in Nob. We know details about Saul’s order to kill these priests, and how Abiathar escaped to David, but we are given precious little information about how Zadok took it upon himself to restore the priesthood from a different line of Aaron.

Let me give you another example: Hezekiah, one of the good kings in the Southern Kingdom, was about to die the sin unto death, and God gave him 15 more years to live. We are given almost no additional information on Hezekiah’s life after that point in time. My point is, the Bible is not designed to give us a complete and total picture of Israel’s history. Therefore, what history we are given often has some significance beyond simply recording historical events which struck the fancy of the historian who writes them down.

This chapter has a beginning, an end, and 3 conversations in between. David was a very different sort of king. When some kings had some time off, they would perhaps organize games, get together with their drinking buddies, collect a few more wives or mistresses, or do whatever based upon their power as king. David has, so far, concerned himself with the Ark; then he was concerned that the Tabernacle of God was not sufficiently grand; and now, David will seek to show grace to anyone who remains in the line of Saul. There is a dramatic difference between David and other kings; most kings would think about themselves and how to spend time doing something for themselves; David concerns himself with the things of God and with other people.

David’s closest friend was Jonathan, and because of Jonathan, David would like to bless the line of Saul. So he asks if there is anyone remaining in the line of Saul so that he could show them grace (most kings would have already located all relatives from the opposing party and had them executed) (v. 1). David is told that there is one of Saul’s former slaves who might shed light on this situation: Ziba; so David calls Ziba in (v. 2). It turns out that Jonathan has a son who is lame in both feet, and that Machir ben Ammiel took him in (vv. 3–4). So David fetches Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth and promises to return all of Saul’s land and possessions to him (vv. 5–7). Mephibosheth is extremely grateful, if not taken aback, by David’s graciousness (v. 8). Then David calls Ziba back in. Ziba should have been taking care of Mephibosheth, but, when Saul’s family died in battle, Ziba just began his own life, ending up with 15 sons and 20 servants, and with all of Saul's land and possessions. David assigned Ziba (and his family) to Mephibosheth (as his slaves); returned all of Saul’s land to him; and had Mephibosheth as a regular dinner guest in the palace (vv. 9–10). Mephibosheth had a young son and began to take his meals with David in the royal palace (vv. 11–12).

What we learn from this chapter will be discussed at the end of 2Sam. 9.

Keil and Delitzsch place the timing of this chapter at about the middle of David’s reign. Mephibosheth is a 5 year old child back when Saul and Jonathan had been killed (2Sam. 4:4) and here he has a young child of his own (2Sam. 9:12). Essentially, this blocks in a period of time for us. I would place this somewhere between David’ 10^th and 20^th years as ruler over all Israel. There is an undetermined period of time when there is no king over Israel after Saul and Jonathan are defeated in battle. Then David rules for 7 years over southern Israel. And, so far in David’s reign, he has apparently brought the Ark into Jerusalem, he has been given the Davidic Covenant, and he has had many military victories. The verbiage of 2Sam. 9:12 tells us that, when all of this came about, Jonathan had a young son.

Several authors refer to 2Sam. 9–20 as a succession narrative or as court history. That is, someone just sat down and wrote all of this. They see the final 4 chapters of 2Samuel as appendices, added later to complete 2Samuel. 1Kings 1–2 are often included in this succession narrative. Some go so far as to claim that this was written to justify Solomon as being king over Israel after David, despite the fact that (1) there are no prophecies within this narrative which specifically name Solomon as David’s successor and (2) Solomon is born to David and Bathsheba, whose union was an adulterous one. An author could have covered this up, and yet stuck with the facts (for instance, so much has been written about John Kennedy, but without having to refer to his many affairs as president).

In the reading which I have done on this (which reading has been admittedly brief), I personally do not have an opinion. Why previous chapters are left out of this succession narrative, I could not say; although the final chapters of Samuel do appear to be added in there, as somewhat of an oh-by-the-way, this-also-happened-during-David’s-reign approach.

However, there are reasons why at least chapters 9–20 are considered to be successive chapters (I would chapters 1–20 at least). We have the phrase now it came to pass after these things (or something similar to this phrase) in 2Sam. 8:1 10:1 11:1 13:1 and 15:1 (I may have missed some other occurrences). This is a phrase which lays out a chronology. The second reason we have a chronology is, Mephibosheth is spread out throughout the book of Samuel. We find him in 2Sam. 9 16 19 and 21; and each time, the narrative is advanced. We may briefly look at these other passages, so that we take David and Mephibosheth in a complete arc.

As for these chapters being written simply to allow Solomon to be king over all Israel is simply human viewpoint. God made Solomon king over Israel, as per the wishes of David, which coincided with divine design. And the fact that Solomon is a product of what began as an adulterous affair is inconsequential. Only a legalist looks at that and sees a problem. David was a man after God’s own heart; and Solomon, for much of his life, did the same thing (although he certainly became a fan of human viewpoint himself for many years).

Symbolically, what is going on? David is a shadow of Jesus Christ and Mephibosheth is you and I. Who is Ziba? He represents Satan. All of this will be summed up at the end of this chapter, so that you can see the reason why this is included in the Word of God.

In any case, the bulk of 2Samuel stands in stark contrast to 1Samuel, where there seem to be contributions from at least a half-dozen people, arranged chronologically, but without any reference to any change in authorship, although the narratives would require different authors. Most of 2Samuel was probably authored by David.

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David Desires to Show Grace to the House of Saul

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac and Greek texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation ; George Lamsa’s translation , and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s translation, respectively. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.). I often use the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible instead of Brenton’s translation, because it updates the English text.

The Septuagint was the earliest known translation of a book (circa 200 b.c.). Since this translation was made before the textual criticism had been developed into a science and because different books appear to be translated by different men, the Greek translation can sometimes be very uneven.

When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s (or the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible), I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). I use the Greek LXX with Strong’s numbers and morphology available for e-sword. The only problem with this resource (which is a problem for similar resources) is, there is no way to further explore Greek verbs which are not found in the New Testament.

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those other ancient translators.

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Latin Vulgate                          And David said: Is there any one, think you, left of the house of Saul, that I may show kindness to him for Jonathan's sake?

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so says David, “[Is] that a being still who remains to a house of Saul and I will make with him grace because of Jonathan?”

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And David said, Is there yet any one left of the house of Saul, that I may show kindness to him for Jonathan's sake?

Septuagint (Greek)                And David said, Is there yet anyone left from the house of Saul, that I may deal kindly with him for Jonathan's sake?

Significant differences:           My English version of the Latin inserts the words think you, which are not found in the Masoretic text or in any of the other ancients texts.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       One day, David thought, "I wonder if any of Saul's family are still alive. If they are, I will be kind to them, because I made a promise to Jonathan."

Easy English (Pocock)           One day David asked, `Is anyone from Saul's family still alive? If so, I want to be kind to that person because of the promise that I made to Jonathan.'

Easy-to-Read Version            David asked, “Is there any person still left in Saul’s family? I want to show kindness to this person. I want to do it for Jonathan.”

Good News Bible (TEV)         One day David asked, "Is there anyone left of Saul's family? If there is, I would like to show him kindness for Jonathan's sake."

The Message                         One day David asked, "Is there anyone left of Saul's family? If so, I'd like to show him some kindness in honor of Jonathan."

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

NIRV                                      David asked, "Is anyone left from the royal house of Saul? If there is, I want to be kind to him because of Jonathan."

New Jerusalem Bible             David asked, 'Is there anyone belonging to Saul's family left, to whom I might show faithful love for Jonathan's sake?'

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             And David said, Is there still anyone of Saul's family living, so that I may be a friend to him, because of Jonathan?

Context Group Version          And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him family allegiance { Hebrew: hesed } for Jonathan's sake?

HCSB                                     David asked, "Is there anyone remaining from Saul's family I can show kindness to because of Jonathan?"

JPS (Tanakh)                         David inquired, “Is there anyone still left of the House of Saul with whom I can keep faith for the sake of Jonathan?”

NET Bible®                             Then David asked, "Is anyone still left from the family2 of Saul, so that I may extend kindness to him for the sake of Jonathan?" When it comes to making an actual material change to the text, the NET Bible® is pretty good about indicating this. Since most of these corrections will be clear in the more literal translations below and within the Hebrew exegesis itself, I will not continue to list every NET Bible® footnote.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Ancient Roots Translinear      David said, "Do any still exist preserved from the house of Saul, to do mercy because of Jonathan?"

Concordant Literal Version    And David said, `Is there yet any left to the house of Saul, and I do with him kindness because of Jonathan?

Thieme                                   Then David said,

"Is there anyone left in the dynasty/house of Saul, that I may manufacture {`asah - out of maximum doctrine in his soul} grace {checed} for the sake of Jonathan?

Young’s Updated LT             And David says, “Is there yet any left to the house of Saul, and I do with him kindness because of Jonathan?”.

The gist of this verse:          David asks if there is anyone still alive from the house of Saul toward whom he could show grace to. .

Translation: So David said,... There are periods of time when even a man like David has some spare time to think things over. We saw this earlier when David recognized that here he was, in this marvelous palace, and the Ark of God was in a tent. It seem incongruous to him. At this point, he is thinking of his friend Jonathan, who stuck by him in some very difficult times. Jonathan died on the battlefield with his father Saul at the end of 1Samuel. Most of the line of Saul had been killed. However, David wonders if there is anyone in Saul’s line who is still alive.

Application: Our character might be best defined by what we do with our down time. There occasionally comes a time in our lives where we have a spare minute here or there; or a few extra hours. How do we fill this time? This chapter will speak to the character of David.

We do not know exactly to whom David is speaking. I picture him in his palace speaking to his trusted aides, or at a meal with family and friends.

Translation:...“[Is] there [lit., for, that, because] still existing [one] who remains to the house of Saul? The language here is rather confusing, but the overall meaning is clear. Are there any survivors from the family of Saul? is all that is being asked here.

If you will recall, Saul and several of his sons (including Jonathan), were killed in battle by the Philistines. This would have been nearly 20 years ago. It seems more reasonable to me that David thought about this situation early on in his reign, but, as should be obvious, David has had to deal with a lot of things (wars from nations on every side, as well as bringing the Ark) to Jerusalem.

This does give us a clue as to David’s value system. Doctrine first, his nation second, people third, himself last. #1 on his list is the Ark of God and building a Temple to God (2Sam. 6–7). Then he will consider the safety of his nation (2Sam. 8 10). Thirdly, David look at the line of Saul and whom he can bless from this line (2Sam. 9). In 2Sam. 11, David will start thinking about his own needs, so to speak.

Translation: Then I will manufacture grace for [lit., with, by, near] him because of Jonathan.” David and Jonathan had a wonderful and meaningful relationship. I have had that with one person of my gender, and to a lesser extent, with 3 or 4 others. We never are really told much about how and why Jonathan and David were close, but their closeness continued after death, and having had that close friend of mine pass on, I can testify as to the importance of such a close friendship. I should be quick to point out, there is nothing gay about having a close relationship with a member of the same gender. In fact, such a relationship is uncomplicated by physical attraction and defined on the basis of soul compatibility (which does not necessarily mean that we agree on everything). This is the sort of friendship which David and Jonathan had, and their friendship continued even beyond the grave.

The last time that David and Jonathan were together, it went like this: Then Saul's son Jonathan came to David in Horesh and encouraged him in his faith in God, saying, "Don't be afraid, for my father Saul will never lay a hand on you. You yourself will be king over Israel, and I'll be your second-in-command. Even my father Saul knows it is true." Then the two of them made a covenant in the LORD's presence. Afterwards, David remained in Horesh, while Jonathan went home (1Sam. 23:16–18). And the time before that, this is how David and Jonathan ended their meeting: And Jonathan said to David, "The LORD, the God of Israel, be witness! When I have sounded out my father, about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then send and disclose it to you? But should it please my father to do you harm, the LORD do so to Jonathan and more also if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. May the LORD be with you, as he has been with my father. If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the LORD, that I may not die; and do not cut off your steadfast love from my house forever, when the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth." And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "May the LORD take vengeance on David's enemies." And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul...Jonathan then said to David, "Go in the assurance the two of us pledged in the name of the LORD when we said: The LORD will be a witness between you and me and between my offspring and your offspring forever." Then David left, and Jonathan went into the city (1Sam. 20:12–17, 42). David has just been in several wars where a peace was established because David destroyed his enemies. However, he developed some key alliances as well, which alliances were probably sealed with covenants. And prior to that, God made a covenant with David. So David looks back upon his covenant with Jonathan, his nonaggression pack with Jonathan; a covenant which would extend between his progeny and Jonathan’s progeny forever. Jonathan knew that David would become king of Israel. That was clear to him; and Jonathan had a family. In the ancient world, when one dynasty superceded another dynasty, the latter dynasty often wiped out the entire family of the first. There will always be people out there devoted to the former dynasty, and willing to latch on to anyone with the same name, regardless of their character, achievements or lack of charisma (the Kennedy family in the United States, for instance). Jonathan knew this and sought, reasonably, to protect his own family; and he knew that he could rely upon the friendship and honor of his friend David. Therefore, he proposed to David to a covenant, which covenant was still in David’s mind as he thought about his old friend. Whereas most kings would have sought out and killed any relatives of their political rivals, David does not do this. God showed grace to David and David is showing grace toward Jonathan, his friend whom he loved. And you, who were once alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled [you to Him] (Col. 1:21). But God commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life (Rom. 5:8–10).

This tells us a great deal about David’s character. Jonathan was no longer alive; no one else heard this covenant, except for God. David is faithful in keeping his covenant with Jonathan, just as God is faithful in keeping His covenant with us (Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved). We do not deserve God’s faithfulness; we do not deserve God’s promises; but He made these promises to us, and we may claim them. If David is faithful to his promises to Jonathan, how much more is God faithful in His promises to us? The reason that we find this verse in the Bible is because it illustrates God’s faithfulness to His Word.

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David's First Conversation with Ziba, Saul's Slave

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          Now there was of the house of Saul, a servant named Siba: and when the king had called him to him, he said to him: Are You Siba? And he answered: I am Siba your servant.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And to a house of Saul a servant and his name, Ziba. And so they call to him unto David. And so says the king unto him, “[Are] you Ziba?” And so he says, “Your servant.”

Peshitta (Syriac)                    Now there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And they called him to David, and the king said to him, Are you Ziba? And he said, I am your servant.

Septuagint (Greek)                And there was a servant of the house of Saul, and his name was Ziba. And they brought him to David. And the king said to him, Are you Ziba? And he said, I am your servant.

Significant differences:           Although the English translations change a noun into a verb in the Latin, the first sentence means the same thing in all languages. The second phrase in the English translation from the Latin has David calling for Ziba, as opposed to they (obviously, members of his staff), as is found in the other ancient texts.

The king then speaks in the ancient texts; in the Douay-Rheims, it is simply he. Ziba’s answer has the additional words I am Ziba in the Douay-Rheims. All of this is quite unusual as, for the most part, the Latin and the original Hebrew are most often in perfect agreement. However, bear in mind, I am working with the Douay-Rheims text, which is an early English translation from the Latin. In any case, the differences are not significant enough to significantly change the meaning of the text.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       David called in Ziba, one of the servants of Saul's family. David said, "So you are Ziba." "Yes, Your Majesty, I am."

Easy English (Pocock)           Now Saul's family had a servant called Ziba. David's officials called Ziba to go to David. Then King David asked him, `Are you Ziba?'

Ziba replied, `Yes, I am your servant.'

Easy-to-Read Version            There was a servant named Ziba from Saul’s family. David’s servants called Ziba to David. King David said to Ziba, “Are you Ziba?”

Good News Bible (TEV)         There was a servant of Saul's family named Ziba, and he was told to go to David. "Are you Ziba?" the king asked. "At your service, sir," he answered.

New Living Translation           He summoned a man named Ziba, who had been one of Saul's servants. "Are you Ziba?" the king asked.

"Yes sir, I am," Ziba replied.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

God’s Word™                         Now, Saul's family had a servant whose name was Ziba. He was summoned to come to David. "Are you Ziba?" the king asked him. "Yes, I am," he answered.

NIRV                                      Ziba was a servant in Saul's family. David sent for him to come and see him. The king said to him, "Are you Ziba?"

"I'm ready to serve you," he replied.

New Jerusalem Bible             Now Saul's family had a servant whose name was Ziba. When he had been summoned to David, the king said, 'Are you Ziba?' 'At your service,' he replied.

Revised English Bible            A servant of Saul’s family named Ziba was summon to David, who asked, ‘Are you Ziba?’ He answered, ‘Your servant, sir.’

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             Now there was of Saul's people a servant named Ziba, and they sent him to David; and the king said to him, Are you Ziba? And he said, I am.

Context Group Version          And there was of the house of Saul a slave whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, Are you Ziba? And he said, Your slave is he.

HCSB                                     There was a servant of Saul's family named Ziba. They summoned him to David, and the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" "I am your servant," he replied.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

English Standard Version      Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" And he said, "I am your servant."

Thieme                                   Now there was a steward in the castle of Saul whose name was Ziba.

{Note: Ziba was a master of the art of flattery. He is the villain of the chapter. He

was crafty and the master of 'CYA' (cover your anterior-portion).}

And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, "Are you Ziba?"

And he said, "Your servant." {NOT the polite version - see verse 6b 'Behold your servant' is the polite address before the king}.

A Voice in the Wilderness      And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they summoned him to David, the king said to him, Are you Ziba? And he said, At your service!

Young’s Updated LT             And the house of Saul has a servant, and his name is Ziba, and they call for him unto David; and the king says unto him, “Are You Ziba?” and he says, “Your servant.”

The gist of this verse:          Those in David’s staff are aware of a previous servant to the house of Saul who is near enough to bring to the palace. When he shows up, David confirms his name and he responds, “[I am] your servant.” .

Translation: And [there was] to the house of Saul a servant... Inquiries were made, and apparently, there was a man who was a servant to Saul’s family. I become interested in some of the details. Were there records in the palace? Were inquiries made? David would have known the most influential people in his land, but they would have been very different from those who served under Saul. This might be like comparing the Clinton and Bush administrations; there simply would not have been many people in common—probably no one, since Abner (Saul’s general) had been murdered.

Unlike some, who would have searched out their enemies to eliminate them, David was far to busy with establishing his kingdom and with spiritual matters. Given the political intrigue of 2Sam. 3–4, it is fair to say that David himself did not give any thought to destroying his political enemies (real or imagined), although those under him were so disposed.

This gives us yet another illustration of God’s love—we are God’s enemies. We are born at enmity with Him. And yet God does not destroy us. God will vindicate us, if we believe in Jesus Christ. He will bring us into Himself as sons.

It was determined that there was still a servant of Saul’s family who was still alive, and he would be the key to whether anyone else was still alive in Saul’s line. Although no one in Saul’s family needed to fear David, there are those who would have made themselves scarce, simply because of the murder of Abner. Any of those close to Saul probably knew few details of Abner’s death; but they probably knew that he had been murdered, so one would expect that others from Saul’s administration made themselves scarce.

Translation: ...and his name [was] Ziba. The name of Saul’s servant was Ziba, which probably means post, statue, and therefore indicates strength.

Translation: Therefore, they summoned him to David. David’s men located Ziba and asked him to come speak with David. We do not know where Ziba was living. Saul had Israel’s capitol in Gibeah, whereas David was about 15 miles south in Jerusalem, the new capitol of Israel. However, there were two big events which occurred: first, the Philistines overran central Israel, having defeated Saul in battle; and second, David was made king over all Israel. So, anyone related to Saul could be living anywhere, given such turmoil over the past couple decades.

Translation: And the king said to him, “[Are] you Ziba?” I assume that what David is doing here is simply a formality. There is nothing in this context to indicate that David was confused as to Ziba’s identity.

Translation: And he said, “[I am] your servant.” R. B. Thieme Jr. has an interesting take on this, suggesting that Ziba is a villain of sorts, saying that his response to David is not as polite and deferential as it ought to have been. He says that the correct response is, behold, I [am] your servant. Ziba is speaking to the King of Israel, and he inserts no formalities. He essentially says the least he can say here. He answers David in one word plus the suffix: your servant is all that he says. Certainly you have purchased this or that, or asked help from a younger person, and you said, “Thank you” and he said, “No problem” as if it was no problem. Personally, I don’t get riled at this young person, because it is obvious that no one taught him anything about the realm of polite society. However, this is the servant to a royal family. He knew the royal protocol. But all he says is, your servant. If David would have said, “Thanks for coming here” he would have answered “No problem.”

Here is a more substantial problem concerning Ziba: he was a servant to the house of Saul, and he was aware of one of Saul’s descendants as being still alive and in obvious need of help and support. However, we are going to find out that Saul’s grandson was not being cared for by Ziba or by Ziba’s extensive family, but by someone else entirely. Ziba, as a servant of Saul, had been greatly blessed, as we will see with his number of children. The idea that Ziba would know about Mephibosheth, but saw no reason to look out for him, is shameful.

There is disagreement about Ziba’s current status and how he achieved it. Josephus says that Saul freed him. The Law allows for slaves to be inherited (Lev. 25:44–46). In either case, given that Ziba knows about Saul’s son, he should have also taken care of this boy (now a young man).

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Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          And the king said: Is there any one left of the house of Saul, that I may shew the mercy of God unto Him? And Siba said to the king: There is a son of Jonathan left, who is lame of his feet.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so says the king, “[Is there] none still a man to a house of Saul that I will make with him grace of Elohim?”

And so says Ziba unto the king, “[There is] still a son to Jonathan; stricken of feet.”

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And the king said to him, Is there any one still left of the house of Saul, that I may show kindness to him for the sake of God? And Ziba said to the king, There is yet a son left to Jonathan, who is lame in his feet.

Septuagint (Greek)                And the king said, Is there yet a man left of the house of Saul, that I may act towards him with the mercy of God? And Ziba said to the king, There is yet a son of Jonathan, lame in his feet.

Significant differences:           David begins his question with a negative. The other ancient texts apparently do not.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       David asked, "Are any of Saul's family still alive? If there are, I want to be kind to them." Ziba answered, "One of Jonathan's sons is still alive, but he can't walk."

Easy English (Pocock)           David said, `Is there anyone still alive in Saul's family? I want to show him God's kindness.'

Ziba replied, `Yes, one of Jonathan's sons is still alive. He cannot walk because of an injury to his feet.'

Easy-to-Read Version            The king said, “Is there any person left in Saul’s family? I want to show God’s kindness to this person.”

Good News Bible (TEV)         The king asked him, "Is there anyone left of Saul's family to whom I can show loyalty and kindness, as I promised God I would?" Ziba answered, "There is still one of Jonathan's sons. He is crippled."

The Message                         The king asked, "Is there anyone left from the family of Saul to whom I can show some godly kindness?" Ziba told the king, "Yes, there is Jonathan's son, lame in both feet."

New Life Bible                        The king said, "Is there not still someone of the family of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?" And Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan who cannot walk because of his feet."

New Living Translation           The king then asked him, "Is anyone still alive from Saul's family? If so, I want to show God's kindness to them."

Ziba replied, "Yes, one of Jonathan's sons is still alive. He is crippled in both feet."

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          And the king asked, `Is there anyone left from the house of Saul upon whom I should be showing the mercy of God?'

And Ziba said: `There is still one of JoNathan's sons. one whose feet have been damaged.'.

God’s Word™                         David asked, "Is there someone left in Saul's family to whom I can show God's kindness?" "Jonathan has a son who is disabled," Ziba answered.

New American Bible              Then the king inquired, "Is there any survivor of Saul's house to whom I may show God's kindness?" Ziba answered the king, "There is still Jonathan's son, whose feet are crippled."

NIRV                                      The king asked, "Isn't anyone left from the royal house of Saul? God has been very kind to me. I would like to be kind to someone in the same way."

Ziba answered the king, "A son of Jonathan is still living. Both of his feet were hurt."

Today’s NIV                          The king asked, "Is there no one still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness?"

Ziba answered the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet."

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             And the king said, Is there anyone of Saul's family still living, to whom I may be a friend in God's name? And Ziba said, There is a son of Jonathan, whose feet are damaged.

Context Group Version          And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may show the family allegiance { Hebrew: hesed } of God to him? And Ziba said to the king, Jonathan has yet a son, who is lame of his fee.

HCSB                                     So the king asked, "Is there anyone left of Saul's family I can show the kindness of God to?" Ziba said to the king, "There is still Jonathan's son who is lame in both feet.".

JPS (Tanakh)                         The king continued, “Is there anyone at all left of the House o Saul with whom I can keep faith as pledged before God?” Ziba answered the king, “Yes, there is still a son of Jonathan whose feet are crippled.”

NET Bible®                             The king asked, "Is there not someone left from Saul's family,4 that I may extend God's kindness to him?" Ziba said to the king, "One of Jonathan's sons is left; both of his feet are crippled.

New International Version      The king asked, "Is there no one still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness?"

Ziba answered the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in both feet."

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Ancient Roots Translinear      The king said, "Is no man still in the vanquished house of Saul, that I can do the mercy of God for him?" Ziba said to the king, "Jonathan still has a son, smitten in his feet."

The Amplified Bible                The king said, Is there not still someone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the [unfailing, unsought, unlimited] mercy and kindness of God? Ziba replied, Jonathan has yet a son who is lame in his feet.

Concordant Literal Version    And the king said, `Is there not yet a man to the house of Saul, and I do with him the kindness of Elohim?' And Ziba said unto the king, `Jonathan has yet a son--lame.

English Standard Version      And the king said, "Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?" Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.

Thieme                                   And the king said, "Is there anyone left in the dynasty/house of Saul, that I may manufacture {`asah - out of maximum doctrine in his soul} grace {checed} of 'Elohiym/Godhead toward him?"

And Ziba said unto the king, "Jonathan has yet a son, who is lame in both feet." {Mephibosheth was introduced in II Samuel 4:4}.

Young’s Updated LT             And the king says, “Is there not yet a man to the house of Saul, and I do with him the kindness of God?” And Ziba says unto the king, “Jonathan has yet a son—lame.”

The gist of this verse:          David asks Ziba if there is anyone still alive from the house of Saul, and Ziba tells him about Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, who is crippled.

Translation: The king then said, “[Is there] no man yet to the house of Saul... David is a gracious man. Ziba’s answer was curt and lacked the graciousness generally afforded a king. However, David does not make a big thing out of it.

Let me give you a recent example. A general (I am unsure of his rank) was providing information for a Senator during a hearing, and he said, “Yes, Mam” at one point to the Senator. The Senator stopped him right then and there, told him she wanted to be addressed as Senator because of how hard she had worked to get her office. The general immediately addressed her respectfully as Senator (as if he had not worked for or sacrificed his own office). David is like that general and the Senator is the polar opposite of David. David knows that he is not being addressed properly (there was nothing improper in the way the Senator was addressed), but David let it go. He was dealing with an adult slave to royalty. He should have known the protocol (and probably did), but he was either being impolite or he had just flat-out forgotten his manners. In any case, this was not a problem for David. David is interested in showing grace to any relative of Saul’s.

The situation here is quite sad, in a way. Saul, once king over Israel, had 4 sons; and they could have populated a city or even a county. However, Saul turned against God and His Word (his mental illness never being allowed as an excuse), and his family is now reduced to just a few men. There was a period of time when Bob Thieme Jr. used to say, “You either adjust to the justice of God or the justice of God will adjust to you.” That is exactly what happened here. Saul, who could have had a dynasty which lasted forever, turned against God, rejecting the authority which God had vested in Samuel, and so, the justice of God adjusted to him, wiping out his family and, therefore, his dynasty.

David’s actions in this chapter will be the polar opposite of Saul’s. David will show grace to Saul’s family because of Jonathan. Rather than spend his downtime in pleasures of the flesh, David seeks out anyone from the family of Saul in order to show grace to them.

Translation: ...for whom [lit., with him] I will manufacture the grace of Elohim?” David would like to show grace to any relative of Saul’s which remained. It was not David’s desire to kill Saul or any of his men or any of his offspring, if that could be helped. It is important to note that in many ancient cultures, it was common for a king to kill all of the remaining rivals; particularly those of another family (even in the Jewish culture; see Judges 8:5 2Chron. 22:10–11). The political intrigue of 2Sam. 3–4 gives us a better idea of how men function when there is a change of dynasty. David, on the other hand, was not concerned with his potential political rivals.

David’s attitude toward the house of Saul was summed up later by Peter in 1Peter 3:9: Never give back evil for evil, or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, giving blessing, knowing that you are called to this so that you might inherit blessing. Despite the despicable way Saul treated David (and he is not given a pass in the Bible due to his mental illness), David treats Saul and those in Saul’s line in grace.

Translation: And Ziba said to the king,... The Hebrew here is very respectful; however, this is a writer of this book injecting this respectfulness. In any case, Ziba apparently believes the king, and does not think that this is some sort of a ruse in order to kill any political enemy who remains (this is an assumption which I am making).

Translation:...“[There is] yet a son of Jonathan’s;... Again, Ziba answers David in shorthand, giving him just a smattering of basic information. Literally, he says, “Yet a son to Jonathan.” Given this, it is possible the Ziba’s curtness was simply his manner of speaking.

Translation: ...crippled of feet.” Not only is there a relative of Saul’s remaining, but he is helpless.

Why is God the Holy Spirit telling us about this? Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson (Jonathan’s son) is helpless. There is nothing which he can do for himself. He is living his life far from the royalty which he once knew as a young child. God takes the helpless and He elevates them. God takes the crippled and He heals them (actually and metaphorically speaking). David, who represents Jesus Christ in His graciousness, will reach out to Mephibosheth in grace and he will show grace to Mephibosheth. This describes how God has reached out to us; how He comes to us in grace and gives us more grace. Mephibosheth is unable to reach up to David, but David can reach down to him. Similarly, we are unable to reach up to God. We could dedicate the rest of our lives to doing good deeds, and we could no more stand before God than Mephibosheth could stand before David. However, God is able to reach down to us. All of this, although a real historical incident, is a picture of God’s grace.

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Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          Where is he? said he. And Siba said to the king: Behold he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lodabar.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so says to him the king, “Where [is] he?”

And so says Ziba unto the king, “Behold, he [is at] a house of Machir ben Ammiel in Lodebar.”

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And the king said to him, Where is he? And Ziba said to the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Gammir, in Lo-debar.

Septuagint (Greek)                And the king said, Where is he? And Ziba said to the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel of Lo Debar.

Significant differences:           The Douay-Rheims version leaves out the king in the first phrase.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       "Where is he?" David asked. Ziba replied, "He lives in Lo-Debar with Machir the son of Ammiel."

Easy English (Pocock)           `Where is he?' the king asked.

Ziba answered, `He is in the town called Lo Debar. He lives at the house of Makir, the son of Ammiel.'

Easy-to-Read Version            The king said to Ziba, “Where is this son?”

Good News Bible (TEV)         "Where is he?" the king asked. "At the home of Machir son of Ammiel in Lodebar," Ziba answered.

The Message                         "Where is he?" "He's living at the home of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar."

New Century Version             The king asked Ziba, "Where is this son?"

Ziba answered, "He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar."

New Life Bible                        So the king said to him, "Where is he?" Ziba answered the king, "See, he is in the family of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar."

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          And the king asked, `Where is he?'

And Ziba replied, `Look! In the house of Machir, the son of AmiEl of Lodabar.'.

NIRV                                      "Where is he?" the king asked.

Ziba answered, "He's in the town of Lo Debar. He's staying at the house of Makir, the son of Ammiel."

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

The Scriptures 1998              So the sovereign said to him, “Where is he?” And Tsib?a said to the sovereign, “See, he is in the house of Makir son of Ammi’ĕl, in Lo Debar.”

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

LTHB                                     And the king said to him, Where is he? And Ziba said to the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.

A Voice in the Wilderness      And the king said to him, Where is he? And Ziba said to the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.

Young’s Updated LT             And the king says to him, “Where is he?” and Ziba says unto the king, “Lo, he is in the house of Machir, son of Ammiel, in Lo-Debar.

The gist of this verse:          David asks for the location of Mephibosheth, and Ziba tells David that Mephibosheth is living in the house of Machir ben Ammiel.

Translation: The king then says to him, “Where [is] he?” David asks Ziba the exact whereabouts of Mephibosheth.

Translation: And Ziba says to the king, “Listen, he [is at] the house of Machir son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.” Notice that Ziba knows exactly where Mephibosheth lives. He feels no loyalty towards Mephibosheth. We have no indication that Ziba, having served Saul’s family, heard about Mephibosheth and took him in. In fact, Ziba probably paid off Ammiel to look after Mephibosheth, or simply ignored the existence of Mephibosheth from the very beginning. Recall that, when the news came that Saul and Jonathan had been killed in battle, Mephibosheth’s nurse carried him off to safety. By the time Philistia loosened its grip on Israel, Ziba had probably made claim on Saul’s land and holdings.

What you will find fascinating is how these people all become a part of David’s life, their lives intersecting his at various points—after this chapter, we will see Ziba, Mephibosheth and Machir ben Ammiel again. Here, we see them interacting with David as king of Israel; later we will see them interacting with David, the deposed king of Israel.

It is possible that Ammiel will also be a peripheral part of David’s life, as he is the father of Bathsheba (1Chron. 3:5 whose name is reversed in 2Sam. 11:3). However, Ammiel is a moderately common name in Israel (Num. 13:12 1Chron. 26:5). If they are the same person, it is a fascinating intersection.

It would not be out of the question for people in this area to take in Mephibosheth, fearing for his life under a new dynasty, and several expositors suggest this. However, the Bible tells us a different story: Mephibosheth was moved east of the Jordan in fear of the impending Philistine takeover of central Israel. Compare 1Sam. 31 and 2Sam. 4:4 (And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news of Saul and Jonathan came out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled. And as she made haste to flee, he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.).

Although we do not have a specific time period given, David would have taken over southern Israel (Judah) within a few years of Saul being defeated on the battlefield in central Israel (2Sam. 2:1 gives us no timetable).

At this point, you ought to have some first impressions of these different men. Machir ben Ammiel seems like a stand-up guy, a man who stepped in to take care of Mephibosheth. We will see him again in 2Sam. 17, where his character will be solidified as a stand-up guy (i.e., a man with character and compassion). You ought to have a first impression of Ziba who, despite his personal success and prosperity, has done nothing for his master’s grandson. How do you think he will behave in the future? We will study that in 2Sam. 16 19.

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David's Conversation with Mephibosheth, Saul's Grandson

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          Then King David sent, and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel of Lodaba.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so sends the king David and so he takes him from a house of Machir ben Ammiel from Lo-debar.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    Then King David sent and took him from the house of Machir, the son of Gammir, from Lo-debar.

Septuagint (Greek)                And King David went, and took him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel of Lo Debar.

Significant differences:           None.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       David sent some servants to bring Jonathan's son from Lo-Debar.

Easy English (Pocock)           So David sent men to fetch him from Makir's house.

Easy-to-Read Version            Then King David sent some of his officers to Lo Debar to bring Jonathan’s son from the house of Makir son of Ammiel.

Good News Bible (TEV)         So King David sent for him.

The Message                         King David didn't lose a minute. He sent and got him from the home of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.

New Century Version             Then King David had servants bring Jonathan's son from the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.

New Life Bible                        Then King David sent men to bring him from the family of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar.

New Living Translation           So David sent for him and brought him from Makir's home.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

God’s Word™                         So King David sent men to get him from the home of Ammiel's son Machir in Lo Debar.

NIRV                                      So King David had Mephibosheth brought from Makir's house in Lo Debar.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             Then King David sent, and had him taken from Lo-debar, from the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel.

HCSB                                     So King David had him brought from the house of Machir son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.

JPS (Tanakh)                         King David had him brought from the house of Machir son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar;...

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

English Standard Version      Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.

WEB                                      Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.

Young’s Updated LT             And king David sends, and takes him out of the house of Machir son of Ammiel, of Lo-Debar.

The gist of this verse:          David sends for Mephibosheth, and brings him from the house where he is staying.

Translation: Then David, the King, sent [his servants]... Whereas Ziba had done nothing for Mephibosheth, David immediately dispatches some of his servants to where he is staying.

David is king over all Israel, and, as such, could have spent his spare time considering different ways to tax his people to use the money to have fun; or to build great edifices by which he might be glorified over the years. The King David Emporium and the King David Stadium. This was not the kind of man that David was. Here, he deals with a small matter, doing something that most kings would never do and never even think about doing (unless it was to locate Mephibosheth to kill him). This is no doubt a picture of Jesus Christ searching us out to give grace to us.

Application: The key to life is your thinking; what goes on in your mind. David has a mind filled with doctrine, and his every action reveals that.

Application: This situation (David seeking out Mephibosheth to bless him) ought to tell us two things: God is there just waiting to pour grace out upon us and we ought to be faithful in the little things. I don’t care how minor it is, if it is the right thing to do, then do it (but make certain that you are filled with the Holy Spirit before you do it). You will find out that this will make all the difference in your job, your education, your vocation, your friendships and your marriage.

Translation: ...and brought him [Mephibosheth] from the house of Machir son of Ammiel from Lodebar. By order of the king, David’s servants brought Mephibosheth from where he is staying, at the home of Machir ben Ammiel. They brought him from Lodebar, east of the Jordan River, to Jerusalem, west and then south of the Jordan River.

Wesley makes an interesting and reasonable conjecture: Machir did not take in Mephibosheth to indicate his opposition or resistance to the rule of David (this will become clear in subsequent chapters). Machir took Mephibosheth in as a matter of grace.

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Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          And when Miphiboseth the son of Jonathan the son of Saul was come to David, he fell on his face and worshipped. And David said: Miphiboseth? And he answered: Behold your servant.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so comes Mephibosheth ben Jonathan ben Saul unto David. And so he falls upon his faces and so he bows down.

And so says David, “Mephibosheth.”

And so he says, “Behold, your servant.”

Septuagint (Greek)                And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan the son of Saul came to the King David, and he fell upon his face and bowed down before him. And David said to him, Mephibosheth; and he said, Behold your servant.

Significant differences:           The plural of face in the Hebrew and the singular of the corresponding word in the Latin and Greek is simply the way the language is used.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Easy English (Pocock)           Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan, who was the son of Saul. When Mephibosheth came to David, he lay down with his face on the ground. Mephibosheth did this to show honour to David.

David said, `Mephibosheth!'

Mephibosheth said, `I am your servant.

Easy-to-Read Version            Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth came to David, and bowed with his face low to the floor.

Good News Bible (TEV)         When Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan and grandson of Saul, arrived, he bowed down before David in respect. David said, "Mephibosheth," and he answered, "At your service, sir."

The Message                         When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan (who was the son of Saul), came before David, he bowed deeply, abasing himself, honoring David. David spoke his name: "Mephibosheth." "Yes sir?"

New Life Bible                        Mephibosheth the son of Saul's son Jonathan came to David and fell on his face to the ground in respect. David said, "Mephibosheth." And he answered, "Here is your servant!"

New Living Translation           His name was Mephibosheth[a]; he was Jonathan's son and Saul's grandson. When he came to David, he bowed low to the ground in deep respect. David said, "Greetings, Mephibosheth."

Mephibosheth replied, "I am your servant."

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          So, King David sent for him and brought him from of the house of Machir. 6 And when MephiBosheth (the son of JoNathan and grandson of Saul) came to King David, he fell to his face and bowed before him. Then David said, `MephiBosheth!'

And he replied, `Look. your servant!'

God’s Word™                         When Mephibosheth (son of Jonathan and grandson of Saul) came to David, he quickly bowed down with his face touching the ground. "Mephibosheth!" David said to him. "Yes, sir," he answered.

New American Bible              When Meribbaal, son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David, he fell prostrate in homage. David said, "Meribbaal," and he answered, "Your servant."

NIRV                                      Mephibosheth came to David. He was the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul. Mephibosheth bowed down to David to show him respect.

David said, "Mephibosheth!"

"I'm ready to serve you," he replied.

New Jerusalem Bible             On entering David's presence, Meribbaal son of Jonathan, son of Saul, fell on his face and prostrated himself. David said, 'Meribbaal!' He replied, 'Here I am, at your service.'

Today’s NIV                          When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor.

David said, "Mephibosheth!"

"At your service," he replied.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

JPS (Tanakh)                         ...and when Mephibosheth son of Jonathan son of Saul came to David, he flung himself on his face and prostrated himself. David said, “Mephibosheth!” and he replied, “At your service, sir.”

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Ancient Roots Translinear      Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David. He fell toward his face, bowing. David said, "Mephibosheth!" He answered, "Behold your servant!"

English Standard Version      And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, "Mephibosheth!" And he answered, "Behold, I am your servant."

LTHB                                     And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan the son of Saul came to David and fell on his face, and prostrated himself. And David said, Mephibosheth! And he said, Behold, your servant.

Thieme                                   And, Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and 'prostrated himself'/'humbled himself' {shachah - Hithpael stem}

And David said, "Mephibosheth."

And he answered, "Behold your servant {a polite response - protocol before the king}!"

Young’s Updated LT             And Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, son of Saul, comes unto David, and falls on his face, and does obeisance, and David says, “Mephibosheth;” and he says, “Lo, Your servant.”.

The gist of this verse:          Mephibosheth bows before David, David calls his name, and Mephibosheth presents himself to David as his subject.

Translation: So Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David. This is quite surprising here for the author of Scripture to use the Qal imperfect of bôwʾ. Mephibosheth had no easy way of moving from point A to point B, since he was lame in both feet. The king has sent out men to bring Mephibosheth to him; so we would expect to see the Hiphil (causative stem) here. This would mean that David caused him to be brought to him. But David did not send some tough guys to Mephibosheth telling him, “We’re taking you to the king; you do not have a choice here.” Or, there are other verbs which would indicate that Mephibosheth was somehow carried or transported to David. However, we have the common, simple verb to come, to go used here, which indicates volition. This indicates that Mephibosheth was called by his king and he responded by coming to David using his own volition.

Translation: He fell upon his face... Again, we have a verb that we would not expect to find. With two bad feet, Mephibosheth has great difficulty moving about. However, he goes to great pains to show respect to David. He recognizes David’s authority and places himself at David’s mercy.

Application: Again, this is analogous to our relationship with God. We ought to recognize God’s authority and place ourselves at His mercy. Just as Jesus calls to us, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." (Matt. 11:28–30). “If you know these things, blessed [happy] are you if you do them.” (John 13:17). “Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?" Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words. And the word that you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.” (John 14:21–24). For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ (2Cor. 10:3–5).

Translation: ...and he bowed down. This is a second phrase to indicate that Mephibosheth prostrated himself before David. This is almost humorous, except for the fact that Mephibosheth is lame in both feet. Mephibosheth is somehow sitting before David, unable to easily move on his own. Yet, he is able to fall upon his face and to bow before David, two phrases which indicate some sort of a double-bow.

Translation: David said, “Mephibosheth.” David calls his name to him.

Translation: And he said, “Behold, [I am] your servant.” We might better render this, observe, your servant. Mephibosheth added the additional word hinnêh in speaking to the king. R.B. Thieme Jr. suggests that this is a more formal way to respond to the king than Ziba’s slightly more curt response. But there is a much greater difference in Mephibosheth’s actions. He fell on his face before David and then, somehow, he bowed again. Ziba did not bother with any sort of genuflexing. So their actions revealed very different men in their attitudes toward David.

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Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          And David said to him: Fear not, for I will surely show you mercy for Jonathan your father's sake, and I will restore the lands of Saul the father, and you shalt eat bread at my table always.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so says to him David, “Do not fear for [in] making, I will make with you grace because of Jonathan your father and I have caused to return all land of Saul your father; and you will eat bread upon my table continually.”

Septuagint (Greek)                And David said to him, Fear not, for I will surely deal mercifully with you for the sake of Jonathan your father, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul the father of your father; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.

Significant differences:           The causal approach of returning the land of Saul to Mephibosheth is lost in the Greek and Latin.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       David said, "Don't be afraid. I'll be kind to you because Jonathan was your father. I'm going to give you back the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul. Besides that, you will always eat with me at my table."

Easy English (Pocock)           David said, `Do not be afraid. I will be kind to you because Jonathan was your father. I will give back to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul. And you will always eat your meals at my table.'

Easy-to-Read Version            David said to Mephibosheth, “Don’t be afraid. I will be kind to you. I will do this because of your father Jonathan. I will give back to you all of the land of your grandfather Saul. And you will always be able to eat at my table.”

Good News Bible (TEV)         "Don't be afraid," David replied. "I will be kind to you for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will give you back all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always be welcome at my table."

The Message                         "Don't be frightened," said David. "I'd like to do something special for you in memory of your father Jonathan. To begin with, I'm returning to you all the properties of your grandfather Saul. Furthermore, from now on you'll take all your meals at my table."

New Living Translation           "Don't be afraid!" David said. "I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will eat here with me at the king's table!"

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Then David said, `Don't be afraid, because [the reason why I called you] is to show you mercy because of JoNathan your father. I'm going to give you back all the fields of your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.'

New American Bible              "Fear not," David said to him, "I will surely be kind to you for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the lands of your grandfather Saul, and you shall always eat at my table."

NIRV                                      "Don't be afraid," David told him. "You can be sure that I will be kind to you because of your father Jonathan. I'll give back to you all of the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul. And I'll always provide what you need."

New Jerusalem Bible             David then said, 'Do not be afraid; I will indeed treat you with faithful love for your father Jonathan's sake. I shall restore all your grandfather Saul's estates to you, and you will always eat at my table.'

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             And David said to him, Have no fear: for truly I will be good to you, because of your father Jonathan, and I will give back to you all the land which was Saul's; and you will have a place at my table at all times.

Context Group Version          And David said to him, Don't be afraid; for I will surely show you family allegiance { Hebrew: hesed } for Jonathan your father's sake, and will restore you all the land of Saul your father; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.

HCSB                                     "Don't be afraid," David said to him, "since I intend to show you kindness because of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all your grandfather Saul's fields, and you will always eat meals at my table."

JPS (Tanakh)                         David said to him, “Don’t be afraid, for I will keep faith with you for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will give you back all the land of your grandfather Saul; moreover, you shall always eat at my table.”

NET Bible®                             David said to him, "Don't be afraid, because I will certainly extend kindness to you for the sake of Jonathan your father. I will give back to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will be a regular guest at my table."

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Ancient Roots Translinear      David said to him, "Fear not: for I will ||do|| mercy to you because of Jonathan your father, and return to you all the fields of Saul your father. You will eat bread over my table continually."

Thieme                                   And David said to him, "You will not fear me.

Because I will manufacture grace to you for the sake of Jonathan, your father, and will restore you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat at my table continually."

WEB                                      David said to him, "Don't be afraid of him; for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake, and will restore you all the land of Saul your father; and you shall eat bread at my table continually."

Young’s Updated LT             And David says to him, “Be not afraid; for I certainly do with you kindness because of Jonathan Your father, and have given back to You all the field of Saul Your father, and you will eat bread at my table continually.”

The gist of this verse:          David promises to show grace to Mephibosheth for the sake of Jonathan, who was David’s closest friend. David also promises to have Mephibosheth eat at his table .

Translation: Then David said to him, “Do not be afraid,.. In the ancient world, when one dynasty replaced another, what often happened was, the new reigning dynasty would find every single possible heir to the throne from the previous dynasty and kill them. You have no doubt seen The Godfather, and the final scene gives that same general idea. This occurs with some despots today who will use the law to imprison many of their foes.

David is just the opposite. There is one remaining man of the house of Saul, and David seeks to show this man grace. David reassures Mephibosheth that he has not been hauled in to be harassed and then murdered.

Guzik: Mephibosheth must have been terrified when messengers from David knocked at his door and demanded that he come with them to see the king. In the back of his mind he anticipated the day when David would do as other kings did and massacre every potential rival to his throne: Guzik makes the same mistake, however, that many expositors make, claiming: The knock on the door also meant that Mephibosheth was no longer hidden from David. He felt secure as long as he believed the new king didn't know about him. Remember why Mephibosheth's nurse was fleeing in 2Samuel 4; she feared David would come and slaughter all the potential heirs to the throne of Saul. Scripture clears this up for us: Saul's son Jonathan had a son whose feet were crippled. He was five years old when the report about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she was hurrying to flee, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth (2Sam. 4:4). The Bible tells us that Mephibosheth fled, not because of David, but because of Saul and Jonathan had been killed by the Philistines (1Sam. 31).

Application: There are two things of note here: first of all, Mephibosheth lost his property because of the invasion of the Philistines, but David restores it to him. His ownership based upon his family royalty is respected. Furthermore, David shows respect toward Mephibosheth’s inherited station in life. David does not say, “In your name, I have donated all of your father’s holdings to the poor.” We are born to unequal stations in life, and David does nothing to c