Outline of Chapter 16:

Introduction

         vv.     1–4           Mephibosheth’s Servant, Ziba, Comes to David

         vv.     5–14         Benjamite Shimei Curses David

         vv.    15–19         Absalom Interrogates Hushai, David’s Friend

         vv.    20–23         Ahithophel’s First Counsel to Absalom: Rape David’s Mistresses

Addendum

Charts, Maps and Short Doctrines:

         Introduction         The Principals of 2Samuel 16

         Introduction         The Prequel of 2Samuel 16

         Introduction         The Abbreviated Davidic Timeline

         Introduction         A Synopsis of 2Samuel 16

         Introduction         Alternative Outlines

         v.       1              Who is Ziba?

         v.       1              Smith on Mephibosheth

         v.       3              Who is Lying? Ziba or Mephibosheth?

         v.       4              How Could David Have Been Fooled by Ziba?

         v.       4              David’s Decision Concerning Ziba—a New Approach

         v.       5              The Village of Bahurim

         v.       6              David’s Honor with Respect to King Saul

         v.       6              Shimei heaves stones at David (graphic)

         v.       8              Deaths in the House of Saul

         v.      13              The People David Met Along the Way

         v.      15              Links to the Doctrine of Iconoclastic Arrogance

         v.      20              The Vocabulary of Revolution

         v.      21              The Advice of Ahithophel

         v.      21              Taking Ahithophel’s Advice—the Advantage to Absalom

         v.      21              Taking Ahithophel’s Advice Part II—the Advantage to Ahithophel

         v.      21              The Principle of the Man Behind the Man

         Addendum          What We Learn from 2Samuel 16

         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time Period

         Addendum          Edersheim Summarizes 2Samuel 16

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of 2Samuel 16

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An Introduction to 2Samuel 16

I ntroduction: 2Sam. 16 introduces a number of related vignettes. Mephibosheth, the lame son of Jonathan, has been honored and protected by King David for several decades now. His servant, Ziba, will come to David and bring David a great many supplies. Ziba will tell David (and this appears to be a lie) that Mephibosheth likes what is going on in Jerusalem, and he did not come out to meet David, because he thought he might have his family restored as the ruling family of Israel. We will later come to find, in another chapter, that this story of Ziba’s seems to be a fabrication.

As David continues moving away from Jerusalem, Shimei comes out to yell and curse at David and to throw rocks at him. We understand through Shimei just how irrational hatred can be; and how the low-information citizen of Israel might be reacting to all that is happening. At no time does Shimei appreciate the kind of danger he has placed himself in; nor does he recognize the graciousness of David, who could have easily killed him.

Then we change scenery, and view Absalom’s triumphal ride into Jerusalem. In the crowd, Absalom will pick out Hushai, a brilliant strategist who has been an advisor and close friend of his father’s. Absalom interrogates Hushai to find out why he is there, in the crowd greeting Absalom; and Hushai convinces him that Absalom has his support.

Then, we suddenly find out that Absalom, despite all of his scheming, really has no idea what to do. He walks into Jerusalem, David is gone, he has been proclaimed king, and he has to figure out. “What do I do next?” He asks the men around him, who would have been high-ranking soldiers and advisors. Ahithophel, his #1 advisor, suggests that he rape David’s mistresses who are left behind.

In this chapter, we continue to see David in a much different light; where he is a man on the run, and yet still making a number of executive decisions. We will follow David all the way from the downward slope of the Mount of Olives to the fords of the wilderness, which is the Jordan River crossing.

Parallel to this will be Absalom entering into Jerusalem, as the defacto king, and then being unable to present a clear vision as to his direction after entering this city.

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Mephibosheth's Servant, Ziba, Comes to David

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 as revised and edited by Paul W. Esposito, 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. Although I usually quote the Complete Apostles’ Bible here, I have begun to make changes in the translation when their translation conflicts with the Greek and note what those changes are.

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.

Bracketed portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls are words, letters and phrases lost in the scroll due to various types of damage. Underlined words or phrases are those in the Dead Sea Scrolls but not in the Masoretic text.

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          And when David was a little past the top of the hill, behold Siba the servant of Miphiboseth came to meet him with two asses, laden with two hundred loaves of bread, and a hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred cakes of figs, and a vessel of wine.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And David had passed over a little from the top and, behold, Ziba, a boy of Mephibosheth, to meet him. And a pair of donkeys saddled up and upon them two hundred a bread and a hundred grape clusters [or, cakes] and a hundred harvest fruits and a skin of wine.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    AND when David had passed a little beyond the place where he used to worship, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth came to meet him, with a couple of asses, laden with two hundred loaves of bread and a hundred bunches of raisins and a hundred cakes of figs and a skin of wine.

Septuagint (Greek)                And David passed on a little way from Ros; and behold, Ziba the servant of Memphibosheth came to meet him; and he had a couple of donkeys saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves, and a hundred cakes of raisins, and a hundred cakes of dates, and a bottle of wine.

Significant differences:           The hundred harvest fruits agree with the Dead Sea Scrolls (not shown above); but the Latin, Syriac and Greek all have a hundred date (or, fig) cakes.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Contemporary English V.       David had started down the other side of the Mount of Olives, when he was met by Ziba, the chief servant of Mephibosheth. Ziba had two donkeys that were carrying two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred handfuls of raisins, a hundred figs, and some wine.

Easy English                          David and Ziba

David had just passed the top of the hill. Ziba, who was Mephibosheth's servant, met David. Ziba had a row of *donkeys. There were saddles on the *donkeys. The *donkeys carried 200 loaves of bread and 100 round packs of raisins (a type of dried fruit). They also had 100 packs of figs (fruit) and a leather bag full of wine.

Good News Bible (TEV)         When David had gone a little beyond the top of the hill, he was suddenly met by Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, who had with him a couple of donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred bunches of fresh fruit, and a leather bag full of wine.

The Message                         Shortly after David passed the crest of the hill, Mephibosheth's steward Ziba met him with a string of pack animals, saddled and loaded with a hundred loaves of bread, a hundred raisin cakes, a hundred baskets of fresh fruit, and a skin of wine.

New Century Version             Ziba Meets David

When David had passed a short way over the top of the Mount of Olives, Ziba, Mephibosheth's servant, met him. Ziba had a row of donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred cakes of raisins, one hundred cakes of figs, and leather bags full of wine.

New Life Bible                        When David had gone a short way past the mountain top, Mephibosheth's servant Ziba met him with two donkeys ready for traveling. On them were 200 loaves of bread, 100 vines of dried grapes, 100 summer fruits, and a bottle of wine.

New Living Translation           David and Ziba

When David had gone a little beyond the summit of the Mount of Olives, Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth [Mephibosheth is another name for Merib-baal.], was waiting there for him. He had two donkeys loaded with 200 loaves of bread, 100 clusters of raisins, 100 bunches of summer fruit, and a wineskin full of wine.

The Voice                               After David and his people passed over the crest of the Mount of Olives, the exiles met Ziba, who served Saul's son Mephibosheth. Ziba led a couple of donkeys carrying goods: 200 loaves of bread, 100 clumps of raisins, 100 summer fruits, and a wineskin.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Well, after David had traveled a short distance from Ros, {Look!} Ziba (MephiBosheth's servant) came to meet him with a pair of saddled burros, two hundred loaves of bread, a bushel of raisins, a hundred clusters of dried fruit, and a skin flask of wine.

Beck’s American Translation When David had come a little over the top of the mount, Ziba, Mephibosheth’s servant, met him with a couple of donkeys that were saddled and loaded with 200 loaves of bread, 100 clusters of raisins, 200 portions of summer fruit, and a skin of wine.

God’s Word™                         When David had gone over the top of the Mount of Olives, Ziba, Mephibosheth's servant, met him with a pair of saddled donkeys. They were loaded with 200 loaves of bread, 100 bunches of raisins, 100 pieces of ripened fruit, and a full wineskin.

New American Bible (R.E.)    David and Ziba.

David went a little beyond the top and Ziba, the servant of Meribbaal, was there to meet him with saddled donkeys laden with two hundred loaves of bread, an ephah of cakes of pressed raisins, an ephah of summer fruits, and a skin of wine.

NIRV                                      Ziba Lies to David

David went just beyond the top of the Mount of Olives. Ziba was waiting there to meet him. He was Mephibosheth's manager. He had several donkeys with saddles on them. They were carrying 200 loaves of bread and 100 raisin cakes. They were also carrying 100 fig cakes and a bottle of wine. The bottle was made out of animal skin.

New Jerusalem Bible             When David had passed a little beyond the summit, Meribbaal's retainer, Ziba, met him with a pair of donkeys, saddled and laden with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred of the season's fruits, and a skin of wine.

Revised English Bible            When David had moved on a little from the top of the ridge, he was met by Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth, who had with him a pair of donkeys saddled and loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred clusters of raisins, a hundred bunches of summer fruit, and a skin of wine.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      David passed a little from the peak and beheld Ziba the lad of Mephibosheth greeting him with a team of asses bound with two-hundred bread, a hundred raisin-clusters, a hundred of the summer-harvest, and a vessel of wine.

Bible in Basic English             And when David had gone a little way past the top of the slope, Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, came to him, with two asses on which were two hundred cakes of bread and a hundred stems of dry grapes and a hundred summer fruits and a skin of wine.

The Expanded Bible              Ziba Meets David

When David had passed a short way ·over the top of the Mount of Olives [L?beyond the summit], Ziba, Mephibosheth's [^CJonathan's son and Saul's grandson; 4:4] servant, met him. Ziba had a ·row [string; or couple] of donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred ·cakes [or clusters] of raisins, one hundred ·cakes of figs [^Lbunches of summer fruits], and ·leather bags full [skins] of wine.

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 When David passed a little beyond the hill-tops, there came Ziba, the steward of Mefibosheth, to meet him with a troop of asses loaded, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred bundles of vegetables, and a skin of wine.

HCSB                                     When David had gone a little beyond the summit, Ziba, Mephibosheth's servant, was right there to meet him. He had a pair of saddled donkeys loaded with 200 loaves of bread, 100 clusters of raisins, 100 bunches of summer fruit, and a skin of wine.

New Advent Bible                  When David passed a little way beyond the top of the hill, there was Siba, the servant of Miphiboseth, coming to meet them. He had two asses with him, laden with two hundred loaves, and a hundred bunches of raisins, and a hundred cakes of figs, and a skin of wine.

NET Bible®                             David Receives Gifts from Ziba

When David had gone a short way beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth was there to meet him. He had a couple of donkeys that were saddled, and on them were two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred raisin cakes, a hundred baskets of summer fruit [Heb "a hundred summer fruit."], and a container of wine. 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.

NIV – UK                                David and Ziba

When David had gone a short distance beyond the summit, there was Ziba, the steward of Mephibosheth, waiting to meet him. He had a string of donkeys saddled and loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred cakes of figs and a skin of wine.

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           When David had gone a little past the summit, there was Tziva, the servant of M'fivoshet, who met him with a pair of donkeys saddled and on them 200 loaves of bread, 100 bunches of raisins, 100 pieces of summer fruit and a skin of wine.

exeGeses companion Bible   DAVID AND SIBA

And David is a little past the top,

and behold, Siba the lad of Mephi Bosheth meets him

with a pair of harnessed he burros;

and on them two hundred bread

and a hundred raisincakes

and a hundred summer fruits

and a bag of wine.

Hebrew Names Version         When David was a little past the top [of the ascent], behold, Tziva the servant of Mefivoshet met him, with a couple of donkeys saddled, and on them two hundred loaves of bread, and one hundred clusters of raisins, and one hundred summer fruits, and a bottle of wine.

Judaica Press Complete T.    And David was a little past the top (of the mount), and behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth (came) toward him, with a pair of saddled asses, and upon them (were) two hundred (loaves) of bread, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and a hundred summer fruit, and a flask of wine.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And when Dovid was a little past the top of the hill, hinei, Tziva the na'ar of Mephivoshet met him, with a couple of chamorim saddled, and upon them 200 lechem, and 100 bunches of tzimmukim, and 100 kayitz, and a skin of yayin.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                When David was a little past the top [of Olivet], behold, Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, met him with a couple of donkeys saddled, and upon them 200 loaves of bread, 100 bunches of raisins, 100 summer fruits, and a skin of wine.

Darby Translation                  And when David was a little past the summit, behold, Ziba, Mephibosheth's servant, met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred [loaves] of bread, and a hundred raisin-cakes, and a hundred cakes of summer fruits, and a flask of wine.

English Standard V. – UK       David and Ziba

When David had passed a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of donkeys saddled, bearing two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred of summer fruits, and a skin of wine.

The Geneva Bible                  And when David was a little past the top [of the hill] [Which was the hill of olives,], behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred [loaves] of bread, and an hundred bunches of raisins, and an hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine.

NASB                                     Ziba, a False Servant

Now when David had passed a little beyond the summit, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them were two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred clusters of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a jug of wine.

New King James Version       Mephibosheth's Servant

When David was a little past the top of the mountain, there was Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth, who met him with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine.

Syndein/Thieme                      {Note: 17 years have passed since we saw Mephibosheth last in chapter 9. Ziba, who lost everything, is scheming to get it back.} {Verses 1-4: Opportunist Ziba At It Again}

And when David was a little past the top of the hill, {David and his men were fleeing and Ziba knew where David would be and wants to 'help' David - and lies about Mephibosheth} behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and an hundred bunches of raisins, and an hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine.

World English Bible                When David was a little past the top of the ascent, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of donkeys saddled, and on them two hundred loaves of bread, and one hundred clusters of raisins, and one hundred summer fruits, and a bottle of wine.

Young's Literal Translation     And David hath passed on a little from the top, and lo, Ziba, servant of Mephibosheth—to meet him, and a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves, and a hundred bunches of raisins, and a hundred of summer-fruit, and a bottle of wine.

The gist of this verse:          After crossing over the mountain, the king runs into Ziba, Mephibosheth’s servant; and he has donkeys, food and wine with him.

Translation: When David had passed over a little from the summit,... What has happened as David crossed over the east mountain outside of Jerusalem (the Mount of Olives), there have been a great many significant things occur. One of these things was his quick prayer and God’s immediate answer to that prayer.

At this point, David has passed over the summit of the mountain, and is heading down the east side of the Mount of Olives. In 2Sam. 15:30, David was ascending the mountain; in 2Sam. 15:32, David was at the summit, and now he is heading down on the other side. This suggests that much or all of this section on David is in chronological order.

Translation: ...behold, Ziba, Mephibosheth’s young servant [came] to meet him. Mephibosheth is Saul’s lame son whom David honored and took care off. We had not heard anything from him for awhile now. He would be a middle-aged or an older adult. He is not a kid.

He has a servant named Ziba, and Ziba comes up to meet David. We have to be careful at this point, because we never know who exactly to believe. What would seem logical is that Mephibosheth sent Ziba to David to get some supplies to him. However, that is not what Ziba says is happening, as we will see.

Gnana Robinson, whom I often quote to show how mixed up an interpretation can be, gets this scene exactly right: Ziba...now comes to meet David with a large supply of food and drink. This is apparently a bid to discredit Mephibosheth in the eyes of David, in that Mephibosheth did not come himself to meet the king, and to win the king’s favor for himself. Ziba ascribes a sinister motive to Mephibosheth’s absence, alleging that latter to have expressed his intention to get back “the kingdom of [his] father.” 

We already know that Ziba is an opportunist. Whereas, he should have been faithful to his master Saul and seen after Mephibosheth, he appears to have absconded with a substantial amount of the Sauline fortune. Although the Bible does not tell us this specifically, we do know that Ziba did not take care of Mephibosheth and that he somehow ended up with 15 sons and 20 servants. That is a big jump to go from being a servant to having that many children and servants.

It ought not to be a shock that Ziba appears to be using this revolution for his own benefit, just as he used the Philistine attack on King Saul for his own benefit. It is even possible—although the Bible does not tell us this—that Mephibosheth himself sent Ziba out with these supplies for David.

Bear in mind that Mephibosheth is lame; so his coming out to speak to David is quite difficult for him to do. It would be perfectly logical for him to think of his friend David and have his servant Ziba take these things to David.

Some people have an ability to take historically disastrous situations and exploit them for their own personal benefit. Ziba already did this when the Philistines attacked and defeated King Saul; so it is not a great leap to think that he may attempt to use the Absalom revolution to break free of Mephibosheth and to possibly even take the wealth of Mephibosheth.

Translation: And [with him was] a pair of donkeys saddled up... Ziba shows up with a pair of donkeys loaded up with foodstuffs. This could be a yoke of donkeys; and they both could be supporting some sort of platform upon which all of this stuff is. Obviously, in the ancient world, they had this figured out.

This tells us that Jerusalem is still somewhat chaotic and Ziba does not feel as though he is risking anything to come to David. As we will find out at the end of this chapter, Absalom is going to spend a couple of days raping David’s mistresses.

Translation: ...and upon them 200 [loaves of] bread, 100 grape clusters [or, raisin/fig cakes], 100 harvest vegetables [and fruits] and a skin container of wine. We have the food here which Ziba brings—200 loaves of break, 100 raisin cakes, 100 summer fruits, and a large container of wine. This would be helpful for starting out any small army. David had to leave Jerusalem suddenly, so he did not go out shopping for supplies first. There is no doubt that David and his soldiers did bring along some foodstuffs; however, he and his soldiers left Jerusalem quickly to avoid a full-scale war within the city limits.

Bear in mind that Ziba has a large family, but he is under the supervision of Mephibosheth. So, although it is possible that Ziba, entirely on his own, could have put this package together, it would have been difficult to do, and to keep it hidden from Mephibosheth. 200 loaves of bread is a lot of break to bake and take.

The grape clusters here are possibly fig cakes, which are raisins, figs and or dates pressed together into cakes, designed for long journeys. This provision would make good sense for a long journey through the desert-wilderness.

Clark and Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge both suggests that the summer produce are pumpkins, cucumbers, or watermelons. These would be ideal types of produce to carry on a trip in the fall heat, as they have such a high water content.

Clark describes the making of the wineskin in the ancient world: The hide is pulled off the animal without ripping up; the places where the legs, etc., were are sewed up, and then the skin appears one large bag. This is properly the Scripture and Eastern bottle.

Ziba appears to be pretty smart about the big picture. He is clearly aligning himself with David here, although probably no one back in Jerusalem related to Absalom knows about this. He sees David as coming out on top, so he needs to ingratiate himself to David.

The Pulpit Commentary makes this observation: Ziba knew what David had done for Mephibosheth, (2Sam. 9:1–10) how generous was the king"s heart, how he would appreciate fidelity in the time of trouble and scorn ungrateful conduct, how his associates in trial would approve any favour conferred on the loyal at the cost of the disloyal, and how it was within the prerogative of a monarch to confiscate the property of a traitor. Avarice is a careful student of human nature and of the usages of the world. Its success often depends on quickness of discernment, and a practical application of the knowledge of men and things to the purposes of a base, greedy heart. A good and generous man may be as quick in discernment, and may in the intercourse of life gather as much knowledge of human nature, but he differs from the avaricious man in that he scorns to turn all this to the sole promotion of purely selfish interests.

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Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          And the king said to Siba: What mean these things? And Siba answered: The asses are for the king's household to sit on: and the loaves and the figs for thy servants to eat, and the wine to drink if any man be faint in the desert.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so says the king unto Ziba, “What [are] these to you?” And so says Ziba, “The donkeys [are] for a house of the king to ride; and the bread and the harvest fruit to eat the young men; and the wine to drink the faint in the desert-wilderness.”

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And the king said to Ziba, Where did you get these? Ziba said to him, The asses are to carry the burden of the kings household; and the bread and fig cakes are for the young men to eat, and the wine, that those who faint in the wilderness may drink.

Septuagint (Greek)                And the king said to Ziba, What do you mean to do with these? And Ziba said, The donkeys are for the household of the king to sit on, and the loaves and the dates are for the young men to eat, and the wine is for them that are faint in the wilderness to drink.

Significant differences:           The Syriac begins with a slightly different question than the others. Although there are three food items in all the ancient texts, v. 2 only lists the bread and one other of these food items in all the ancient texts.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           "What is all this for?" the king asked Ziba.

"The donkeys are for the royal family to ride," Ziba explained. "The bread and summer fruit are for the young people to eat, and the wine is for those who get exhausted in the wilderness."

Contemporary English V.       "What's all this?" David asked. Ziba said, "The donkeys are for your family to ride. The bread and fruit are for the people to eat, and the wine is for them to drink in the desert when they are tired out."

Easy English                          The king said to Ziba, `Why have you brought these here?'

Ziba answered, `Your family can ride on the *donkeys. The men can eat the bread and the fruit. People may become tired in the desert. So they can drink the wine and feel better.'

Easy-to-Read Version            King David said to Ziba, “What are these things for?”

Good News Bible (TEV)         King David asked him, "What are you going to do with all that?" Ziba answered, "The donkeys are for Your Majesty's family to ride, the bread and the fruit are for the men to eat, and the wine is for them to drink when they get tired in the wilderness."

The Message                         The king said to Ziba, "What's all this?" "The donkeys," said Ziba, "are for the king's household to ride, the bread and fruit are for the servants to eat, and the wine is for drinking, especially for those overcome by fatigue in the wilderness."

New Berkeley Version           “What do you plan with those?” the king asked Ziba. Ziba replied, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and fruit for the attendants to eat, and the wine to serve as drink for those who faint in the desert.”

New Life Bible                        The king said to Ziba, "Why do you have these?" And Ziba said, "The donkeys are for those of the king's house to travel on. The bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat. And the wine drink is for whoever is weak in the desert."

The Voice                               David (to Ziba, seeing that Mephibosheth wasn't with him): ² Why have you brought these things?

Ziba: The donkeys are for members of the king's family to ride. The bread and summer fruit are for your young men, and the wine is for those who grow weak in the wilderness.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          ² And the king asked Ziba, 'What's this for?'

And Ziba said, 'The animals are for the house of the king to ride; ³ the bread and the dried fruit are for your servants to eat; and the wine is for those who get weak [as they travel] in the desert.'

NIRV                                      The king asked Ziba, "Why have you brought all of these things?"

Ziba answered, "The donkeys are for the king's family to ride on. The bread and fruit are for the people to eat. The wine will make those who get tired in the desert feel like new again."

New Jerusalem Bible             The king said to Ziba, 'What are you going to do with that?' 'The donkeys', Ziba replied, 'are for the king's family to ride, the bread and the fruit for the soldiers to eat, the wine is for drinking by those who get exhausted in the desert.'

New Simplified Bible              »What is all this?« David asked. Ziba said: »The donkeys are for your family to ride. The bread and fruit are for the people to eat. The wine is for them to drink in the desert when they are tired out.«

Revised English Bible            The king asked, ‘What are you doing with these?’ Ziba answered, ‘The donkeys are for the king’s family to ride on, the bread and the summer fruit are for his servants to eat, and the wine for anyone who becomes exhausted in the wilderness.’

Today’s NIV                          The king asked Ziba, "Why have you brought these?" Ziba answered, "The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and fruit are for the men to eat, and the wine is to refresh those who become exhausted in the wilderness."

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      The king said to Ziba, "What are these for?" Ziba said, "The asses are for the king's house to ride, the bread and summer-harvest for the lads to eat, and the wine as drink for the tired in the wilderness."

Bible in Basic English             And David said to Ziba, What is your reason for this? And Ziba said, The asses are for the use of the king's people, and the bread and the fruit are food for the young men; and the wine is for drink for those who are overcome by weariness in the waste land.

The Expanded Bible              The king asked Ziba, "What are these things for?"

Ziba answered, "The donkeys are for your ·family [household] to ride. The bread and ·cakes of figs [^Lsummer fruit] are for the ·servants [men; soldiers] to eat. And the wine is for anyone to drink who might become ·weak [exhausted; faint] in the ·desert [wilderness]."

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 But the king asked Ziba, “Whence have you come?”

When Ziba answered, “The asses are for the family of the king to ride, and the bread and raisins for your attendants to eat, and the wine to drink if exhausted in the desert.”

New Advent Bible                  When the king asked what he did with all these, Siba answered, I brought the asses to be ridden by the king's courtiers, the bread and fruit for thy servants to eat, the wine to revive such as are faint in the desert.

NET Bible®                             The king asked Ziba, "Why did you bring these things?" [Heb "What are these to you?"] Ziba replied, "The donkeys are for the king's family to ride on, the loaves of bread [The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew MSS in reading וְהַלֶּחֶם (vehallekhem, "and the bread") rather than וּלְהַלֶּחֶם (ulehallekhem, "and to the bread") of the Kethib. The syntax of the Masoretic Text (MT) is confused here by the needless repetition of the preposition, probably taken from the preceding word.] and the summer fruit are for the attendants to eat, and the wine is for those who get exhausted in the desert [The Hebrew text adds "to drink."]."

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           The king said to Tziva, "What do you mean by these?" Tziva replied, "The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on; the bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat; and the wine is for those who collapse in the desert to drink.

exeGeses companion Bible   And the sovereign says to Siba,

What mean you by these?

And Siba says, The he burros

are for the house of the sovereign to ride on;

and the bread and summer fruit for the lads to eat;

and the wine,

for such as are weary in the wilderness to drink.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And HaMelech said unto Tziva, What meanest thou by these? And Tziva said, The chamorim are for the Bais HaMelech to ride on; and the lechem and kayitz for the ne'arim to eat; and the yayin, that such as be faint in the midbar may drink.

The Scriptures 1998              And the sovereign said to Tsi, “Why do you have these?” And Tsi said, “The donkeys are for the sovereignʼs household to ride on, and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for the wearied to drink in the wilderness.”

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

English Standard Version      And the king said to Ziba, "Why have you brought these?" Ziba answered, "The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who faint in the wilderness to drink."

The Geneva Bible                  And the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses [be] for the kings household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that such as be faint in the wilderness may drink. Commonly there are no viler traitors than they, who under the pretence of friendship accuse others.

Green’s Literal Translation    And the king said to Ziba, What are these to you? And Ziba said, The asses are for the king's household to ride on, and the bread and the summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine for the wearied to drink in the wilderness.

World English Bible                The king said to Ziba, What do you mean by these? Ziba said, The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that such as are faint in the wilderness may drink.

Young’s Updated LT             And the king says unto Ziba, “What—these to you?” and Ziba says, “The asses for the household of the king to ride on, and the bread and the summer-fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for the wearied to drink in the wilderness.”

The gist of this verse:          The king asks Ziba who are these supplies for; and Ziba tells the king that he brought them for the king and for his people.

Translation: The king asked [lit., said] Ziba,... This verse begins quite formally. The king speaks to Ziba, asking him about the things which he has brought. The preposition used is one of respect.

Throughout this chapter, in verse after verse after verse, David is called the king. Scripture is inspired by God the Holy Spirit; therefore, it is reasonable to assume the God the Holy Spirit is telling us, again and again, that David is the true king; David is the king recognized by God (we saw this in 2Sam. 15 as well). He may be temporarily deposed and Absalom may be marching into Jerusalem to take control, but God views David as king. More than that: God is on David’s side.

Application: As a young folksinger, Bob Dylan wrote and sang a song called “With God on our side.” He, along with many of his generation, came to what they thought was their unique realization that a lot of bad stuff happens in war and that war is not very nice; and he was speaking negatively of the United States (as do all of those influenced by communist propaganda), that we go to war as if God is on our side, when that just isn’t true. Much as this might irritate Dylan, God has been on the side of the United States for a very long time. God has been very gracious to us and has preserved us as a nation and has blessed us. Furthermore, we have defeated our enemies in war because God is on our side.

Application: Dylan, like many people, never understood our treatment of the Germans and the Japanese after World War II. We, as a nation, did that which was never done before in human history, insofar as I know—we forgave our enemies almost immediately, and we made every attempt to turn them from being our enemies to being our allies. We sent missionaries and Bibles into many of these lands—in fact, we flooded Asia with the gospel message of Jesus Christ (which is why South Korean is the great country that it is today).

Application: Bob Dylan protested the idea that the Germans killed 6 million Jews, but now, because we forgave them, God is on their side. The Germans were soundly defeated in WWII. Their army was pulverized and those guilty of killing Jews to prison camps were tried and executed. What was done to the Jews was very wrong and Satanic—there is no question about that. But then we are left with the question—what do we do to our enemies that we have defeated in war? Half of Berlin was given over to communism, which put those Germans under communist slavery for many decades until the Berlin wall came down (which Ronald Reagan called for in one of the greatest speeches in human history). But the vicious barbarism and antisemitism that was evident in 1930's and early 40's Germany has been absent from that land for decades now.

Translation: ...“What [are] these things you [have brought]?” David points to the things which Ziba has brought, and he asks what they are for; why they were brought. David does not make any assumptions that Ziba has brought all of this for him and his army. He is not self-centered and the world does not revolve around him. Therefore, he does not immediately relate everything around him to himself.

Application: Part of the natural and certainly part of the spiritual maturity process is coming to a point where you realize that the world does not revolve around you. Where you understand that not everything is about you or directly related to you. David here makes no assumptions.

Translation: Ziba answered [lit., said], “The donkeys [are] for the king’s household to ride;... Normally, the text is far more formal than this. Often it would read, and so Ziba answered and said unto the king; but it does not say that; Ziba simply starts talking. Although we know that he is answering David, that is not put into this verse, and this suggests several things: (1) What Ziba is going to say is by rote; he memorized exactly what he was going to say, and when given the chance, he simply spouts off what he had memorized to say. (2) Ziba is not addressing David, but David and those around him. In the latter case, this could have been denoted simply with the lâmed preposition and the 2^nd person masculine plural suffix. However, that was not used. Considering the sentence structure which we find, it seems that Ziba is reciting these things by rote.

If this is by rote, then that suggests one of two things: someone told Ziba exactly what to say or Ziba has been practicing exactly what to say on the ride up there. When David gives him the proper opening, he blurts it all out.

There are two donkeys; and donkeys were often used for royalty. From the little reading I have done, camels run, for an distance, a little faster than donkeys (25 mph as versus 20 mph); but donkeys have the advantage in many ways: it is easier to get on and off a donkey and a donkey probably has greater endurance than a camel in a lengthy run. It is also likely that a donkey is more mobile and flexible and can more easily veer this way or that. A donkey can also deal with a change of terrain more easily than a camel can. Therefore, for these reasons, royalty would ride donkeys.

So, Ziba says that the donkeys are for David’s family—whatever family members might be there.

Translation: ...the bread and harvested fruit [are for] the young men to eat;... The large amount of foodstuffs are for the young men. Ziba is called a young man in this chapter, and he refers to those of David’s army in the same way.

You will note that he left out the cluster of grapes. Two possibilities here: they were either dropped out of the text or Ziba, in his nervousness, left them out, despite memorizing what it is he was going to say. Why would Ziba feel nervous, you may ask. It is possible that he is going to lie right to David’s face, so that intention is making him nervous.

One item was left out of all the ancient texts.

Translation: ...and the wine [is for] the weary to drink in the wilderness.” A container of wine can only be so large, so this is for those who feel faint when crossing the desert wilderness area. Alcohol, in small dosages, can act as a stimulant.

What would seem logical is, his master, Mephibosheth, realizing what is going on, had his servants prepare all of these things. Remember, Ziba cannot just bake 200 loaves of bread on the sly. Nor can he even get away with baking some on one day and some on another. There is not enough time for this. Less than a day has elapsed since David began heading up hill. Preparing this much food takes time and manpower; so that this is not necessarily something that Ziba on his own could whip together. Therefore, what seems logical is, Mephibosheth put all of his servants on this project, to prepare some food for David and his army, and put this in the hands of Ziba to deliver to David.

Now, since Ziba has such a large household, and even though he and his household are placed under the command of Mephibosheth, it is possible that he could have done all of this without Mephibosheth knowing. It would have been difficult to conceal, but possible for him to do. However, it seems much more logical that Mephibosheth would have ordered that this be done, and then put Ziba in charge of getting this to David.

Spoiler alert: this is not what Ziba will tell David.

——————————

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          And the king said: Where is thy master's son? And Siba answered the king: He remained in Jerusalem, saying: To day, will the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so says the king, “And where [is] a son of your adonai?” And so says Ziba unto the king, “Behold, remaining in Jerusalem, for he had said, ‘The day they cause to return to me a house of Israel with a kingdom of my father.’ ”

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And the king said to him, Where is your masters son? Ziba said to him, Behold he remains at Jerusalem; for he said, Today shall the house of Israel restore to me the kingdom of Saul my father.

Septuagint (Greek)                And the king said, And where is the son of your master? And Ziba said to the king, Behold, he remains in Jerusalem; for he said, Today shall the house of Israel restore to me the kingdom of my father.

Significant differences:           None.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Contemporary English V.       "And where is Mephibosheth?" David asked. Ziba answered, "He stayed in Jerusalem, because he thinks the people of Israel want him to rule the kingdom of his grandfather Saul."

Easy English                          Then the king asked, `Where is Mephibosheth, the grandson of your master Saul?'

Ziba said, `He is staying in Jerusalem. He thinks, "Today the *Israelites will return my grandfather's *kingdom to me." '

Easy-to-Read Version            Then the king asked, “And where is Mephibosheth [Literally, "your master’s grandson."]?”

Good News Bible (TEV)         "Where is Mephibosheth, the grandson of your master Saul?" the king asked him. "He is staying in Jerusalem," Ziba answered, "because he is convinced that the Israelites will now restore to him the kingdom of his grandfather Saul."

New Berkeley Version           “But where,” asked the king, “is the son of your master [Mephibosheth, the grandson of Ziba’s former master, Saul, through Jonathan.]?” Ziba answered the king, “Ha, he is staying in Jerusalem, because he said, ‘Today the people of Israel will restore to me the royal power of my father.’ ”

The Voice                               David: ³ Where is your master's descendant?

Ziba: He is still in Jerusalem. He says, "Now the people of Israel will give me back my grandfather's kingdom."

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Then the king asked, 'And where is your lord's son?'

And Ziba replied, '{Look!} He's sitting in JeruSalem; for, he said, Today the kingdom of IsraEl will return to the house of my father.'

New American Bible (R.E.)    Then the king said, "And where is your lord's son?" Ziba answered the king, "He is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, `Today the house of Israel will restore to me my father's kingdom.'" 2Sam. 19:26-27

NIRV                                      Then the king asked, "Where is your master's grandson Mephibosheth?"

Ziba said to him, "He's staying in Jerusalem. He thinks, `Today the people of Israel will give me back my grandfather Saul's kingdom.'"

Revised English Bible            The king asked, ‘Where is your master’s grandson?’ ‘He is staying in Jerusalem,’ said Ziba, ‘for he thought that the Israelites might now restore to him his grandfather’s kingdom.’

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      The king said, "Where is your lord's son?" Ziba said to the king, "He dwells here in Jerusalem, for he said, 'Today the house of Israel will return to me the realm of my father."

The Expanded Bible              The king asked, "Where is ·Mephibosheth [^Lyour master's son/grandson]?"

Ziba answered him, "Mephibosheth is staying in Jerusalem because he thinks, `Today the Israelites will ·give [^Lrestore] my father's kingdom back to me!'"

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 Then the king asked, “Where is your prince’s son?”

And Ziba replied to the king, “He has gone back to Jerusalem, for he said, ‘The House of Israel will now restore me to the kingship of my father.’ ”

NET Bible®                             The king asked, "Where is your master's grandson [Heb "son."]?" Ziba replied to the king, "He remains in Jerusalem, for he said, `Today the house of Israel will give back to me my grandfather's [Heb "my father's."] kingdom.'"

NIV – UK                                The king then asked, `Where is your master's grandson?'

Ziba said to him, `He is staying in Jerusalem, because he thinks, "Today the Israelites will restore to me my grandfather's kingdom."'

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           The king asked, "Where is your master's [grand]son?"Tziva answered the king, "He's staying in Yerushalayim, because he said, 'Today the house of Isra'el will restore my father's kingship to me.'"

exeGeses companion Bible   And the sovereign says,

Where is the son of your adoni?

And Siba says to the sovereign,

Behold, he settles at Yeru Shalem:

for he says, Today the house of Yisra El

restores to me the sovereigndom of my father.

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               “And where is your master’s son?” the king asked. “He is staying in Jerusalem,” Ziba replied to the king, “for he thinks that the House of Israel will now give him back the throne of his grandfather.”

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And HaMelech said, And where is the ben adoneicha [i.e., Sa'ul grandson Mephivoshet]? And Tziva said unto HaMelech, Hinei, he abideth at Yerushalayim; for he said, Today shall Bais Yisroel restore to me the mamlechut avi.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                The king said, And where is your master's son [grandson Mephibosheth]? Ziba said to the king, Behold, he remains in Jerusalem, for he said, Today the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my father [grandfather Saul].

Concordant Literal Version    And the king said, `And where [is] the son of your lord?' and Ziba said unto the king, `Lo, he is abiding in Jerusalem, for he said, To-day do the house of Israel give back to me the kingdom of my father.

Context Group Version          And the king said, And where is your master's son? And Ziba said to the king, Look, he stays at Jerusalem; for he said, Today will the house of Israel restore to me the kingdom of my father.

New RSV                               The king said, `And where is your master's son?' Ziba said to the king, `He remains in Jerusalem; for he said, "Today the house of Israel will give me back my grandfather's kingdom."

Syndein/Thieme                     And the king shouted, "And where is your master's grandson {Mephibosheth}?" And Ziba said unto the king, "Behold, he is remaining at Jerusalem. For he said, "Today shall the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me." {David is under pressure and misses the obvious lie. The revolution is to put Absalom in power . . . not to put Mephibosheth in power!}.

World English Bible                The king said, Where is your master's son? Ziba said to the king, Behold, he abides at Jerusalem; for he said, Today will the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.

Young’s Updated LT             And the king says, “And where is the son of your lord?” And Ziba says unto the king, “Lo, he is abiding in Jerusalem, for he said, Today do the house of Israel give back to me the kingdom of my father.”

The gist of this verse:          The king asks Ziba where Mephibosheth, his inherited master, is. Ziba says that he is in Jerusalem, expecting that, in the chaos, to have the royal throne returned to him and his family.

Translation: The king asked [lit., said], “Where [is] the son of your lord?” Saul was originally Ziba’s lord. David put Ziba back under Mephibosheth. Ziba was Saul’s servant, and it is reasonable that he remain the servant of Saul’s grandson, Mephibosheth (Mephibosheth is Jonathan’s son). The word bên can refer to a descendant.

Given the circumstances, it appears as if David would have expected Mephibosheth to have traveled to him, despite the fact that Mephibosheth is lame. We do not have any details in this regard, but if Mephibosheth was able to attend the royal dinner each night, then he was able to locomote between his home and the palace of the king (2Sam. 9:13). The extent of his lameness is never revealed to us; nor is the compensation for this lameness explained. However, if he was able to get to the king’s dinner and if the king expected to see him here, this suggests that Mephibosheth was able to get around.

However, this could be David simply asking what hand did Mephibosheth have in all of this. After all, Ziba has said nothing about his master yet.

Translation: And Ziba answered [lit., said to] the king, “Look, [he] is remaining in Jerusalem,... It is at this point where we will begin to wonder about Ziba and Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth should be quite grateful to David for all that had been done for him in grace, which will appear to be the case when we get to 2Sam. 19.

Translation: ...for he said, ‘Today they will cause to return to me the house of Israel along with the kingdom of my father.’ ” What Ziba says here is quite fascinating—David is leaving Jerusalem because Absalom has rebelled against him. Absalom is coming into the city. Somehow, Mephibosheth has calculated (according to Ziba) that the kingdom is going to be given to him in all of this chaos. This suggests one of two things—and David does not appear to really consider these things—either Mephibosheth is delusional or Ziba is lying. From what we can tell, David appears to take all that is happening at face value. What Ziba tells him, he believes.

The entire verse reads: The king then asked him, “Where is the son of your lord?” Ziba answered him, “Listen, he is staying back in Jerusalem, for he announced, ‘Today they will give back to me the house of Israel along with the kingdom of my father.’ ”

Jamieson, Fausset and Brown: Such a hope [as Mephibosheth is said to have expressed] might naturally arise at this period of civil distraction, that the family of David would destroy themselves by their mutual broils, and the people reinstate the old dynasty. Therefore, there was an air of plausibility in Ziba's story. Many, on whom the king had conferred favors, were now deserting him. No wonder, therefore, that in the excitement of momentary feeling, believing, on the report of a slanderer, Mephibosheth to be among the number, he pronounced a rash and unrighteous judgment by which a great injury was inflicted on the character and interests of a devoted friend.

Application: If you are an honest person, then this appears to be a mistake that honest people make—they assume that what other people tell them is true. As a business person, you should always be honest, but then, you have to bear in mind that some people will simply lie.

The inspiration of the Bible does not mean that everything found in the Bible is true. That is, what Ziba says here is really what Ziba said; but that does not mean that Ziba was speaking the truth to David.

Given David’s loyalty to Mephibosheth, and given his physical condition, it is much more likely that Mephibosheth arranged for this gift to be brought to David; and highly unlikely that he believed that he could restore the Sauline line once again. This does appear to be inline with what Mephibosheth later tells David: Mephibosheth answered, “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me: for your servant said, ‘I will saddle me a donkey, that I may ride thereon, and go with the king;’ because your servant is lame.” (2Sam. 19:26). Although the Bible does not clearly tells us who is lying and who is telling the truth, from what we know of Ziba and Mephibosheth, what Ziba says about Mephibosheth sounds unlikely; and what Mephibosheth says in 2Sam. 19 sounds very likely.

Clark writes of this: What a base wretch was Ziba! And how unfounded was this accusation against the peaceable, loyal and innocent Mephibosheth!

The Pulpit Commentary makes an interesting comment at this juncture: Ziba deserves [some] credit in that he attached himself to a ruined man; but his motive was not love to David, but selfish calculation. That is, Ziba was smart enough to know which horse to bet on. However, this could have simply been Ziba recognizing a chance at being opportunistic. This in no way keeps him from ingratiating himself to Absalom, if such an opportunity presents itself.

——————————

File this verse under, “Good leaders sometimes make lousy decisions.”

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          And the king said to Siba: I give you all that belonged to Miphiboseth. And Siba said: I beseech you let me find grace before you, my lord, O king.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so says the king to Ziba, “Behold to you all that [was] to Mephibosheth.” And so says Ziba, “I have prostrated myself; I find grace in your [two] eyes, my adonai the king.”

Peshitta (Syriac)                    Then David said to Ziba, Behold, all that belonged to Mephibosheth is given to you. And Ziba said to him, I have plenty, and I have found grace in your sight, my lord, O king.

Septuagint (Greek)                And the king said to Ziba, Behold, all Memphibosheth's property is yours. And Ziba bowed down and said, My lord, O king, let me find grace in your eyes.

Significant differences:           Although the English translations of the Greek, Latin and Syriac of what David says are slightly different from the Hebrew, the same sentiments are expressed. In the Latin and Syriac, Ziba does not speak of bowing down before David; and, in the Greek, it appears that Ziba does bow before David, but without saying anything about it.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           "Look here," the king said to Ziba. "Everything that belonged to Mephibosheth now belongs to you."

Ziba said, "I bow out of respect! Please think well of me, my master and king."

Easy English                          Then the king said to Ziba, `I now give to you everything that belonged to Mephibosheth.'

Ziba said, `I am your servant. I hope that I will always please you, my master and king.'

Easy-to-Read Version            Then the king said to Ziba, “{Because of that,} I now give you everything that belonged to Mephibosheth.”

The Message                         "Everything that belonged to Mephibosheth," said the king, "is now yours." Ziba said, "How can I ever thank you? I'll be forever in your debt, my master and king; may you always look on me with such kindness!"

New Berkeley Version           The king, in return, told Ziba, “Well then, all that Mephibosheth had is now yours.” [Too hasty a decision, for it later appears that Ziba was lying and that Mephibosheth’s loyalty to David never waved (2Sam. 19:24–28)] “I prostrate myself before you, O my master and king,” said, Ziba. “Let me find favor in your eyes!”

New Living Translation           "In that case," the king told Ziba, "I give you everything Mephibosheth owns."

"I bow before you," Ziba replied. "May I always be pleasing to you, my lord the king."

The Voice                               David: ⁴ Then all that belonged to Mephibosheth is yours now.

Ziba (bowing): I am your servant. May my lord and king look kindly on me.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Then the king said, '{Look!} I am giving you everything that is MephiBosheth's.'

And as he bowed, Ziba said, 'May I find favor in your eyes, O my lord the king.'

God’s Word™                         The king told Ziba, "In that case everything that belonged to Mephibosheth now belongs to you." "I sincerely thank you," said Ziba. "I hope to remain in your good graces, Your Majesty."

New American Bible              The king therefore said to Ziba, "So! Everything Meribbaal had is yours." Then Ziba said: "I pay you homage, my lord the king. May I find favor with you!"

NIRV                                      Then the king said to Ziba, "Everything that belonged to Mephibosheth belongs to you now."

"You are my king and master," Ziba said. "I make myself low in front of you. I bow down to you. May you be pleased with me."

New Jerusalem Bible             Then the king said to Ziba, 'Everything owned by Meribbaal is yours.' Ziba said, 'I prostrate myself! May I be worthy of your favour, my lord king!'

Revised English Bible            The king said to Ziba, ‘You shall have everything that belongs to Mephibosheth.’ Ziba said, ‘I am your humble servant, sir; may I always find Favour with your majesty.’

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      The king said to Ziba, "Behold! You are all that Mephibosheth had!" Ziba said, "I bow to find grace in your eyes, my lord and king."

The Expanded Bible              Then the king said to Ziba, "All right. Everything that belonged to Mephibosheth, I now give to you!"

Ziba said, "I ·bow to you [prostrate myself]. ·I hope I will always be able to please you [^LMay I find favor in your sight/eyes, my lord the king]."

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 The king consequently said to Ziba, “Attend! All belonging to Mefibosheth I give to you!” And Ziba replied, “I bow to you, for I have found favour in the eyes of the king!”

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           The king said to Tziva, "Everything that belongs to M'fivoshet is now yours." Tziva answered, "I bow down before you; may I find favor in your sight, my lord, king."

exeGeses companion Bible   Then the sovereign says to Siba,

Behold, you are all to Mephi Bosheth.

And Siba says,

I prostrate to you to find charism in your eyes,

my adoni, O sovereign.

Judaica Press Complete T.    The king said to Ziba, “Then all that belongs to Mephibosheth is now yours!” And Ziba replied, “I bow low. Your Majesty is most gracious to me.”

Orthodox Jewish Bible           Then said HaMelech to Tziva, Hinei, thine are all that pertained unto Mephivoshet. Tziva said, I humbly prostrate myself. May I find chen in thy sight, adoni, O Melech.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

English Standard Version      Then the king said to Ziba, "Behold, all that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours." And Ziba said, "I pay homage; let me ever find favor in your sight, my lord the king.

Green’s Literal Translation    And the king said to Ziba, Behold, all that Mephibosheth has is yours. And Ziba said, I bow myself; may I find favor in your eyes, my lord, O king.

Syndein/Thieme                      {David Taken in By Lie - Hasty and Erroneous Decision}

Then said the king to Ziba, "Behold, all that pertained to Mephibosheth is yours." {once again Ziba has connived to gain control the property of king Saul}

And Ziba said, "I humbly beseech you that I may find grace in your sight, my lord, O king."

Webster”s updated Bible       Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, your [are] all that [pertained] to Mephibosheth. And Ziba said, I humbly beseech you [that] I may find grace in your sight, my lord, O king.

World English Bible                Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, all that pertains to Mephibosheth is yours. Ziba said, I do obeisance; let me find favor in your sight, my lord, O king.

Young’s Updated LT             And the king says to Ziba, “Lo, your are all that Mephiboshes hath;” and Ziba says, “I have bowed myself—I find grace in your eyes, my lord, O king.”

The gist of this verse:          David gives to Ziba all that was Mephibosheth’s; and Ziba says that he bows before him in respect.

Translation: The king then said to Ziba, “Listen, all that [belonged] to Mephibosheth [is now] yours.” David makes a snap decision here, which is predicated upon his return to Jerusalem. David takes what Ziba says at face value. He believes him. He simply assumes that Ziba would not lie to him. So, David performs a reversal of fortune and says, “All that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.”

Just so there is no misunderstanding, Ziba cannot simply go back to Jerusalem, look his master in the eye and say, “Your stuff now belongs to me.” In order for that to take place, David has to be king again. An order like this from David stands and is real, but only applicable if he is defacto king. However, for the time being, that is good enough for Ziba.

Application: Even great men can make mistakes; even great kings can make wrong calls. David, based upon the information given to him by Ziba, makes a judgment call, and a wrong one. It is not enforceable until David returns as king; but he has limited information, and he makes a decision. It is the nature of people—no one makes perfect calls on every situation. When discussing the issues with some liberals, they will point out this or that thing which Reagan did wrong—and he made a great many mistakes as president. However, overall, he was one of the greatest presidents in the 20^th century, and easily the best president in my lifetime. It is simply impossible for any president to not make mistakes.

Translation: Ziba said, “I have prostrated myself;... Interestingly enough, the text does not say that Ziba prostrates himself before David; it says that he says he prostrates himself. So, he says this, but he does not necessarily do it.

Let me speculate that here, they are out on the open ground, and prostrating himself would put Ziba down onto the dirt; and perhaps the palace of David was a cleaner place, where one could prostrate themselves without being covered with dust.

This is actually a very slick narrative clue in this passage as to Ziba’s credibility. He said, “I have prostrated myself...” when he really didn’t prostrate himself. Just as he does not show David, the king, the proper respect here; he did not show David the proper respect in telling David the truth. He lies about prostrating himself before David; and he lies about Mephibosheth, his master.

David, however, did not get this.

Translation: ...I have found grace in your sight, my adonai the king.” Ziba speaks the vocabulary that David is used to. He recognizes that he has discovered grace in David’s sight. The idea here is, he is saying that David has looked him over and has decided that he is deserving of grace.

For some, this is troubling. Ziba went to David, perhaps even on Mephibosheth’s orders, to deliver these provisions to him; but when he shows up, Ziba turns things around, and lies to David, in hopes of taking his estate back. What appears to be the case is, Ziba had managed to take many of the riches of the Sauline kingdom, and, at the same time, pawn off Mephibosheth on someone else.

Vv. 3–4 read: The king then asked him, “Where is the son of your lord?” Ziba answered him, “Listen, he is staying back in Jerusalem, for he announced, ‘Today they will give back to me the house of Israel along with the kingdom of my father.’ ” The king then said to Ziba, “Listen, all that used to belong to Mephibosheth is now yours.” Ziba responded, saying, “I bow before you; I have found grace in your sight, my lord the king.”

Matthew Henry: Princes cannot help it, but they will be sometimes (as our law speaks) deceived in their grants; but they ought to use all means possible to discover the truth and to guard against malicious designing men, who would impose upon them, as Ziba did upon David. Having by his wiles gained his point, Ziba secretly laughed at the king's credulity, congratulated himself on his success, and departed, with a great compliment upon the king, that he valued his favour more than Mephibosheth's estate: “Let me find grace in thy sight, O king! and I have enough.” Great men ought always to be suspicious of flatterers, and remember that nature has given them two ears, that they may hear both sides.

Clarke comes to this conclusion: This conduct of David was very rash; he spoiled an honorable man to reward a villain, not giving himself time to look into the circumstances of the case. But David was in heavy afflictions, and these sometimes make even a wise man mad. Nothing should be done rashly; he who is in the habit of obeying the first impulse of his passions or feelings, will seldom do a right action, and never keep a clear conscience.

Poole expresses a similar sentiment: [David issues] a rash sentence, and unrighteous, to condemn a man unheard, upon the single testimony of his accuser and servant. But David’s mind was both clouded by the deep sense of his calamity, and biassed by Ziba’s great and seasonable kindness, And he might think that Ziba would not dare to accuse his master of so great a crime, which, if false, might so easily be disproved.