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2 Samuel
Chapter Nine
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO SECOND SAMUEL 9
This
chapter relates David's inquiry after the posterity of Saul
whether any were
living and where they were
2 Samuel 9:1; and
on inquiry being informed of one
he sent for him
and kindly received him
2 Samuel 9:5; and
restored to him the land of his fathers
and appointed a person to till it for
him
and bring him the fruits of it
and maintained him at his own table
2 Samuel 9:9.
2 Samuel 9:1 Now
David said
“Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul
that I may
show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
YLT
1And David saith
`Is there
yet any left to the house of Saul
and I do with him kindness because of
Jonathan?'
And David said
.... To some of his courtiers:
is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul? which
question was put by him
not in order to destroy them
lest they should disturb
his government
as was usual with other princes
and especially such who got
their crowns by usurpation; but to prevent any suspicion of that kind in the persons
he inquired of
he adds:
that I may show him kindness
for Jonathan's sake? not for
Saul's sake
who had been his implacable enemy
though he had sworn to him that
he would not cut off his seed; but for Jonathan's sake
his dear friend
whose
memory was precious to him. Some of the Jewish writers have thought
because
this follows upon the account given of the officers of David
both in his camp
and court
that this question was occasioned by a thought that came into his
mind
while he was appointing officers
that if there were any of Saul's
family
and especially any descendant of Jonathan
that was fit for any post or
office
he would put him into one; but this seems to be a long time after David
had settled men in his chief offices; for Mephibosheth
after an inquiry found
out
was but five years of age when his father was slain
and so but twelve
when David was made king over all Israel
and yet now he was married
and had a
young son
2 Samuel 9:12; so
that it was a long time after David was established in the kingdom that he
thought of this; which is to be imputed to his being engaged so much in war
and having such a multiplicity of business on his hands.
2 Samuel 9:2 2 And there was a
servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had
called him to David
the king said to him
“Are you Ziba?”
He said
“At your service!”
YLT
2And the house of Saul hath
a servant
and his name [is] Ziba
and they call for him unto David; and the
king saith unto him
`Art thou Ziba?' and he saith
`Thy servant.'
And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was
Ziba
.... Or there was a servant that belonged to Saul's family; not
that any of Saul's family was a servant; and this servant the Jews commonly say
was a Canaanitish servant
and who upon the death of his master was not made
free
but became the inheritance and possession of his children after him
Leviticus 25:46;
though JosephusF14Ut supra
(Antiqu. l. 7. c. 5.) sect. 5. says he
was made free by Saul:
and when they had called him unto David; who it seems
was now at court
or in Jerusalem
on some account or another; or was in
David's service
in some inferior post or another; however
having been a
quondam servant of Saul
it was thought he could give the best intelligence of
his family
and whether any were living
and therefore was sent for; and when
he was come into the king's presence:
the king said unto him
art thou Ziba? for he had
been told before by some of his courtiers what his name was:
and he said
thy servant is he; or my name is
Ziba
and I am at thy command.
2 Samuel 9:3 3 Then the king said
“Is
there not still someone of the house 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 is
lame in his feet.”
YLT
3And the king saith
`Is
there not yet a man to the house of Saul
and I do with him the kindness of
God?' And Ziba saith unto the king
`Jonathan hath yet a son -- lame.'
And the king said
is there not yet any of the house of
Saul; that is
remaining or living:
that I may show the kindness of God unto him? great
kindness
some large favour or benefit; for the word God added to things
as to
trees
mountains
&c. serves to set forth the excellency of them; and this
kindness is in imitation of God
or such as he had sworn in the presence of God
to show; and that is expressed in the same language
1 Samuel 20:14
and Ziba said unto the king
Jonathan hath yet a son; a son still
living:
which is lame on his
feet; on both his feet
as the Targum; of which occasion; see Gill on 2 Samuel 4:4.
2 Samuel 9:4 4 So the king said to him
“Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king
“Indeed he is in the
house of Machir the son of Ammiel
in Lo Debar.”
YLT
4And the king saith to him
`Where [is] he?' and Ziba saith unto the king
`Lo
he [is] in the house of
Machir
son of Ammiel
in Lo-Debar.'
And the king said unto him
where is he?.... In what
part of the land
city
or town
does he dwell?
and Ziba said unto the king
behold
he is in the house of
Machir
the son of Ammiel; a descendant of Machir
the son of
Manasseh
to whom the land of Gilead was given
which lay on the other side
Jordan:
in Lodebar; a place in that country
perhaps the same with Debir in Joshua 13:26. Here
it may be his mother's relations lived
and here he might dwell in obscurity
and lie hid from the knowledge of David; who
it might be feared by his
friends
would have dispatched him
had he known where he was. Some take it to
be an appellative
and render it
as Abarbinel observes
"without anything";
as if he was so poor that he had not anything to support himself with. No
mention as yet is made of his name
perhaps because the historian had given it
before
2 Samuel 4:4.
2 Samuel 9:5 5 Then King David sent and
brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel
from Lo Debar.
YLT
5And king David sendeth
and
taketh him out of the house of Machir son of Ammiel
of Lo-Debar
Then King David sent
.... Messengers; it may
be Ziba
none being more proper than he that knew him
and where he was:
and fetched him out of the house of Machir
the son of Ammiel
from Lodebar; they demanded him in the king's name
and being delivered to
them
they brought him from thence to Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 9:6 6 Now when Mephibosheth the
son of Jonathan
the son of Saul
had come to David
he fell on his face and
prostrated himself. Then David said
“Mephibosheth?” And he answered
“Here is
your servant!”
YLT
6and Mephibosheth son of
Jonathan
son of Saul
cometh unto David
and falleth on his face
and doth
obeisance
and David saith
`Mephibosheth;' and he saith
`Lo
thy servant.'
Now when Mephibosheth
the son of Jonathan
the son of Saul
.... For that
was his name
though sometimes called Meribbaal
1 Chronicles 8:34;
and this was his relation to Jonathan and Saul
the son of the one
and
grandson of the other:
was come unto David; to his court and palace
in Jerusalem
being thither brought; for he could not go of himself
being
lame:
he fell on his face
and did reverence; to him as a
king
in a civil way
and in the best manner he could
considering that he was
lame on his feet:
and David said
Mephibosheth; is it he? having learnt
what his name was
this he expressed with great vehemency and affection
as
glad that he had found one of Jonathan's posterity: and
he answered
behold thy servant! he answered to his name
and owned his subjection to David
and was ready to take the oath of allegiance
to him
and give him homage
and serve him in what way he could.
2 Samuel 9:7 7 So David said to him
“Do
not fear
for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake
and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall
eat bread at my table continually.”
YLT
7And David saith to him
`Be
not afraid; for I certainly do with thee kindness because of Jonathan thy father
and have given back to thee all the field of Saul thy father
and thou dost eat
bread at my table continually.'
And David said unto him
fear not
.... He might observe a
dejection in his countenance
a trembling in his limbs
and might discover
signs of fear lest David should cut him off
because he was of the seed royal:
for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's
sake; whom he loved as his own soul
and to whom he had sworn that he
would not cut off his kindness from his house for ever
and now remembering his
oath was determined to observe it:
and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; his
grandfather
such sometimes being called fathers; which David had taken to him
as crown lands
or in the right of his wife; or as being confiscated by
Ishbosheth's rebellion:
and thou shall eat bread at my table continually; he gave him
an apartment in the court
a place at his table
admitted him to be a guest
with him as long as he should live; which was a very great favour and high
honour
and showed what an unshaken friendship he had for his father
and would
maintain with him. This was the kindness of God he meant to show to him.
2 Samuel 9:8 8 Then he bowed himself
and
said
“What is your servant
that you should look upon such a dead dog
as I?”
YLT
8And he boweth himself
and
saith
`What [is] thy servant
that thou hast turned unto the dead dog -- such
as I?'
And he bowed himself
.... In token of
gratitude
and as a sign of humility
and of the sense he had of his unworthiness
to enjoy such a favour:
and said
what is thy servant
that thou shouldest look on
such a dead dog as I am? one so mean
and base
and worthless; which
he might say with respect to the infirmities of his body
the rejection of his
family by the Lord
their attainder of high treason for rebellion against
David
and the low circumstances he was brought into and now under; though one
of the royal family
the son of a prince
and grandson of a king; such was his
humility
and the sense he had of his being undeserving of any favour from the
king
and says this with admiration and astonishment.
2 Samuel 9:9 9 And the king called to
Ziba
Saul’s servant
and said to him
“I have given to your master’s son all
that belonged to Saul and to all his house.
YLT
9And the king calleth unto
Ziba servant of Saul
and saith unto him
`All that was to Saul and to all his
house
I have given to the son of thy lord
Then the king called to Ziba
Saul's servant
.... Who had
been his servant:
and said unto him
I have given unto thy master's son; meaning
either
as some
the son of Mephibosheth
Micha after mentioned; or rather
Mephibosheth himself
the grandson of Saul
whose servant Ziba had been:
all that pertained to Saul
and to all his house; all his paternal
estate
or what he had acquired
or in any wise belonged to him and his family;
which David had in possession
and which he readily and cheerfully delivered up
to Mephibosheth
having so great a regard to the memory of his father.
2 Samuel 9:10 10 You therefore
and your
sons and your servants
shall work the land for him
and you shall bring in the
harvest
that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your
master’s son shall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and
twenty servants.
YLT
10and thou hast served for
him the land
thou and thy sons
and thy servants
and hast brought in
and
there hath been to the son of thy lord bread
and he hath eaten it; and
Mephibosheth son of thy lord doth eat continually bread at my table;' and Ziba
hath fifteen sons and twenty servants.
Thou therefore
thy sons
and thy servants
.... Which
were many
and whose numbers are after given:
shall till the land for him; manure it
plough it
sow it
and reap it:
and thou shall bring in the fruits; the corn
and
oil
and wine
the land produces:
that thy master's son may have food to eat; meaning
either Micha
the son of Mephibosheth
since Mephibosheth seems to be
distinguished from him
and opposed to him in the next clause: and who would
stand in no need of food from any other quarter
being a guest at the king's
table continually; or else Mephibosheth
who by this means would have a
sufficiency for his son and servants
and in which Ziba's family and servants
would have a share:
but Mephibosheth thy master's son shall eat always at my table; wherefore the
land was to be tilled not for him personally
but for his family
and for what
uses he should think fit to put the produce of it to:
now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants: who were
enough to cultivate a considerable quantity of land.
2 Samuel 9:11 11 Then Ziba said to the
king
“According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant
so
will your servant do.” “As for Mephibosheth
” said the king
“he shall
eat at my table[a] like one
of the king’s sons.”
YLT
11And Ziba saith unto the
king
`According to all that my lord the king commandeth his servant
so doth
thy servant;' as to Mephibosheth
`he is eating at my table ([saith the king])
as one of the sons of the king.'
Then said Ziba unto the king
according to all the king hath
commanded his servant
so shall thy servant do
.... Till the land
and
bring the fruits of it to Mephibosheth
for the support of his family; he
promised very fair
had he been as faithful to his trust:
as for Mephibosheth
said the king
he shall eat at my
table
as one of the king's sons; which is repeated
for
the confirmation of it
and to show that he should be treated with equal
respect
and fare as the king's sons themselves did; though the clause
"said the king" is not in the original text
and the words are
thought by Abarbinel and others to be the words of Ziba continued; who promised
to do what the king had ordered
though Mephibosheth had eaten at his table
as
one of the king's sons
and needed not anything
and needed not to eat at the
king's table; and if it was his pleasure
he would maintain him out of this
estate like the son of a king; but the phrase "my table" seems to be
too arrogant for Ziba to say
and rather fits the mouth of David the king.
2 Samuel 9:12 12 Mephibosheth had a young
son whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were
servants of Mephibosheth.
YLT
12And Mephibosheth hath a
young son
and his name [is] Micha
and every one dwelling in the house of Ziba
[are] servants to Mephibosheth.
And Mephibosheth had a young son
whose name was Micha
.... What his
age was is not said from him sprung a progeny of several generations
1 Chronicles 8:34
and all that dwelt in the house Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth; his sons and
his servants.
2 Samuel 9:13 13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in
Jerusalem
for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he was lame in both
his feet.
YLT
13And Mephibosheth is
dwelling in Jerusalem
for at the table of the king he is eating continually
and he [is] lame of his two feet.
So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem
.... Either in some
apartments in the king's palace
or in some house in the city provided for him;
for he returned not to Lodebar
nor to any mansion house upon the estate
of
Saul restored unto him:
for he did eat continually at the king's table; to which he
was invited
and he accepted of:
and was lame on both his feet; or "though" he
wasF14והוא "quamvis esset"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator; so Patrick.
yet this was no objection to
David
he admitted him notwithstanding his infirmity; nor any obstruction to
Mephibosheth
who found ways and means to be carried to the king's table daily.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)