2 Samuel 9 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
~995-990 BC, well into David's Jerusalem reign, once his throne was secure
Location
Lo-debar, an obscure town east of the Jordan River, and the royal court in Jerusalem
Audience
Israelites weighing how the new king treated the family of the king he replaced
Situation
David asks whether anyone from Saul's family survives so he can show them kindness for Jonathan's sake. Saul's grandson Mephibosheth, crippled in both feet, is brought from hiding, given back the family estates, and seated permanently at the king's table.
Key Background
A new dynasty in this era normally wiped out the previous royal line to prevent rival claims, so sheltering in a remote town was a reasonable survival strategy for Mephibosheth. The kindness David speaks of is covenant loyalty, the obligation created by the personal pact he and Jonathan had sworn years before. Eating at the king's table was an honor and also a form of supervision, since it kept a potential claimant permanently within sight of the court, while Ziba's household worked the returned land.
David asked, "Is there anyone still left from Saul's family that I can show to, for Jonathan's sake?"
Now there was a from Saul's household named Ziba. They summoned him to David, and the king asked him, "Are you Ziba?" He said, "At your service, my lord."
The king asked, "Is there no one left from Saul's family that I can show to?" Ziba answered the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan — he's in both
The king asked him, "Where is he?" Ziba told the king, "He's in the house of son of Ammiel, in
So King David sent for him and had him brought from the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.
When son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came before David, he and David said, He replied, "Here I am — your servant."
David said to him, "Don't be afraid. I'm going to show you because of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always at my
Mephibosheth bowed again and said, "Who am I that you would even look at a like me?"
Then the king called Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, "Everything that belonged to Saul and his whole family — I'm giving it all to your master's grandson."
"You, your sons, and your workers will farm the land for him and bring in the harvest so that your master's grandson will be provided for. But Mephibosheth himself will always eat at my table." Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty workers.
Ziba said to the king, "Your servant will do everything my lord the king commands." So Mephibosheth ate at David's table of the own
Mephibosheth had a young son named And everyone who lived in Ziba's household served Mephibosheth.
So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king's table. He was in both