1.
And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan's sake?
1-7. David said, Is there yet any
that is left of the house of Saul—On inquiry, Saul's land
steward was found, who gave information that there still survived
Mephibosheth, a son of Jonathan who was five years old at his
father's death, and whom David, then wandering in exile, had never
seen. His lameness (2 Samuel 4:4) had
prevented him from taking any part in the public contests of the
time. Besides, according to Oriental notions, the younger son of a
crowned monarch has a preferable claim to the succession over the son
of a mere heir-apparent; and hence his name was never heard of as the
rival of his uncle Ish-bosheth. His insignificance had led to his
being lost sight of, and it was only through Ziba that David learned
of his existence, and the retired life he passed with one of the
great families in trans-jordanic Canaan who remained attached to the
fallen dynasty. Mephibosheth was invited to court, and a place at the
royal table on public days was assigned him, as is still the custom
with Eastern monarchs. Saul's family estate, which had fallen to
David in right of his wife (2 Samuel 4:4), or been forfeited to the crown by Ish-bosheth's rebellion
(2 Samuel 12:8), was provided (2 Samuel 12:8; also 2 Samuel 19:28), for
enabling Mephibosheth to maintain an establishment suitable to his
rank, and Ziba appointed steward to manage it, on the condition of
receiving one-half of the produce in remuneration for his labor and
expense, while the other moiety was to be paid as rent to the owner
of the land (2 Samuel 19:29).
2.
And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he.
3.
And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.
4.
And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar.
5.
Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar.
6.
Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant!
7.
And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.
8.
And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?
9.
Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master's son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house.
10.
Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master's son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master's son shall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
10. Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty
servants—The mention of his sons and the slaves in his house
was to show that Mephibosheth would be honored with an equipage "as
one of the king's sons."
11.
Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king's sons.
12.
And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth.
12. Mephibosheth had a young son,
whose name was Micah—Whether born before or after his residence
in Jerusalem, cannot be ascertained. But through him the name and
memory of the excellent Jonathan was preserved (see 1 Chronicles 8:34;
1 Chronicles 8:35; 1 Chronicles 9:40;
1 Chronicles 9:41).
13.
So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king's table; and was lame on both his feet.