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?

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 Lodebar.

5 Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar.

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.

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.

13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king's table; and was lame on both his feet.

Commentary

Verse 1

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
David sends for Mephibosheth.
Amidst numerous affairs we are apt to forget the gratitude we owe, and the engagements we are under, not only to our friends, but to God himself. Yet persons of real godliness will have no rest till they have discharged them. And the most proper objects of kindness and charity, frequently will not be found without inquiry. Jonathan was David's sworn friend, therefore he shows kindness to his son Mephibosheth. God is faithful to us; let us not be unfaithful to one another. If Providence has raised us, and our friends and their families are brought low, we must look upon that as giving us the fairer opportunity of being kind to them.
John Wesley's Bible Commentary
Of Saul - He saith not of the house of Jonathan, for he knew not of any son he had left, and therefore thought his kindness and obligation was to pass to the next of his kindred. As for Mephibosheth, he was very young and obscure, and possibly concealed by his friends, lest David should cut him off, as hath been usual among princes.
McArther Bible Commentary
These chapters begin with "the house of Saul" (2Sa 9:1) and end with "Sheba … a Benjamite" (2Sa 20:1). As with Saul, David is shown to be a failed king, albeit a repentant failure. It was only the grace and mercy of the Lord and His irrevocable covenant that kept David from being removed from the kingship, as Saul had been (cf. 2Sa 7:15). The emphasis in this section is on the troubles of David, troubles brought on by his own sin.
Bible Cross References
1 Samuel 20:14 1 Samuel 20:15 1 Samuel 20:42 1 Samuel 23:18 2 Samuel 9:7 2 Samuel 21:7

Verse 2

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
David sends for Mephibosheth.
Amidst numerous affairs we are apt to forget the gratitude we owe, and the engagements we are under, not only to our friends, but to God himself. Yet persons of real godliness will have no rest till they have discharged them. And the most proper objects of kindness and charity, frequently will not be found without inquiry. Jonathan was David's sworn friend, therefore he shows kindness to his son Mephibosheth. God is faithful to us; let us not be unfaithful to one another. If Providence has raised us, and our friends and their families are brought low, we must look upon that as giving us the fairer opportunity of being kind to them.
McArther Bible Commentary
Ziba. A former servant of Saul, who is first mentioned here.
Bible Cross References
2 Samuel 16:1 2 Samuel 19:17 2 Samuel 19:29

Verse 3

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
David sends for Mephibosheth.
Amidst numerous affairs we are apt to forget the gratitude we owe, and the engagements we are under, not only to our friends, but to God himself. Yet persons of real godliness will have no rest till they have discharged them. And the most proper objects of kindness and charity, frequently will not be found without inquiry. Jonathan was David's sworn friend, therefore he shows kindness to his son Mephibosheth. God is faithful to us; let us not be unfaithful to one another. If Providence has raised us, and our friends and their families are brought low, we must look upon that as giving us the fairer opportunity of being kind to them.
Bible Cross References
1 Samuel 20:14 1 Samuel 20:15 2 Samuel 4:4 2 Samuel 9:7 2 Samuel 9:13 2 Samuel 19:26

Verse 4

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
David sends for Mephibosheth.
Amidst numerous affairs we are apt to forget the gratitude we owe, and the engagements we are under, not only to our friends, but to God himself. Yet persons of real godliness will have no rest till they have discharged them. And the most proper objects of kindness and charity, frequently will not be found without inquiry. Jonathan was David's sworn friend, therefore he shows kindness to his son Mephibosheth. God is faithful to us; let us not be unfaithful to one another. If Providence has raised us, and our friends and their families are brought low, we must look upon that as giving us the fairer opportunity of being kind to them.
McArther Bible Commentary
Machir the son of Ammiel. A man of wealth (see 2Sa 17:27-29). Lo Debar. A city located in Gilead, east of the Jordan River, about ten miles south of the Sea of Galilee.
Bible Cross References
Genesis 50:23 2 Samuel 9:5 2 Samuel 17:27 Amos 6:13

Verse 5

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
David sends for Mephibosheth.
Amidst numerous affairs we are apt to forget the gratitude we owe, and the engagements we are under, not only to our friends, but to God himself. Yet persons of real godliness will have no rest till they have discharged them. And the most proper objects of kindness and charity, frequently will not be found without inquiry. Jonathan was David's sworn friend, therefore he shows kindness to his son Mephibosheth. God is faithful to us; let us not be unfaithful to one another. If Providence has raised us, and our friends and their families are brought low, we must look upon that as giving us the fairer opportunity of being kind to them.
John Wesley's Bible Commentary
Machir - This Machir appears to have been a generous man, who entertained Mephibosheth out of mere compassion, not of disaffection to David: for afterwards we find him kind to David himself, when he fled from Absalom. David now little thought, that the time would come, when he himself should need his assistance. Let us be forward to give, because we know not what we ourselves may sometime want.
Bible Cross References
Genesis 50:23 2 Samuel 9:4 2 Samuel 9:6

Verse 6

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
David sends for Mephibosheth.
Amidst numerous affairs we are apt to forget the gratitude we owe, and the engagements we are under, not only to our friends, but to God himself. Yet persons of real godliness will have no rest till they have discharged them. And the most proper objects of kindness and charity, frequently will not be found without inquiry. Jonathan was David's sworn friend, therefore he shows kindness to his son Mephibosheth. God is faithful to us; let us not be unfaithful to one another. If Providence has raised us, and our friends and their families are brought low, we must look upon that as giving us the fairer opportunity of being kind to them.
McArther Bible Commentary
Mephibosheth. See note on 2Sa 4:4.
Bible Cross References
1 Samuel 25:23 2 Samuel 4:4 2 Samuel 9:5 2 Samuel 16:4 2 Samuel 19:24

Verse 7

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
David sends for Mephibosheth.
Amidst numerous affairs we are apt to forget the gratitude we owe, and the engagements we are under, not only to our friends, but to God himself. Yet persons of real godliness will have no rest till they have discharged them. And the most proper objects of kindness and charity, frequently will not be found without inquiry. Jonathan was David's sworn friend, therefore he shows kindness to his son Mephibosheth. God is faithful to us; let us not be unfaithful to one another. If Providence has raised us, and our friends and their families are brought low, we must look upon that as giving us the fairer opportunity of being kind to them.
McArther Bible Commentary
restore … the land of Saul your grandfather. The estate belonging to Saul was probably quite substantial. eat bread at my table. David desired to honor Mephibosheth by bringing him into the royal palace and providing for his daily needs (see 2Ki 25:29).
Bible Cross References
2 Samuel 9:1 2 Samuel 9:3 2 Samuel 9:10 2 Samuel 9:13 2 Samuel 12:8 2 Samuel 19:28 1 Kings 2:7 2 Kings 25:29 Jeremiah 52:33 Zechariah 7:9

Verse 8

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
David sends for Mephibosheth.
Amidst numerous affairs we are apt to forget the gratitude we owe, and the engagements we are under, not only to our friends, but to God himself. Yet persons of real godliness will have no rest till they have discharged them. And the most proper objects of kindness and charity, frequently will not be found without inquiry. Jonathan was David's sworn friend, therefore he shows kindness to his son Mephibosheth. God is faithful to us; let us not be unfaithful to one another. If Providence has raised us, and our friends and their families are brought low, we must look upon that as giving us the fairer opportunity of being kind to them.
John Wesley's Bible Commentary
Bowed himself - It is good to have the heart humbled under humbling providences. If when divine providence brings our condition down, divine grace brings our spirits down, we shall be easy.
McArther Bible Commentary
dead dog. A dead dog was considered contemptible and useless. Mephibosheth saw himself as such in that he knew that he had not merited David's kindness and that there was no way for him to repay it. David's offer was an extraordinary expression of grace and beauty to his covenant with Jonathan (cf. 1Sa 18:3; 1Sa 20:15, 1Sa 20:42).
Bible Cross References
1 Samuel 24:14 2 Samuel 3:8 2 Samuel 16:9 2 Samuel 24:14 2 Kings 8:13

Verse 9

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
And provides for him.
As David was a type of Christ, his Lord and Son, his Root and Offspring, let his kindness to Mephibosheth remind us of the kindness and love of God our Saviour to fallen man, to whom he was under no obligation, as David was to Jonathan. The Son of God seeks this lost and ruined race, who sought not after him. He comes to seek and to save them!
Bible Cross References
2 Samuel 16:3 2 Samuel 16:4 2 Samuel 19:29

Verse 10

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
And provides for him.
As David was a type of Christ, his Lord and Son, his Root and Offspring, let his kindness to Mephibosheth remind us of the kindness and love of God our Saviour to fallen man, to whom he was under no obligation, as David was to Jonathan. The Son of God seeks this lost and ruined race, who sought not after him. He comes to seek and to save them!
McArther Bible Commentary
fifteen sons and twenty servants. This number shows the power and influence of Ziba. It also shows that the land given by David was substantial.
Bible Cross References
2 Samuel 9:7 2 Samuel 9:11 2 Samuel 16:3 2 Samuel 19:28 2 Samuel 21:7 1 Kings 2:7 Jeremiah 52:34

Verse 11

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
And provides for him.
As David was a type of Christ, his Lord and Son, his Root and Offspring, let his kindness to Mephibosheth remind us of the kindness and love of God our Saviour to fallen man, to whom he was under no obligation, as David was to Jonathan. The Son of God seeks this lost and ruined race, who sought not after him. He comes to seek and to save them!
Bible Cross References
2 Samuel 9:10 2 Samuel 9:12 2 Samuel 9:13 2 Samuel 16:1 2 Samuel 19:24

Verse 12

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
And provides for him.
As David was a type of Christ, his Lord and Son, his Root and Offspring, let his kindness to Mephibosheth remind us of the kindness and love of God our Saviour to fallen man, to whom he was under no obligation, as David was to Jonathan. The Son of God seeks this lost and ruined race, who sought not after him. He comes to seek and to save them!
McArther Bible Commentary
Micha. The descendants of Micha, the son of Mephibosheth, are listed in 1Ch 8:35-38; 1Ch 9:41-44.
Bible Cross References
2 Samuel 9:11 2 Samuel 9:13 Nehemiah 10:11 Nehemiah 11:17

Verse 13

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
And provides for him.
As David was a type of Christ, his Lord and Son, his Root and Offspring, let his kindness to Mephibosheth remind us of the kindness and love of God our Saviour to fallen man, to whom he was under no obligation, as David was to Jonathan. The Son of God seeks this lost and ruined race, who sought not after him. He comes to seek and to save them!
Bible Cross References
2 Samuel 9:3 2 Samuel 9:7 2 Samuel 9:11 2 Samuel 9:12 Jeremiah 52:33