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2 Samuel 9

KJV · Chapter 9/24

1And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?

2And 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.

3And 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.

4And 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.

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

6Now 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!

7And 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.

8And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?

9Then 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.

10Thou 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.

11Then 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.

12And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth.

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

📖 Chapter study

Summary

David seeks out a descendant of Saul to fulfill his promise of loyalty to Jonathan, and finds Mephibosheth, Jonathan's crippled son. David restores Saul's lands to him and invites him to eat at his table always, as one of the king's own sons.

Explanation

This episode illustrates the Hebrew concept of 'hesed' — loyal kindness that goes beyond obligation. David, now a powerful king, could easily have eliminated any possible rival from Saul's line (a common practice among other ancient monarchies), but instead fulfills an old promise made to a friend who is now dead. It is a beautiful picture of grace: Mephibosheth, who describes himself as 'a dead dog,' is raised to the royal table without having done anything to deserve it, simply because of David's love for Jonathan — an image many see as a foreshadowing of God's grace toward us.

Fun facts

  • The name Mephibosheth probably means 'one who scatters shame,' or was originally 'Merib-baal,' altered by the scribes to remove the word 'Baal' (the name of a Canaanite god) from proper names, a common practice in the Hebrew text.
  • Lo-debar, where Mephibosheth lived in hiding, literally means 'no pasture' or 'place of nothing,' symbolizing his condition of exile and poverty before being brought to the king's table.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 2 Samuel 9:1Now reigning in peace, David asks whether anyone is still left of the house of Saul to whom he might show kindness for Jonathan’s sake.
  2. 2 Samuel 9:2Ziba, a former servant of Saul’s household, is summoned, and David asks whether he can help find any living descendant of Saul.
  3. 2 Samuel 9:3David insists on showing kindness to someone from Saul’s house, and Ziba recalls that a son of Jonathan is still alive, lame in both feet.
  4. 2 Samuel 9:4David asks where this son is, and Ziba answers that he lives in the house of Machir son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar.
  5. 2 Samuel 9:5David sends and has Mephibosheth brought straight from Machir’s house in Lo-debar.
  6. 2 Samuel 9:6Mephibosheth comes before David, falls on his face to the ground, and David calls him by name, receiving from him the answer of a humble servant.
  7. 2 Samuel 9:7David fulfills a covenant of loyalty made earlier with Jonathan, restoring to Mephibosheth all the land that had belonged to Saul—this kind of commitment to honor a dead friend by caring for his family was taken very seriously in the culture of the time.
  8. 2 Samuel 9:8Mephibosheth calls himself “a dead dog” before David—the same image of self-abasement David had used with Saul in 1 Samuel 24, a common way of publicly acknowledging that one is entirely at the mercy of the one in power.
  9. 2 Samuel 9:9David calls Ziba and announces that he is giving to Jonathan’s son everything that belonged to Saul.
  10. 2 Samuel 9:10David orders Ziba, his sons, and his servants to farm this land to support Mephibosheth’s household, who would continue eating at the king’s table—and the text notes that Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
  11. 2 Samuel 9:11Ziba agrees to do all the king commands, and Mephibosheth eats at David’s table like one of the king’s own sons.
  12. 2 Samuel 9:12Mephibosheth had a young son named Micha, and everyone living in Ziba’s household becomes Mephibosheth’s servants.
  13. 2 Samuel 9:13Mephibosheth comes to live in Jerusalem, always eating at the king’s table, even though he was lame in both feet.

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