2 Samuel 9:2

2 Now there was of Saul's people a servant named Ziba, and they sent him to David; and the king said to him, Are you Ziba? And he said, I am.

2 Samuel 9:2 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 9:2

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 Josephus ^F14 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.

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FOOTNOTES:

F14 Ut supra, (Antiqu. l. 7. c. 5.) sect. 5.

2 Samuel 9:2 In-Context

1 And David said, Is there still anyone of Saul's family living, so that I may be a friend to him, because of Jonathan?

2 Now there was of Saul's people a servant named Ziba, and they sent him to David; and the king said to him, Are you Ziba? And he said, I am.

3 And the king said, Is there anyone of Saul's family still living, to whom I may be a friend in God's name? And Ziba said, There is a son of Jonathan, whose feet are damaged.

4 And the king said to him, Where is he? And Ziba said to the king, He is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar.

5 Then King David sent, and had him taken from Lo-debar, from the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel.