2 Samuel 19:26

26 “My lord the king,” he replied, “because I am lame, I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled ^[a] so that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ But my servant Ziba deceived me,

2 Samuel 19:26 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 19:26

And he answered, my lord, O king, my servant deceived me
His servant Ziba, who, instead of saddling an ass for him by his order, went off with that and another himself, ( 2 Samuel 16:1 ) ; for thy servant

said, I will saddle me an ass;
he not only determined this in his own mind, but gave orders to his servant to saddle one for him:

that I may ride thereon, and go to the king, because thy servant [is]
lame;
and could not walk afoot, being lame of both his feet, ( 2 Samuel 4:4 ) ( 2 Samuel 9:3 2 Samuel 9:13 ) .

2 Samuel 19:26 In-Context

24 Then Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson, went down to meet the king. He had not cared for his feet or trimmed his mustache or washed his clothes from the day the king had left until the day he returned safely.

25 And he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, who asked him, “Mephibosheth, why did you not go with me?”

26 “My lord the king,” he replied, “because I am lame, I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled so that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ But my servant Ziba deceived me,

27 and he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. Yet my lord the king is like the angel of God, so do what is good in your eyes.

28 For all the house of my grandfather deserves death from my lord the king, yet you have set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right, then, do I have to keep appealing to the king?”

Footnotes

• [a]. LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate Saddle a donkey for me; Hebrew I will saddle a donkey for myself