2 Samuel 19:26

26 He answered, “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me, for your servant said to him, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself, ^[a] that I may ride on it and go with the king. ’ For ¹your servant is lame.

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 And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. He had neither taken care of his feet nor trimmed his beard nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came back in safety.

25 And when he came to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, “Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth? ”

26 He answered, “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me, for your servant said to him, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself, that I may ride on it and go with the king. ’ For your servant is lame.

27 He has slandered your servant to my lord the king. But my lord the king is like the angel of God; do therefore what seems good to you.

28 For all my father’s house were but men doomed to death before my lord the king, but you set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right have I, then, to cry to the king? ”

Cross References

• 1. 19:26 ch. 9:3

Footnotes

• [a] 19:26 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate 'Saddle a donkey for me'