2 Samuel 9:2

2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was ¹Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" And he said, "I am your servant."

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 left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?"

2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" And he said, "I am your servant."

3 And the king said, "Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?" Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet."

4 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, at Lo-debar."

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

Cross References

• 1. 2 Samuel 16:1-4; 2 Samuel 19:17, 29