2 Samuel 9:2

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 ¹Ziba?" 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 Then David said, "Is there yet 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 The king said, "Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?" And Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet."

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

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

Cross References

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