2 SamuelChapitre 9

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David asked, "Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul, so that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?"

Now there was a servant of Saul's household named Ziba, and they summoned him to David. The king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" "At your service," he answered.

The king asked, "Is there no one at all left of Saul's house to whom I may show God's own kindness?" Ziba answered the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in both feet."

"Where is he?" the king asked. Ziba answered, "He is in the house of Machir son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar."

So King David sent and had him brought from the house of Machir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.

When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he fell facedown and bowed low. David said, "Mephibosheth!" "I am your servant," he answered.

"Do not be afraid," David said to him, "for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to Saul your grandfather, and you will always eat at my table."

Mephibosheth bowed down and said, "What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?"

Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul's steward, and said to him, "I have given to your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his whole house.

You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the harvest, so that your master's grandson may have food to eat. And Mephibosheth, your master's grandson, will always eat at my table." (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)

Ziba said to the king, "Whatever my lord the king commands his servant, your servant will do." So Mephibosheth ate at David's table like one of the king's sons. [Footnote: Hebrew reads "my table"; the sense is the king's table.]

Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica, and all the members of Ziba's household were servants of Mephibosheth.

So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, and he always ate at the king's table. He was lame in both feet.

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Résumé2

Chapitre 9

Main Theme: David shows covenantal loyalty by caring for Jonathan’s disabled son, Mephibosheth.

Content: David asks if anyone remains from Saul’s house to whom he can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake. The servant Ziba tells him about Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son who is lame in both feet and lives in Lo-debar. David brings him back, returns all the land that belonged to Saul, and allows him to eat at the king’s table as one of his own sons. Ziba and his household are appointed to manage the land for Mephibosheth.

Key Words/Images:

Hesed (חֶסֶד): Covenantal loyalty and grace – David shows "God’s grace" to Jonathan’s family.
The King’s Table: A symbol of restoration and full membership in the royal family.
Lame in both feet: Mephibosheth was vulnerable and powerless, yet still honored.
Lo-debar: The name may mean "nothing" – Mephibosheth is brought from obscurity to honor.

Contexte historique

Historical and Cultural Context for 2 Samuel 9

People

Mephibosheth (מְפִיבֹשֶׁת) was the son of Jonathan and grandson of Saul. The name likely means "from Baal's mouth" (originally perhaps Merib-Baal, see 1 Chronicles 8:34), but in tradition it was changed by replacing "Baal" with "boshet" (shame). He became lame in both feet at the age of five when his nurse fled with him after hearing news of Saul and Jonathan's death at Gilboa (2 Samuel 4:4). His disability made him politically harmless, yet also vulnerable in a culture where physical wholeness was important for leadership.

Ziba (צִיבָא) was a servant who had belonged to Saul's household. His role as steward with fifteen sons and twenty servants (v. 10) indicates that he was a wealthy man of considerable status.

Machir, son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar, was clearly a wealthy man who had given Mephibosheth shelter, suggesting he was an influential supporter.

Places

Lo-debar (לוֹ דְבָר) was a city in Gilead, east of the Jordan. The name may mean "nothing" or "without pasture," implying a desolate or insignificant place. Its location in Gilead, far from David's center of power in Jerusalem, made it a suitable refuge for a descendant of Saul. The city was probably near Mahanaim, where Ish-bosheth had held his kingdom.

Events and Customs

Eating at the king's table was a great honor in the ancient Near East. This involved not only material support but also social status, protection, and inclusion in the king's inner circle. The practice is known from several ancient cultures, including Babylonian texts describing how deposed kings were given places at the victor's table (see 2 Kings 25:29 regarding Jehoiachin in Babylon). For Mephibosheth, this meant complete rehabilitation from refugee to royal privilege.

Restoration of land holdings followed the principle that land should remain within the family. David returned Saul's ancestral land to Mephibosheth, securing his economic independence. In ancient Israel, land rights were tied to family and tribe, and losing land meant loss of social position and honor.

Key Terms

Ḥesed (חֶסֶד) – translated as "kindness" or "steadfast love" – is a central concept in this chapter (vv. 1, 3, 7). The expression "ḥesed Elohim" (God's kindness/grace, v. 3) denotes an undeserved, gracious goodness that goes beyond normal obligations. David's ḥesed toward Mephibosheth was motivated by the covenant with Jonathan (1 Samuel 20:14-17), in which they had promised to show kindness to each other's descendants.

"A dead dog" (הַכֶּלֶב הַמֵּת) was a strong expression of self-abasement in the ancient Near East. Dogs were regarded as unclean scavengers, and the expression appears in contemporary texts as a sign of extreme humility. Mephibosheth's use of this phrase reflects both cultural politeness and his actual situation as a disabled descendant of a fallen royal line.

Personnages8

David5 Ammiel2 Ziba (Mephibosheth's servant)4 Jonathan4 Mephibosheth5 Saul6 Machir2 Micah1

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Mots-clés7

Mephibosheth — A son of Jonathan and grandson of King Saul, who was lame in both feet. He was taken into King David's household.
David — The king of Israel and a central figure in 2 Samuel, known for his piety, skill as a warrior and musician, and as the author of many psalms.
Jonathan — King Saul's eldest son and a close friend of David. Jonathan died in battle together with his father.
Saul — Israel's first king and father of Jonathan. He was rejected by God because of his disobedience and replaced by David as king.
Ziba — A servant of Mephibosheth who was appointed to manage Mephibosheth's estates and assist him after he was taken into David's household.
Lo-debar — A town east of the Jordan River where Mephibosheth lived before being brought to David.
Grace — God's unconditional love and favor. In this context, it refers to David's kindness and grace toward Mephibosheth, despite his connection to Saul's house.