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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - 2 Samuel 16:1 - 16:14
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Ziba and Shimei
v. 1. And when David was a little past the top of the hill, beyond the summit of Mount Olivet, behold, Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, met him, having gone on in advance of the army in order to approach David after the first disorder was over, with a couple of asses saddled and upon them two hundred loaves of bread and an hundred bunches, or cakes, of raisins, and an hundred of summer fruits, probably fig-cakes, and a bottle, a skin, of wine.
v. 2. And the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? literally, "What these to thee?" What object did he have in bringing them at this time? And Ziba said, The asses be for the king's household to ride on, and the bread and the summer fruit for the young men, the servants of the king, to eat, and the wine, that such as be faint in the wilderness may drink. This act was, unfortunately, no unselfish thoughtfulness, but rather a shrewd move to gain the king's favor, since Ziba felt sure that David would come out victor over his son.
v. 3. And the king said, And where is thy master's son, Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan? And Zibah, taking this opportunity to cast an unfounded suspicion upon his master, said unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem; for he said, today shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father. Ziba intimated that Mephibosheth expected the present disorder to result in his being restored to royal dignity and power, this lie being told in order to obtain possession of the estate which he was now taking care of by the king's order, 2Sa_9:9-11.
v. 4. Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, thine are all that pertained unto Mephibosheth; all the latter's lands were to be transferred to Ziba for this supposed act of loyalty, whereas, in reality, Ziba was not only a liar, but also a thief and traitor, as the sequel shows, 2Sa_19:26-29. And Ziba said, still playing the part of a loyal friend of the king, though he was a hypocrite, I humbly beseech thee that I may find grace in thy sight, my lord, O king. He expressed the hope that David might continue to show himself a gracious sovereign to him. David, in the excitement of the flight and his consequent distracted state, became guilty of a double wrong, by treating the faithful Mephibosheth as a traitor without hearing his testimony and by rewarding the slander of the false Ziba without investigating the charges made by him.
v. 5. And when King David came to Bahurim, some little distance beyond Mount Olivet, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, a distant relative of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came forth, and cursed still as he came, literally, "Going forth he went forth, and cursed," that is, he cursed as he went along.
v. 6. And he cast stones at David and at all the servants of King David, those of his body-guard; and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. In spite of this fact Shimei dared to offer this insult.
v. 7. And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, literally, "Out, out," namely, out of the kingdom and out of the land, thou bloody man, probably with reference to Ishbosheth and Abner, for he falsely connected David with these murders, and thou man of Belial, vain and good-for-nothing scoundrel!
v. 8. The Lord hath returned upon thee, as a just recompense, all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned, the implication being that this was done contrary to right and justice; and the Lord hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom, thy son, as a just punishment for the misdeeds of the past; and, behold, thou art taken in thy mischief, literally, "Behold thee in thy evil," because thou art a bloody man, a man of blood art thou, rejoicing in murders. This vile talk was all the more reprehensible since Shimei used the name of the Lord and ascribed the present state of affairs to Jehovah.
v. 9. Then said Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, one of David's generals and heroes, unto the king, Why should this dead dog, this despicable, vile cur, 2Sa_9:8, curse my lord the king? Let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head, making Shimei atone for his reviling with his life.
v. 10. And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? Joab had probably agreed with his brother Abishai on the need of swift and drastic measures against Shimei, and David declared with great emphasis that he could not share their attitude. So let him curse, because the Lord hath said unto him, Curse David. In his humility David was willing to consider it a special dispensation on the part of God, permitting Shimei to cast such aspersions upon him. Who shall, then, say, Wherefore hast thou done so?
v. 11. And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, whose true father he was, seeketh my life; how much more now may this Benjamite do it? It was far less surprising that a member of a hostile family should act in this manner. Let him alone, and let him curse; for the Lord hath bidden him.
v. 12. It may be that the Lord will look on mine affliction, on the guilt of sins which David really had, since he felt that he had deeply offended the Lord, though not in the matter mentioned by Shimei, and that the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day. Note that David's humility is again apparent in this "perhaps"; he will not be sure of the divine blessing even now, but leaves the matter in the hands of God.
v. 13. And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hill's side over against him, separated from the army of David by the valley, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust. It seems, then, that David's quiet behavior only enraged Shimei all the more, causing him to become ever more challenging in his vile conduct.
v. 14. And the king and all the people that were with him came weary, they arrived at Ajephim, a caravansary, or camping-place for travelers, and refreshed themselves there. Like David, all believers are obliged occasionally to endure the mockery, the scorn, the blasphemy of the world. But in such cases they do not revenge themselves, leaving the matter, instead, in the hands of Him who has said: "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay. "