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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - 2 Samuel 19:24 - 19:43
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David's Treatment of Mephibosheth and Barzillai
v. 24. And Mephibosheth, the son of Saul (in the wider sense, since lie was his grandson) came down to meet the king, and had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, all evidences of deepest mourning, signs of his sincere, faithful attachment to the house of David, from the day the king departed until the day he came again in peace.
v. 25. And it came to pass, when he was come to Jerusalem to meet the king, when the inhabitants of Jerusalem went down in a body to welcome David, Mephibosheth being in the procession also, that the king said unto him, Wherefore wentest thou not with me, Mephibosheth? This question was prompted by Ziba's slander, 2Sa_16:3.
v. 26. And he answered, My lord. O king, my servant (Ziba) deceived me, he had injured him by lies, betrayed his confidence; for thy servant (Mephibosheth) said, I will saddle me an ass, Ziba being ordered to do this, that I may ride thereon, and go to the king; because thy servant is lame, he could not have joined the procession afoot.
v. 27. And he (Ziba) hath slandered thy servant unto my lord the king, as Mephibosheth had meanwhile found out; but my lord the king is as an angel of God, to know and to do what justice required in this case; do, therefore, what is good in thine eyes.
v. 28. For all my father's house were but dead men before my lord the king, who might, according to Oriental custom, have put them all to death upon his accession to the throne; yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did eat at thine own table, 2Sa_9:7 to 2Sa_10:13. What right, therefore, have I yet to cry any more unto the king? Being without rights, he willingly subjected himself to any order which the king might give.
v. 29. And the king said unto him, evidently unwilling to acknowledge that he had done wrong in accepting the slander of Ziba, Why speakest thou any more of thy matters? I have said, Thou and Ziba divide the land. This was not quite in conformity with the truth, since David had restored the entire inheritance of Saul to Mephibosheth and merely made Ziba the farmer or steward of the estate, 2Sa_9:6-11.
v. 30. And Mephibosheth, without a word of protest against this manifest injustice, said unto the king, Yea, let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house. This fact was worth more to his loyal soul than the possession of the estate at Gibeah. Mark: Sin, also in the case of David, weakens the will, the evil consequences being seen in false decisions.
v. 31. And Barzillai the Gileadite, one of those men who had sent provisions for David and his army to Mahanaim, 2Sa_17:27, came down from Rogelim, and went over Jordan with the king to conduct him over Jordan, intending only to accompany David to the other side of the river, and then to return.
v. 32. Now, Barzillai was a very aged man, even fourscore years old; and he had provided the king of sustenance while he lay at Mahanaim, before the army of the rebels had been dispersed; for he was a very great man, rich and influential
v. 33. And the king said unto Barzillai, Come thou over with me, and I will feed thee with me in Jerusalem, in return for the kindness shown him in Mahanaim.
v. 34. And Barzillai said unto the king, How long have I to live that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem? His expectation of life was so short that he did not want to plunge into the dissipations of court life.
v. 35. I am this day fourscore years old; and can I discern between good and evil? His intellect was becoming so dull that he would have made a poor counselor. Can thy servant taste what I eat or what I drink? Can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women? His senses becoming feeble, he could no longer enjoy the pleasures of court life. Wherefore, then, should thy servant be yet a burden unto my lord the king?
v. 36. Thy servant will go a little way over Jordan with the king, only to escort him across the river; and why should the king recompense it me with such a reward? He had not shown his kindness with the expectation of any return.
v. 37. Let thy servant, I pray thee, turn back again that I may die in mine own city and be buried by the grave of my father and of my mother. Since the king might have commanded him to go along to Jerusalem, Barzillai, in all simplicity and cheerfulness, requests permission to return home, since life at court held no allurement for him. But behold thy servant Chimham, his son, who had accompanied his aged father to the meeting with the king; let him go over with my lord the king, and do to him what shall seem good unto thee. He was still young enough to enter into the service of the king.
v. 38. And the king answered, Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do to him that which shall seem good unto thee, deferring to the aged father's wishes; and whatsoever thou shalt require of me, that will I do for thee, for he still considered himself under obligations to Barzillai.
v. 39. And all the people went over Jordan, the passage was finally effected. And when the king was come over, the king kissed Barzillai, and blessed him, taking leave of him in an affectionate and respectful manner; and he returned unto his own place.
v. 40. Then the king went on to Gilgal, the ancient encampment near the site of Jericho, and Chimham went on with him; and all the people of Judah conducted the king, and also half the people of Israel, as many as had been able to assemble at this time.
v. 41. And, behold, all the men of Israel, representatives of all the other tribes, came to the king, and said unto the king, Why have our brethren the men of Judah stolen thee away, in arranging this reception, and have brought the king and his household and all David's men with him over Jordan?
v. 42. And all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, Because the king is near of kin to us, being a member of their tribe; wherefore, then, be ye angry for this matter? Have we eaten at all of the king's cost? They had enjoyed no special privileges from him, had not been fed by the royal bounty. Or hath he given us any gift? It was a case where jealousy once more led to unpleasant rivalry and finally to hostility
v. 43. And the men of Israel, reacting to the sharp words of Judah in kind, answered the men of Judah and said, We have ten parts in the king, since theirs were ten tribes to the two of Judah and Benjamin, and we have also more right in David than ye, by virtue of their greater number; why, then, did ye despise us, by slighting them, by not inviting them, that our advice should not be first had in bringing back our king? Their word had been first, the suggestion to bring back the king had come from members of Israel. And the words of the men of Judah, in this unpleasant quarrel over precedence, in this jealous ill feeling, were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel. The entire scene led to a new, evil purpose on the part of Israel; it paved the way for Sheba's rebellion. The entire matter, in the Lands of God, was a means to keep David humble. For such is His way of dealing with His believers.