2 Samuel 9:7

2Sa 9:7 And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.

Ver. 7. And David said unto him, Fear not.] Mephi-bosheth feared, belike, that he was sent for to be put to death, as being Saul’s nephew. Kings are not without their jealousies; that Mephi-bosheth well knew, and afterwards smarted for. {2Sa 16:4}

For I will surely show thee kindness.] It would be a great stay of mind if some great man should say to us, as David here doth to Mephibosheth, and as afterwards he did to Barzillai the Gileadite. Behold, God, the only potentate, saith more than all this; and shall we not trust him?

And will restore thee all the land.] Which had been confiscated for Ishbosheth’s rebellion, saith Vatablus.

And thou shalt eat bread at my table continually,] i.e., At fit times; like as we are commanded to pray continually. Here take notice how they that humble themselves are exalted. Mephi-bosheth, who made himself a dog, and therefore fit only to lie under the table; yea, a dead dog, and therefore fit only for the ditch; is raised up to the table of a king.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

9:7 David had confiscated all the property that had belonged to . . . Saul.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Or, lands.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 7. Will restore thee all the land] I believe this means the mere family estate of the house of Kish, which David as king might have retained, but which most certainly belonged, according to the Israelitish law, to the descendants of the family.

And thou shalt eat bread at my table] This was kindness, (the giving up the land was justice,) and it was the highest honour that any subject could enjoy, as we may see from the reference made to it by our Lord, Lu 22:30: That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom. For such a person David could do no more. His lameness rendered him unfit for any public employment.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

7. Fear not] Mephibosheth might be afraid that David had only hunted him out to treat him after the common fashion of Oriental usurpers, who often put all their predecessor’s kindred to death. He seems to have lived in concealment at Lo-debar.

the land of Saul thy father] Saul’s private estate at Gibeah, which passed into David’s possession when he came to the throne (ch. 2Sa_12:8). Father = grandfather, as frequently: so in 2Sa_9:9 son = grandson.

thou shalt eat bread at my table] A common mark of honour in Oriental countries. See 1Ki_2:7; 2Ki_25:29. The physician Democedes, who cured Darius, was made “a member of the king’s table” (ὁμοτράπεζος βασιλέϊ, Herod. III. 132): and Histiaeus of Miletus was invited to come up to Susa, and be Darius’ “mess-companion” (σύσσιτος, Herod, v. 24).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And David said unto him, fear not,.... He might observe a dejection in his countenance, a trembling in his limbs, and might discover signs of fear lest David should cut him off, because he was of the seed royal:

for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake; whom he loved as his own soul, and to whom he had sworn that he would not cut off his kindness from his house for ever, and now remembering his oath was determined to observe it:

and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; his grandfather, such sometimes being called fathers; which David had taken to him, as crown lands, or in the right of his wife; or as being confiscated by Ishbosheth's rebellion:

and thou shall eat bread at my table continually; he gave him an apartment in the court, a place at his table, admitted him to be a guest with him as long as he should live; which was a very great favour and high honour, and showed what an unshaken friendship he had for his father, and would maintain with him. This was the kindness of God he meant to show to him.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Father, or grandfather. (Haydock) --- It is thought that all his goods had been confiscated, in consequence of Isboseth’s assuming the regal dignity. (Calmet) --- David might give the property to whom he pleased. (Menochius) --- Always. This was a mark of the greatest distinction, Luke xxii. 30. The Romans sometimes made their slaves free, in this manner, per mensam. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

All the land of Saul is now seized and possessed by David, as due to him, either in right of his wife, to whom the inheritance was devolved, Saul’s sons by his wives being all dead; see Num 27:8; or by Divine donation, as belonging to the crown which God had now given him; or by forfeiture, because of Ish-bosheth’s rebellion against his lord and king.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

7. Restore thee all the land of Saul — The private estate of Saul is doubtless meant, comprising both what fell to him by inheritance from Kish, and what he had himself acquired. “The landed property belonging to Saul had either fallen to David as crown lands, or had been taken possession of by distant relations after the death of Saul.” — Keil.

Eat bread at my table — Be a royal courtier, and receive the treatment and familiarity of a member of the royal family.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

All the land of Saul thy father. David probably restored to Mephibosheth not only the lands at Gibeah, which Ziba had managed to hold, but Saul"s estates generally. There seems, nevertheless, to have been on Ziba"s part a grudge against Mephibosheth for thus getting back from the king what he had hoped to keep as his own. The privilege of being the king"s friend, and eating at his table, was an honour that would be more highly prized than even the possession of the estates.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

for Jonathan your father's sake

"because I loved your father, Jonathan"

you will always eat at my table

Here "my table" represents being together with David or in his presence. Eating with the king at his table was a great honor. AT: "you will always eat with me" (See: Metonymy)

What is your servant, that you should look with favor on such a dead dog as I am?

This rhetorical question shows that Mephibosheth understands that he is not important enough for the king to take care of him. This can be translated as a statement. AT: "I am like a dead dog. I do not deserve for you to be kind to me." (See: Rhetorical Question)

such a dead dog

Here Mephibosheth represents the line of Saul, and he compares himself to a "dead dog." Dogs were feral animals, not cared for, and of little importance. A dead dog would be considered even less important. AT: "such a person like me who is worthless as a dead dog" (See: Metaphor)

translationWords

fear

restore

favor

die

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.