2 Samuel 9:10

2 Samuel 9:10 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master’s son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master’s son shall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
• New International Version (NIV)You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)
• English Standard Version (ESV)And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master's grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master's grandson shall always eat at my table." Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
• New King James Version (NKJV)You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son shall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.

Context of 2 Samuel 9:10

8Mephibosheth bent his body low. He said, ‘I am your servant, no better than a dead dog. I do not deserve that you should be so kind to me.’ 9Then David sent his men to fetch Saul's servant, Ziba. David said to him, ‘I have given everything that belonged to Saul or his family to your master's grandson, Mephibosheth. You, your sons and your servants must work on the land for him. You must grow crops that will be food for your master's grandson to eat. But Mephibosheth will always be able to eat with me.’ Ziba himself had 15 sons and 20 servants. 11Ziba said to the king, ‘I am your servant. I will do everything that my lord the king has told me to do.’ So after that, Mephibosheth ate meals at the king's table. He was like one of the king's own sons. 12Mephibosheth had a young son called Mica. Ziba and all his family and servants became servants to Mephibosheth.

2 Samuel 9:10 word by word

וְעָבַ֣דְתָּ לּ֣וֹ אֶֽת־הָאֲדָמָ֡ה אַתָּה֩ וּבָנֶ֨יךָ וַעֲבָדֶ֜יךָ וְהֵבֵ֗אתָ וְהָיָ֨ה לְבֶן־אֲדֹנֶ֤יךָ לֶּ֙חֶם֙ וַאֲכָל֔וֹ וּמְפִיבֹ֙שֶׁת֙ בֶּן־אֲדֹנֶ֔יךָ יֹאכַ֥ל תָּמִ֛יד לֶ֖חֶם עַל־שֻׁלְחָנִ֑י וּלְצִיבָ֗א חֲמִשָּׁ֥ה עָשָׂ֛ר בָּנִ֖ים וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים עֲבָדִֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Thou therefore, and thy sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• and thy servantsעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
• shall tillעָבַד‛âbad · to serve: labourH5647
• the landאֲדָמָה'ădâmâh · land: soilH127
• for him, and thou shalt bringבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): bringH935
• that thy master’sאָדוֹן'âdôn 'âdôn · lordH113
• sonבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• may have foodלֶ֫חֶםlechem · food: breadH3899
• to eatאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
• but Mephiboshethמְפִיבֹשֶׁתmephîybôsheth mephibôsheth · MephiboshethH4648
• breadלֶ֫חֶםlechem · foodH3899
• alwayתָּמִידtâmîyd · continuallyH8548
• at my tableשֻׁלְחָןshûlchân · tableH7979
• Now Zibaצִיבָאtsîybâ' · ZibaH6717
• had fifteenעָשָׂר‛âώâr · tenH6240
• had fifteenחָמֵשׁchâmêsh chămishshâh · fiveH2568
• and twentyעֶשְׂרִים‛eώrîym · twentyH6242

Cross-references for 2 Samuel 9:10

• 1 Kings 2:7Be kind to the sons of Barzillai, who lived in Gilead. Let them eat meals at your table. Help them, because they helped me when I was running away from your brother Absalom.
• 2 Samuel 9:7David said to him, ‘Do not be afraid. I will be kind to you because your father Jonathan was my friend. I will give back to you all the land which belonged to your grandfather, Saul. You will always be able to eat here with me.’
• 2 Samuel 19:28I know that you, my lord the king, would have been right to kill all my grandfather's family. We all deserved that punishment. But instead, you asked me to eat meals at your table. So it would not be right for me to ask you to do anything more for me.’
• 2 Kings 25:29Jehoiachin no longer had to wear the clothes of a prisoner. Every day until he died, he ate a meal at the king's table in Babylon.
• Luke 14:15The people who were sitting at the meal heard what Jesus said. One of them said to Jesus, ‘One day, there will be a big meal in the kingdom of God. How happy are those people who will eat together at that big meal.’

Commentaries on 2 Samuel 9:10

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 10Thou therefore, and thy sons - shall till the land - It seems that Ziba and his family had the care of the whole estate, and cultivated it at their own expense, yielding the half of the produce to the family of Mephibosheth. Ziba was properly the hind, whose duty and interest it was to take proper care of the ground, for the better it was cultivated the more it produced; and his half would consequently be the greater.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 10Fifteen sons … - See 2 Samuel 19:17, marginal reference.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-13Verses 9-13 As David was a type of Christ, his Lord and Son, his Root and Offspring, let his kindness to Mephibosheth remind us of the kindness and love of God our Saviour to fallen man, to whom he was under no obligation, as David was to Jonathan. The Son of God seeks this lost and ruined race, who sought not after him. He comes to seek and to save them!Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-13David showed mercy to Mephibosheth, the disabled son of Jonathan. This account appears between reports of David’s military victories (2 Samuel 8:1–18, 10). Its placement shows that David not only achieved success in war but also cared for individuals and acted with compassion.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1010. Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants--The mention of his sons and the slaves in his house was to show that Mephibosheth would be honored with an equipage "as one of the king's sons."Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Samuel 9:10

• Feasts
• Friendship
• Hospitality
• Kindness
• Mephibosheth
• Servant

In the dictionaries

• Continually
• Mephibosheth
• Reverence
• Alliance
• Bible, the
• David
• Israel, History of
• Master
• Relationships, Family
• Samuel, Books of

Commentaries on 2 Samuel 9

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings