| 2-Samuel-9 [2-Samuel 9:1] AND DAVID SAID, IS THERE YET ANY THAT IS LEFT OF THE HOUSE OF SAUL, THAT I MAY SHEW HIM KINDNESS FOR JONATHAN'S SAKE? David and Jonathan had taken an oath between them that they and their descendants would not desert each other: "AND JONATHAN SAID TO DAVID, GO IN PEACE, FORASMUCH AS WE HAVE SWORN BOTH OF US IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, SAYING, THE LORD BE BETWEEN ME AND THEE, AND BETWEEN MY SEED AND THY SEED FOR EVER" [1-Samuel 20:42]. [2-Samuel 9:2] AND THERE WAS OF THE HOUSE OF SAUL A SERVANT WHOSE NAME WAS ZIBA. AND WHEN THEY HAD CALLED HIM UNTO DAVID, THE KING SAID UNTO HIM, ART THOU ZIBA? AND HE SAID, THY SERVANT IS HE. [2-Samuel 9:3] AND THE KING SAID, IS THERE NOT YET ANY OF THE HOUSE OF SAUL, THAT I MAY SHEW THE KINDNESS OF GOD UNTO HIM? AND ZIBA SAID UNTO THE KING, JONATHAN HATH YET A SON, WHICH IS LAME ON HIS FEET. [2-Samuel 9:4] AND THE KING SAID UNTO HIM, WHERE IS HE? AND ZIBA SAID UNTO THE KING, BEHOLD, HE IS IN THE HOUSE OF MACHIR, THE SON OF AMMIEL, IN LODEBAR. <<LODEBAR>>: Hebrew "L0-DEBAR" which can also mean "His Word" as it is spelt here or "Not Anything" with a slight change of spelling and how it is used in the Book of Amos as a play on words (Amos 6:13). This settlement was east of the Jordan to the north apparently in the region of Manasseh. From this region descended many of the future settlers of the USA and those who were qualitatively perhaps the most important. It is interesting that an early nickname for the USA was "Brother Jonathan". THE HOUSE OF MACHIR east of the Jordan was probably named after Machir the son of Manasseh. A descendant of Machir could be nicknamed "Ha-Machiri". In Post-Roman European Latin this was written as "America" which is where the name "America" comes from as we have explained. http://britam.org/ephraim-or-menasseh.html [2-Samuel 9:5] THEN KING DAVID SENT, AND FETCHED HIM OUT OF THE HOUSE OF MACHIR, THE SON OF AMMIEL, FROM LODEBAR. [2-Samuel 9:6] NOW WHEN MEPHIBOSHETH, THE SON OF JONATHAN, THE SON OF SAUL, WAS COME UNTO DAVID, HE FELL ON HIS FACE, AND DID REVERENCE. AND DAVID SAID, MEPHIBOSHETH. AND HE ANSWERED, BEHOLD THY SERVANT! [2-Samuel 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. Mephiboshet may have feared that David would do him harm as a descendant of Saul who had persecuted David and as a potential alternative for the throne of Israel. [2-Samuel 9:8] AND HE BOWED HIMSELF, AND SAID, WHAT IS THY SERVANT, THAT THOU SHOULDEST LOOK UPON SUCH A DEAD DOG AS I AM? [2-Samuel 9:9] THEN THE KING CALLED TO ZIBA, SAUL'S SERVANT, AND SAID UNTO HIM, I HAVE GIVEN UNTO THY MASTER'S SON ALL THAT PERTAINED TO SAUL AND TO ALL HIS HOUSE. [2-Samuel 9:10] 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 ALWAYS AT MY TABLE. NOW ZIBA HAD FIFTEEN SONS AND TWENTY SERVANTS. [2-Samuel 9:11] THEN SAID ZIBA UNTO THE KING, ACCORDING TO ALL THAT MY LORD THE KING HATH COMMANDED HIS SERVANT, SO SHALL THY SERVANT DO. AS FOR MEPHIBOSHETH, SAID THE KING, HE SHALL EAT AT MY TABLE, AS ONE OF THE KING'S SONS. [2-Samuel 9:12] AND MEPHIBOSHETH HAD A YOUNG SON, WHOSE NAME WAS MICHA. AND ALL THAT DWELT IN THE HOUSE OF ZIBA WERE SERVANTS UNTO MEPHIBOSHETH. Jonathan begat Mephoboshet who begat Micha. There was a continuation for the House of Jonathan son of Saul. See the Family Tree of King Saul from 1-Chronicles 8:34 (repeated from 1-Chronicles 9:40) where Mephiboshet is called MERIBBAAL. It was quite frequent in Biblical times for a person to have more than one name. Usually both names had the same or similar meanings or some other connection between them. [2-Samuel 9:13] SO MEPHIBOSHETH DWELT IN JERUSALEM: FOR HE DID EAT CONTINUALLY AT THE KING'S TABLE; AND WAS LAME ON BOTH HIS FEET. BACK TO SAMUEL INDEX HOME |