2 Samuel 16 Study Notes: Ziba’s Report and Shimei’s Curses
As David flees, Ziba brings supplies and accuses Mephibosheth of seeking Saul’s throne, so David gives Ziba the estate. Shimei of Saul’s family curses David, who stops Abishai from killing him, saying the LORD sent the curse. Hushai joins Absalom, who follows Ahithophel’s counsel about David’s concubines.
General
True or False: When Shimei cursed David, Abishai asked permission to go and kill him, and David refused.
Answer: True
This is true. Abishai, Joab’s brother, called Shimei a dead dog and asked to cross over and take off his head (16:9). David refused, rebuking him as one of Zeruiah’s sons, a family David had once said was too fierce for him (16:10-11; 3:39). This was not new for Abishai: years earlier he had asked to kill the sleeping Saul, and David had stopped him then too (1 Samuel 26:8-9). David leaves Shimei in the LORD’s hands instead of taking revenge, as Scripture tells God’s people to do (Romans 12:19).
- 2 Samuel 16:9 (BSB)“Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head!””Abishai asks to kill Shimei.
- 1 Samuel 26:8-9 (BSB)“Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hand. Now, therefore, please let me thrust the spear through him into the ground with one stroke. I will not need to strike him twice!” But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can extend a hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?””Abishai had once asked to kill Saul, and David refused him.
- Romans 12:19 (BSB)“Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.””Paul tells believers to leave vengeance to God.
- 2 Samuel 3:39 (BSB)“And I am weak this day, though anointed as king, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too fierce for me. May the LORD repay the evildoer according to his evil!””David had earlier complained that the sons of Zeruiah were too fierce for him.
Theological
True or False: Abishai, Joab’s brother, offered to kill the cursing Shimei, but David would not allow it.
Answer: True
This is true. Abishai wanted to silence Shimei by killing him on the spot (16:9), and David refused with a rebuke to Zeruiah’s sons (16:10-11), whose harshness he had lamented before (3:39). The scene echoes Abishai’s earlier offer to kill Saul in the camp, which David also forbade (1 Samuel 26:8-9). David’s restraint commits his cause to God rather than to private vengeance (Romans 12:19).
- 2 Samuel 16:9 (BSB)“Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head!””Abishai asks to kill Shimei.
- 1 Samuel 26:8-9 (BSB)“Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hand. Now, therefore, please let me thrust the spear through him into the ground with one stroke. I will not need to strike him twice!” But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can extend a hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?””Abishai had once asked to kill Saul, and David refused him.
- Romans 12:19 (BSB)“Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.””Paul tells believers to leave vengeance to God.
- 2 Samuel 3:39 (BSB)“And I am weak this day, though anointed as king, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too fierce for me. May the LORD repay the evildoer according to his evil!””David had earlier complained that the sons of Zeruiah were too fierce for him.
General
When Absalom took David’s concubines publicly on Ahithophel’s advice, which earlier word from the LORD did it fulfill (2 Samuel 16:21-22)?
Answer: Nathan’s word that another man would take David’s wives openly
Ahithophel advised Absalom to sleep with the concubines David had left behind (15:16), so that all Israel would see the break with his father as final and Absalom’s followers would take courage (16:21). Absalom did so in a tent on the palace roof, in view of all Israel (16:22). This fulfilled what the LORD had said through the prophet Nathan after David’s sin with Bathsheba: the LORD would raise up trouble against David from his own household and give his wives to another man openly, with the whole nation watching, because David had sinned in secret (12:11-12).
- 2 Samuel 16:21 (BSB)“Ahithophel replied, “Sleep with your father’s concubines, whom he has left to take care of the palace. When all Israel hears that you have become a stench to your father, then the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.””Ahithophel gives Absalom his advice about David’s concubines.
- 2 Samuel 12:11-12 (BSB)“This is what the LORD says: ‘I will raise up adversity against you from your own house. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to another, and he will lie with them in broad daylight. You have acted in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’””Nathan foretold that David’s wives would be taken openly before all Israel.
- 2 Samuel 15:16 (BSB)“Then the king set out, and his entire household followed him. But he left behind ten concubines to take care of the palace.”David had left ten concubines behind to keep the palace.
Theological
Absalom’s public act with David’s concubines (2 Samuel 16:21-22) fulfilled which earlier word of judgment?
Answer: Nathan’s word that another man would take David’s wives openly
Ahithophel’s counsel was calculated to make the breach between Absalom and David irreparable and so strengthen Absalom’s party (16:21). The public act on the palace roof (16:22) fulfilled precisely the judgment Nathan announced after David’s sin: what David had done in secret, the LORD would repay openly through one of his own house (12:11-12). The LORD’s word of discipline came to pass through Absalom’s sinful choice, without excusing it.
- 2 Samuel 16:21 (BSB)“Ahithophel replied, “Sleep with your father’s concubines, whom he has left to take care of the palace. When all Israel hears that you have become a stench to your father, then the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.””Ahithophel gives Absalom his advice about David’s concubines.
- 2 Samuel 12:11-12 (BSB)“This is what the LORD says: ‘I will raise up adversity against you from your own house. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to another, and he will lie with them in broad daylight. You have acted in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’””Nathan foretold that David’s wives would be taken openly before all Israel.
- 2 Samuel 15:16 (BSB)“Then the king set out, and his entire household followed him. But he left behind ten concubines to take care of the palace.”David had left ten concubines behind to keep the palace.
General
True or False: The narrator says Ahithophel’s advice was so highly regarded by David and Absalom alike that it was treated like asking God Himself.
Answer: True
This is true. The narrator explains that in those days Ahithophel’s advice was regarded like consulting God, and that David and Absalom alike held it in that esteem (16:23). Ahithophel had been David’s own counselor before joining Absalom’s conspiracy (15:12). That is why David prayed so urgently about him (15:31). The next chapter shows that even the best human counsel cannot succeed against the LORD’s purpose (17:14).
- 2 Samuel 16:23 (BSB)“Now in those days the advice of Ahithophel was like the consultation of the word of God. Such was the regard that both David and Absalom had for Ahithophel’s advice.”The narrator describes how highly Ahithophel’s advice was regarded.
- 2 Samuel 15:12 (BSB)“While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, to come from his hometown of Giloh. So the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept increasing.”Ahithophel had been David’s counselor before joining Absalom.
- 2 Samuel 15:31 (BSB)“Now someone told David: “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David pleaded, “O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!””David prayed against Ahithophel’s counsel.
- 2 Samuel 17:14 (BSB)“Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than that of Ahithophel.” For the LORD had purposed to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.”The LORD purposed to thwart Ahithophel’s good counsel.
Theological
True or False: According to 2 Samuel 16:23, David and Absalom alike regarded Ahithophel’s counsel as though it were an inquiry of God.
Answer: True
This is true. Ahithophel’s counsel carried an almost oracular weight with David and Absalom alike (16:23). He had been David’s counselor before defecting (15:12), which explains David’s prayer that his counsel be made foolish (15:31). The esteem in which his advice was held sets up the decisive point of chapter 17: God had determined to defeat even this good counsel (17:14).
- 2 Samuel 16:23 (BSB)“Now in those days the advice of Ahithophel was like the consultation of the word of God. Such was the regard that both David and Absalom had for Ahithophel’s advice.”The narrator describes how highly Ahithophel’s advice was regarded.
- 2 Samuel 15:12 (BSB)“While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, to come from his hometown of Giloh. So the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept increasing.”Ahithophel had been David’s counselor before joining Absalom.
- 2 Samuel 15:31 (BSB)“Now someone told David: “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David pleaded, “O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!””David prayed against Ahithophel’s counsel.
- 2 Samuel 17:14 (BSB)“Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than that of Ahithophel.” For the LORD had purposed to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.”The LORD purposed to thwart Ahithophel’s good counsel.
General
How did David respond to Ziba’s report about Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 16:4)?
Answer: He gave Ziba everything that belonged to Mephibosheth
On hearing Ziba’s account, David at once declared that all of Mephibosheth’s property now belonged to Ziba (16:4), and Ziba bowed and asked for the king’s favor. Earlier David had given that land to Mephibosheth for Jonathan’s sake (9:7). David decided on the spot, hearing only one side, during the confusion of his flight. When he returned, he heard Mephibosheth’s side and changed the ruling to a division of the land (19:29).
- 2 Samuel 16:4 (BSB)“So the king said to Ziba, “All that belongs to Mephibosheth is now yours!” “I humbly bow before you,” said Ziba. “May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king!””David rules on Ziba’s report and Ziba thanks him.
- 2 Samuel 9:7 (BSB)““Do not be afraid,” said David, “for surely I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.””David had promised Mephibosheth all of Saul’s land for Jonathan’s sake.
- 2 Samuel 19:29 (BSB)“The king replied, “Why say any more? I hereby declare that you and Ziba are to divide the land.””After hearing Mephibosheth, David orders the land divided between the two men.
Theological
What ruling did David make on hearing Ziba’s charge against Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 16:4)?
Answer: He gave Ziba everything that belonged to Mephibosheth
David transferred Mephibosheth’s entire estate to Ziba on the strength of Ziba’s word alone (16:4), reversing the grant he had made for Jonathan’s sake (9:7). The ruling was made in haste, in the middle of flight, without hearing the accused. On his return David heard Mephibosheth and revised it to a division of the land (19:29), though the text never declares which man had told the truth.
- 2 Samuel 16:4 (BSB)“So the king said to Ziba, “All that belongs to Mephibosheth is now yours!” “I humbly bow before you,” said Ziba. “May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king!””David rules on Ziba’s report and Ziba thanks him.
- 2 Samuel 9:7 (BSB)““Do not be afraid,” said David, “for surely I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.””David had promised Mephibosheth all of Saul’s land for Jonathan’s sake.
- 2 Samuel 19:29 (BSB)“The king replied, “Why say any more? I hereby declare that you and Ziba are to divide the land.””After hearing Mephibosheth, David orders the land divided between the two men.
General
What hope did David express while Shimei was cursing him (2 Samuel 16:12)?
Answer: That the LORD would notice his misery and return good to him
David said that perhaps the LORD would look on his affliction and answer the cursing he was enduring with good (16:12). Instead of striking back, he trusted God to see and to act. Psalm 3, written when David fled from Absalom, shows the same trust: many said God would not rescue him, but David called the LORD his shield (Psalm 3:1-3). Peter describes Jesus in a similar way: when abused He did not strike back and left His cause with God, the just Judge (1 Peter 2:23).
- 2 Samuel 16:12 (BSB)“Perhaps the LORD will see my affliction and repay me with good for the cursing I receive today.””David hopes the LORD will see his distress and repay him with good.
- Psalm 3:1-3 (BSB)“A Psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom. O LORD, how my foes have increased! How many rise up against me! Many say of me, “God will not deliver him.” Selah But You, O LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head.”David’s psalm from his flight from Absalom trusts the LORD as his shield.
- 1 Peter 2:23 (BSB)“When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.”Christ entrusted Himself to God rather than retaliating when abused.
- Proverbs 20:22 (BSB)“Do not say, “I will avenge this evil!” Wait on the LORD, and He will save you.”Proverbs tells God’s people to wait on the LORD rather than avenge themselves.
Theological
What did David hope the LORD might do in response to Shimei’s cursing (2 Samuel 16:12)?
Answer: That the LORD would notice his misery and return good to him
David’s response to Shimei is hope in God’s mercy, not retaliation: perhaps the LORD would see his affliction and repay good for the curses (16:12). Psalm 3, tied by its heading to the flight from Absalom, voices the same confidence in the LORD as shield against those who said God would not deliver him (Psalm 3:1-3). Peter commends this pattern supremely in Christ, who under abuse entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23).
- 2 Samuel 16:12 (BSB)“Perhaps the LORD will see my affliction and repay me with good for the cursing I receive today.””David hopes the LORD will see his distress and repay him with good.
- Psalm 3:1-3 (BSB)“A Psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom. O LORD, how my foes have increased! How many rise up against me! Many say of me, “God will not deliver him.” Selah But You, O LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head.”David’s psalm from his flight from Absalom trusts the LORD as his shield.
- 1 Peter 2:23 (BSB)“When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.”Christ entrusted Himself to God rather than retaliating when abused.
- Proverbs 20:22 (BSB)“Do not say, “I will avenge this evil!” Wait on the LORD, and He will save you.”Proverbs tells God’s people to wait on the LORD rather than avenge themselves.
General
Why was Hushai, David’s friend, offering his service to Absalom in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 16:16-19)?
Answer: David had sent him back to defeat Ahithophel’s advice
Absalom questioned Hushai’s loyalty and asked why he had not gone with his friend David (16:17). Hushai answered that he would belong to the man whom the LORD and the people had chosen, and would serve Absalom as he had served his father (16:18-19). His words sounded like a switch of loyalty, but David had sent him back for this very purpose: to pretend to serve Absalom so he could frustrate the plans of Ahithophel, Absalom’s counselor (15:32-34). David had also prayed that the LORD would turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness (15:31).
- 2 Samuel 16:18-19 (BSB)““Not at all,” Hushai answered. “For the one chosen by the LORD, by this people, and by all the men of Israel—his I will be, and with him I will remain. Furthermore, whom should I serve if not his son? As I served in your father’s presence, so also I will serve in yours.””Hushai answers Absalom’s challenge to his loyalty.
- 2 Samuel 15:32-34 (BSB)“When David came to the summit, where he used to worship God, Hushai the Archite was there to meet him with his robe torn and dust on his head. David said to him, “If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me. But you can thwart the counsel of Ahithophel for me if you return to the city and say to Absalom: ‘I will be your servant, my king; in the past I was your father’s servant, but now I will be your servant.’”David sends Hushai back to the city to thwart Ahithophel’s counsel.
- 2 Samuel 15:31 (BSB)“Now someone told David: “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David pleaded, “O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!””David prays that the LORD will turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.
Theological
What lay behind Hushai’s pledge of service to Absalom (2 Samuel 16:16-19)?
Answer: David had sent him back to defeat Ahithophel’s advice
Hushai’s profession to Absalom (16:16-19) was carefully worded, pledging himself to whomever the LORD, the people and Israel had chosen, and offering to serve the son as he had served the father. He had returned on David’s instructions to pose as Absalom’s servant and so defeat Ahithophel’s plans (15:32-34). His mission was the means by which God would answer David’s prayer that Ahithophel’s counsel be turned to foolishness (15:31).
- 2 Samuel 16:18-19 (BSB)““Not at all,” Hushai answered. “For the one chosen by the LORD, by this people, and by all the men of Israel—his I will be, and with him I will remain. Furthermore, whom should I serve if not his son? As I served in your father’s presence, so also I will serve in yours.””Hushai answers Absalom’s challenge to his loyalty.
- 2 Samuel 15:32-34 (BSB)“When David came to the summit, where he used to worship God, Hushai the Archite was there to meet him with his robe torn and dust on his head. David said to him, “If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me. But you can thwart the counsel of Ahithophel for me if you return to the city and say to Absalom: ‘I will be your servant, my king; in the past I was your father’s servant, but now I will be your servant.’”David sends Hushai back to the city to thwart Ahithophel’s counsel.
- 2 Samuel 15:31 (BSB)“Now someone told David: “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David pleaded, “O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!””David prays that the LORD will turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.
General
What did Shimei say the LORD was doing to David as he cursed him (2 Samuel 16:7-8)?
Answer: Paying him back for the blood of Saul’s family
Shimei, Gera’s son, belonged to Saul’s family. As David passed Bahurim, he threw stones and shouted curses, calling David a bloodstained, worthless man and saying the LORD was repaying him for the blood of Saul’s house and had handed the kingdom to Absalom (16:5-8). The earlier chapters tell a different story: David had refused to harm Saul, the LORD’s anointed (1 Samuel 26:9), all Israel knew he had not plotted Abner’s murder (3:37), and he punished the men who killed Saul’s son Ish-bosheth (4:11-12). David was indeed under the LORD’s discipline, but Nathan had tied it to his sin against Uriah (12:10).
- 2 Samuel 16:7-8 (BSB)“And as he yelled curses, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you worthless man of bloodshed! The LORD has paid you back for all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, you have come to ruin because you are a man of bloodshed!””Shimei curses David and interprets his flight as the LORD’s payback.
- 1 Samuel 26:9 (BSB)“But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can extend a hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?””David had refused to let Abishai harm Saul, the LORD’s anointed.
- 2 Samuel 3:37 (BSB)“So on that day all the troops and all Israel were convinced that the king had no part in the murder of Abner son of Ner.”Israel was convinced David had no part in Abner’s murder.
- 2 Samuel 4:11-12 (BSB)“How much more, when wicked men kill a righteous man in his own house and on his own bed, shall I not now require his blood from your hands and remove you from the earth!” So David commanded his young men, and they killed Rechab and Baanah. They cut off their hands and feet and hung their bodies by the pool in Hebron, but they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb in Hebron.”David punished the men who murdered Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son.
Theological
On what grounds did Shimei claim the LORD was judging David (2 Samuel 16:7-8)?
Answer: Paying him back for the blood of Saul’s family
Shimei, a man of Saul’s house, interpreted David’s flight as the LORD’s retribution for the blood of Saul’s family and the usurping of Saul’s throne (16:7-8). The narrative so far tells a different story: David would not raise a hand to harm Saul (1 Samuel 26:9), Israel was persuaded he had no share in Abner’s death (3:37), and he executed Ish-bosheth’s murderers (4:11-12). David was indeed under the LORD’s discipline, but Nathan had tied it to his sin against Uriah (12:10).
- 2 Samuel 16:7-8 (BSB)“And as he yelled curses, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you worthless man of bloodshed! The LORD has paid you back for all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, you have come to ruin because you are a man of bloodshed!””Shimei curses David and interprets his flight as the LORD’s payback.
- 1 Samuel 26:9 (BSB)“But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can extend a hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?””David had refused to let Abishai harm Saul, the LORD’s anointed.
- 2 Samuel 3:37 (BSB)“So on that day all the troops and all Israel were convinced that the king had no part in the murder of Abner son of Ner.”Israel was convinced David had no part in Abner’s murder.
- 2 Samuel 4:11-12 (BSB)“How much more, when wicked men kill a righteous man in his own house and on his own bed, shall I not now require his blood from your hands and remove you from the earth!” So David commanded his young men, and they killed Rechab and Baanah. They cut off their hands and feet and hung their bodies by the pool in Hebron, but they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb in Hebron.”David punished the men who murdered Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son.
General
Why did David say he would let Shimei go on cursing him (2 Samuel 16:10-11)?
Answer: The LORD had told Shimei to curse him
David said that if Shimei was cursing because the LORD had told him to, no one could challenge him, and he added that his own son was trying to kill him, so how much more might this Benjamite curse (16:10-11). David saw God’s hand ruling even over this hostile man. The Bible teaches that nothing comes about apart from the Lord’s decree (Lamentations 3:37-38), and He can use what people mean for evil to bring about good (Genesis 50:20). Yet God is never the author of sin, and He tempts no one to do evil (James 1:13). Shimei was still responsible for his own malice; later David himself said Shimei had bitterly cursed him and should not be held guiltless (1 Kings 2:8-9). God’s control over events and a person’s real guilt both stand together here.
- 2 Samuel 16:10-11 (BSB)“But the king replied, “What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah? If he curses me because the LORD told him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why did you do this?’” Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my own son, my own flesh and blood, seeks my life. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone and let him curse me, for the LORD has told him so.”David refuses to stop Shimei because the LORD has told him to curse.
- Lamentations 3:37-38 (BSB)“Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it? Do not both adversity and good come from the mouth of the Most High?”Nothing comes to pass unless the Lord has ordained it.
- Genesis 50:20 (BSB)“As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this—to preserve the lives of many people.”What people intend for evil, God intends for good.
- James 1:13 (BSB)“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.”God tempts no one to evil, so He is not the author of Shimei’s sin.
- 1 Kings 2:8-9 (BSB)“Keep an eye on Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim who is with you. He called down bitter curses against me on the day I went to Mahanaim, but when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD: ‘I will never put you to the sword.’ Now therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You know what you ought to do to him to bring his gray head down to Sheol in blood.””David later holds Shimei responsible for his bitter curses.
Theological
What reason did David give for refusing to stop Shimei’s cursing (2 Samuel 16:10-11)?
Answer: The LORD had told Shimei to curse him
David interpreted Shimei’s cursing as something the LORD had told him to do (16:10-11), confessing God’s sovereign rule even over hostile words spoken against His anointed. Scripture affirms that trouble as well as good comes at the command of God Most High (Lamentations 3:37-38), and that men’s evil intentions are governed by God’s good purposes (Genesis 50:20). This sovereignty does not make God the author of evil, for He tempts no one (James 1:13), nor does it erase Shimei’s guilt; David later charged Solomon not to hold him guiltless (1 Kings 2:8-9). Divine ordination and human accountability stand side by side.
- 2 Samuel 16:10-11 (BSB)“But the king replied, “What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah? If he curses me because the LORD told him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why did you do this?’” Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my own son, my own flesh and blood, seeks my life. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone and let him curse me, for the LORD has told him so.”David refuses to stop Shimei because the LORD has told him to curse.
- Lamentations 3:37-38 (BSB)“Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it? Do not both adversity and good come from the mouth of the Most High?”Nothing comes to pass unless the Lord has ordained it.
- Genesis 50:20 (BSB)“As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this—to preserve the lives of many people.”What people intend for evil, God intends for good.
- James 1:13 (BSB)“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.”God tempts no one to evil, so He is not the author of Shimei’s sin.
- 1 Kings 2:8-9 (BSB)“Keep an eye on Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim who is with you. He called down bitter curses against me on the day I went to Mahanaim, but when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD: ‘I will never put you to the sword.’ Now therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You know what you ought to do to him to bring his gray head down to Sheol in blood.””David later holds Shimei responsible for his bitter curses.
General
When Ziba met David with donkeys and food, what did he say Mephibosheth was doing (2 Samuel 16:3)?
Answer: Remaining in Jerusalem, hoping Israel would hand him Saul’s throne
Ziba, the servant who managed Mephibosheth’s land, met the fleeing king with saddled donkeys, bread, fruit and wine for David’s people (16:1-2). When David asked where Mephibosheth was, Ziba said he had stayed in Jerusalem, expecting Israel to give him back the kingdom of his grandfather Saul (16:3). Mephibosheth was Jonathan’s son, whom David had honored at his own table, and Ziba had been assigned to farm his land (9:9-10). Later Mephibosheth would tell a very different story (19:26-27). The chapter reports Ziba’s words without saying whether they were true, and Proverbs warns that the first person to state a case can sound right until someone else is heard.
- 2 Samuel 16:3 (BSB)““Where is your master’s grandson?” asked the king. And Ziba answered, “Indeed, he is staying in Jerusalem, for he has said, ‘Today, the house of Israel will restore to me the kingdom of my grandfather.’””Ziba answers David’s question about Mephibosheth.
- 2 Samuel 9:9-10 (BSB)“Then the king summoned Saul’s servant Ziba and said to him, “I have given to your master’s grandson all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. You and your sons and servants are to work the ground for him and bring in the harvest, so that your master’s grandson may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, is always to eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.”David had made Ziba and his household the workers of Mephibosheth’s land.
- 2 Samuel 19:26-27 (BSB)““My lord the king,” he replied, “because I am lame, I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled so that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ But my servant Ziba deceived me, and he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. Yet my lord the king is like the angel of God, so do what is good in your eyes.”Mephibosheth later says Ziba deceived and slandered him.
- Proverbs 18:17 (BSB)“The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.”Proverbs warns that one side of a case can seem right until it is examined.
Theological
What account of Mephibosheth did Ziba give David as the king fled Jerusalem (2 Samuel 16:3)?
Answer: Remaining in Jerusalem, hoping Israel would hand him Saul’s throne
Ziba’s gifts (16:1-2) came with an accusation: Mephibosheth had stayed behind in Jerusalem expecting Israel to give Saul’s kingdom back to him (16:3). Ziba was the steward David had appointed to work Mephibosheth’s estate (9:9-10), and Mephibosheth will later charge him with deception and slander (19:26-27). The narrator never settles which man spoke truly, and the reader is left with the caution of Proverbs 18:17 about judging on one side of a case.
- 2 Samuel 16:3 (BSB)““Where is your master’s grandson?” asked the king. And Ziba answered, “Indeed, he is staying in Jerusalem, for he has said, ‘Today, the house of Israel will restore to me the kingdom of my grandfather.’””Ziba answers David’s question about Mephibosheth.
- 2 Samuel 9:9-10 (BSB)“Then the king summoned Saul’s servant Ziba and said to him, “I have given to your master’s grandson all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. You and your sons and servants are to work the ground for him and bring in the harvest, so that your master’s grandson may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, is always to eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.”David had made Ziba and his household the workers of Mephibosheth’s land.
- 2 Samuel 19:26-27 (BSB)““My lord the king,” he replied, “because I am lame, I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled so that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ But my servant Ziba deceived me, and he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. Yet my lord the king is like the angel of God, so do what is good in your eyes.”Mephibosheth later says Ziba deceived and slandered him.
- Proverbs 18:17 (BSB)“The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.”Proverbs warns that one side of a case can seem right until it is examined.