2 Samuel 16:3

And the king said, And where is thy master's son? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem: for he said, To day shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Benson Commentary

2 Samuel 16:3-4. He said, To-day shall the house of Israel restore me, &c. — This was a fiction, but not badly contrived; for the family of David being so divided, and one part enraged against another, it was possible they might destroy one another by mutual wounds; and the people, being tired out by civil wars, might think of restoring the kingdom to the family of Saul their former sovereign, of which family Mephibosheth was the principal branch. Then said the king, Behold, thine are all that pertained to Mephibosheth — A rash sentence, and unrighteous, to condemn a man unheard upon the single testimony of his accuser and servant. But David’s mind was both clouded by his trouble, and biased by Ziba’s great and seasonable kindness. And he thought, probably, Ziba would not dare accuse his master, except on good grounds, of so great a crime as that of being a traitor, which, if false, might be so easily disproved. Ziba said, that I may find grace in thy sight, my lord, O king — Thus he hypocritically pretends to value the king’s favour more than the gift he had bestowed upon him.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

16:1-4 Ziba belied Mephibosheth. Great men ought always to be jealous of flatterers, and to be careful that they hear both sides.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Thy master's son - Meaning Saul's grandson 2 Samuel 9:6. David asks the question, evidently hurt at the apparent ingratitude of Mephibosheth. It is impossible to say whether Mephibosheth was quite guiltless or not. If Psalm 116 was composed by David, and after the quelling of Absalom's rebellion, 2 Samuel 16:11 may contain David's confession of his present hasty judgment 2 Samuel 16:4 in the matter.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

3. To-day shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father—Such a hope might not unnaturally arise at this period of civil distraction, that the family of David would destroy themselves by their mutual broils, and the people reinstate the old dynasty. There was an air of plausibility in Ziba's story. Many, on whom the king had conferred favors, were now deserting him. No wonder, therefore, that in the excitement of momentary feeling, believing, on the report of a slanderer, Mephibosheth to be among the number, he pronounced a rash and unrighteous judgment by which a great injury was inflicted on the character and interests of a devoted friend.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Which though it might seem a very unlikely thing, yet such vain expectations do often get into the minds of men; nor was it impossible, that when David’s family was thus divided, and one part engaged against another, they might destroy themselves by mutual wounds; and the people being tired out with civil wars, might restore the kingdom to the family of Saul their old master, whereof this was the top branch. And this was a time of general defection of many whom the king had greatly obliged, witness Ahithophel. And Mephibosheth’s absence made the calumny more probable.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And the king said, and where is thy master's son?.... The son of Saul, who was Ziba's master, meaning Mephibosheth:

and Ziba said unto the king, behold, he abideth at Jerusalem; as there was reason for it, since he was lame of both his feet, 2 Samuel 9:13, though he could have rode upon an ass, and followed the king, as he proposed to do; but his servant deceived him, and carried off the asses to serve a purpose for himself, see 2 Samuel 19:26,

for he said, today shall the house of Israel restore unto me the kingdom of my father; his father Saul; which was far from his thoughts; and a most wicked suggestion of his servant to blacken his character, and get his estate from him; nor was there the least probability of the kingdom coming to him, but all the reverse; for let it go how it would with David, Absalom, and not Mephibosheth, stood fair for the kingdom.

Geneva Study Bible

And the king said, And where is thy master's son? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem: for he said, To day shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

3. thy master’s son] Mephibosheth is called the son, i.e. grandson, of Ziba’s lord Saul in ch. 2 Samuel 9:9. David was hurt by Mephibosheth’s apparent ingratitude.

for he said, To day, &c.] That Ziba was calumniating Mephibosheth is sufficiently obvious. How could Mephibosheth, an insignificant cripple, who had never claimed the crown, or taken any part in politics, expect to be made king, even in the confusion of parties which might ensue upon Absalom’s rebellion? Ziba’s story was an audacious fiction, invented in the hope of getting a grant of the estate which he was cultivating for Mephibosheth’s benefit, and in spite of its improbability, it passed muster in the haste and confusion of the moment.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 3. - Thy master's son; that is, the son of Jonathan, or even of Saul, as the word "son" is used very indefinitely in Hebrew. Mephibesheth held the property as their representative. Today shall the house, etc. Ziba's slander was absurd. Mephibosheth was likely to meet with no kind treatment from Absalom; but perhaps he was a visionary, and David may have thought that he was holding back for any chance that might turn up. But upon this slander David acts with blamable impetuosity, and, indignant that the son of his old friend should so desert him, he gives Ziba all his lands. The grant would be valid only if David's cause prevailed, and Ziba so far deserves credit in that he attached himself to a ruined man; but his motive was not love to David, but selfish calculation. 2 Samuel 16:3

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

To the further question put by the king, "Where is thy lord (Mephibosheth)? Ziba replied, "Behold, he sits (is staying) in Jerusalem; for he said, To-day will the house of Israel restore the kingship (government) of my father." The "kingship of my father," inasmuch as the throne would have passed to Jonathan if he had outlived Saul. It is obvious enough, apart altogether from 2 Samuel 19:25., the Ziba was calumniating his master Mephibosheth, in the hope of getting possession of the lands that he was farming for him. A cripple like Mephibosheth, lame in both feet, who had never put in any claim to the throne before, could not possibly have got the idea now that the people of Israel, who had just chosen Absalom as king, would give the throne of Saul to such a cripple as he was. It is true that Ziba's calumny was very improbable; nevertheless, in the general confusion of affairs, it was not altogether an inconceivable thing that the oppressed party of Saul might avail themselves of this opportunity to make an attempt to restore the power of that house, which many greatly preferred to that of David, under the name of Mephibosheth.