2 Samuel 19:24

And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king, and had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came again in peace.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(24) Came down to meet.—The obvious meaning of this is that Mephibosheth came down from the high land of Jerusalem to meet the king in the Jordan valley, and in this case the following verse should be translated, “And it came to pass when Jerusalem” (meaning its inhabitants, with Mephibosheth among them) “was come to meet the king.” Some writers, however, prefer to keep 2Samuel 19:25 as it is, and to suppose that during the rebellion Mephibosheth had taken refuge on his ancestral estate near the heights of Gibeah, and that he came thence to Jerusalem to meet David. In either case the signs of deep mourning used by Mephibosheth “from the day the king departed” were an evidence of his loyalty. The word for beard is used only for the moustache.

Benson Commentary

2 Samuel 19:24. Mephibosheth the son of Saul — That is, the grandson, 2 Samuel 4:4. Had neither dressed his feet — Neither washed them, which in those hot climates was usual and very refreshing; nor cut the nails of his toes, but let them grow, as he did his beard, which he had not trimmed nor taken any care of, but suffered to become very long and disorderly. Nor washed his clothes — His linen clothes. He had wholly neglected himself, as persons were wont to do in a time of public sorrow. From the day the king departed — This long-continued mourning argued him to be really afflicted for the king’s exile, and was evidence sufficient of the falsehood of Ziba’s relation concerning him, 2 Samuel 16:3.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

19:24-30 David recalls the forfeiture of Mephibosheth's estate; and he expressed joy for the king's return. A good man contentedly bears his own losses, while he sees Israel in peace, and the Son of David exalted.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Beard - The "moustache," the beard of the upper lip. The fact related in this verse tends to clear Mephibosheth from the suspicion of unfaithfulness to David.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

24-30. Mephibosheth … came down to meet the king—The reception given to Mephibosheth was less creditable to David. The sincerity of that prince's grief for the misfortunes of the king cannot be doubted.

He had neither dressed his feet—not taken the bath,

nor trimmed his beard—The Hebrews cut off the hair on the upper lip (see on [277]Le 13:45), and cheeks, but carefully cherished it on the chin from ear to ear. Besides dyeing it black or red colors, which, however, is the exception, and not the rule in the East, there are various modes of trimming it: they train it into a massy, bushy form, swelling and round; or they terminate it like a pyramid, in a sharp point. Whatever the mode, it is always trimmed with the greatest care; and they usually carry a small comb for the purpose. The neglect of this attention to his beard was an undoubted proof of the depth of Mephibosheth's grief. The king seems to have received him upbraidingly, and not to have been altogether sure either of his guilt or innocence. It is impossible to commend the cavalier treatment, any more than to approve the partial award, of David in this case. If he were too hurried and distracted by the pressure of circumstances to inquire fully into the matter, he should have postponed his decision; for if by "dividing the land" (2Sa 19:29) he meant that the former arrangement should be continued by which Mephibosheth was acknowledged the proprietor, and Ziba the farmer, it was a hardship inflicted on the owner to fix him with a tenant who had so grossly slandered him. But if by "dividing the land," they were now to share alike, the injustice of the decision was greatly increased. In any view, the generous, disinterested spirit displayed by Mephibosheth was worthy a son of the noble-hearted Jonathan.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

The son of Saul, i.e. the grandson, 2 Samuel 9:3,6.

Had neither dressed his feet; by cutting his nails, and by washing his feet, which was usual in those hot climates, and very refreshing; and therefore now neglected, as becoming a mourner.

Nor trimmed his beard; but suffered it to grow very long and disorderly, as was usual with many persons in a forlorn or mournful state.

Nor washed his clothes; his linen clothes. This and the former were signs that he was a true and obstinate mourner, that laid aside his usual refreshments; and they are here mentioned as evidences of the falsehood of Ziba’s former relation concerning him, 2 Samuel 16:3.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king,.... Not down to Jordan, but Jerusalem; when the king was come thither, he came from his own dwelling to the king's palace; he is called the son of Saul, though he was his grandson, and grandsons are sometimes called sons; though in the Septuagint it is, the son's son of Saul; and the Syriac and Arabic versions are, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul:

and had neither dressed his feet; had not cut his nails, as the Septuagint adds, his toenails; or rather had not washed his feet, as the Targum paraphrases it; which was frequently done in those countries, partly for refreshment, and partly to remove the filth of them contracted by walking barefooted, or only with sandals; as also because of the ill smell of them, which was offensive:

nor trimmed his beard; or shaved his upper lip, and took no care that the hair of his chin should be in any order; otherwise that was never shaved, to do it would be contrary to the law in Leviticus 19:27,

nor washed his clothes; his linen clothes, his shirts, or any other that used to be washed; or "whitened" them, as the Targum, he had not sent them, his woollen clothes, to the fuller, to get out the spots, and whiten them. All these were tokens of mourning, and showed him to be a sincere mourner for the king's departure, and the trouble he was in, since it was so long continued:

from the day the king departed, until the day he came again in peace; which must be a considerable time, and therefore he must be in a most sordid and rueful condition.

Geneva Study Bible

And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king, and had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came again in peace.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

24–30. Mephibosheth’s meeting with David

24. had neither dressed his feet, &c.] The neglect of his person, the unwashed feet, the untrimmed moustache, the soiled garments, were outward signs of extreme grief. Cp. ch. 2 Samuel 12:20; Ezekiel 24:17. The Sept. adds “nor trimmed his nails,” after “dressed his feet” (see Deuteronomy 21:12), but the words are perhaps only a duplicate rendering of the Hebrew.

beard] Properly moustache. The word occurs elsewhere only in connexion with the custom of covering the upper lip or moustache in mourning. See Leviticus 13:45; Ezekiel 24:17; Ezekiel 24:22; Micah 3:7.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 24. - Mephibosheth. The meeting of David and Mephibosheth possibly took place at Jerusalem (see on ver. 25), and, if so, the order of events is not chronological. Ziba certainly came to the Jordan fords, and the narrative may have been introduced here to complete the account of his doings. In neglecting his person and his dress, Mephibosheth was showing signs of heartfelt sorrow, and as he thus mourned during Absalom's tenure of power, it exposed him to the usurper's displeasure, and was a public avowal that his sympathies were with David. And his treatment was unjust; but David was in a strait. Ziba had been actively useful to him in his flight, and had also aided greatly in his recall. It was, probably, even owing to his influence that Shimei came with a thousand men of Benjamin. He deserved, therefore, a reward, but not at his master's cost. His beard; Hebrew, the upper lip (see Leviticus 13:45; Ezekiel 24:17, 22). 2 Samuel 19:24

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

David's conduct towards Mephibosheth admits still less of justification.

2 Samuel 19:24

Mephibosheth, the son, i.e., grandson, of Saul, had also come down (from Jerusalem to the Jordan) to meet David, and had not "made his feet and his beard," i.e., had not washed his feet or arranged his beard (עשׂה, as in Deuteronomy 21:12), and had not washed his clothes - all of them signs of deep mourning (cf. Ezekiel 24:17) - since the day that the king had gone (i.e., had fled from Jerusalem) until the day that he came (again) in peace.