2 Samuel 19:16-43

The People Greet the King. 2 Samuel 19:16-43

16 And Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, which was of Bahurim, hasted and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David.

17 And there were a thousand men of Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him; and they went over Jordan before the king.

18 And there went over a ferry boat to carry over the king's household, and to do what he thought good. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king, as he was come over Jordan;
19 And said unto the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me, neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart.
20 For thy servant doth know that I have sinned: therefore, behold, I am come the first this day of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.
21 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord's anointed?
22 And David said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah, that ye should this day be adversaries unto me? shall there any man be put to death this day in Israel? for do not I know that I am this day king over Israel?

23 Therefore the king said unto Shimei, Thou shalt not die. And the king sware unto him.
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.

25 And it came to pass, when he was come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said unto him, Wherefore wentest not thou with me, Mephibosheth?
26 And he answered, My lord, O king, my servant deceived me: for thy servant said, I will saddle me an ass, that I may ride thereon, and go to the king; because thy servant is lame.

27 And he hath slandered thy servant unto my lord the king; but my lord the king is as an angel of God: do therefore what is good in thine eyes.

28 For all of my father's house were but dead men before my lord the king: yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did eat at thine own table. What right therefore have I yet to cry any more unto the king?

29 And the king said unto him, Why speakest thou any more of thy matters? I have said, Thou and Ziba divide the land.
30 And Mephibosheth said unto the king, Yea, let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house.
31 And Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim, and went over Jordan with the king, to conduct him over Jordan.
32 Now Barzillai was a very aged man, even fourscore years old: and he had provided the king of sustenance while he lay at Mahanaim; for he was a very great man.

33 And the king said unto Barzillai, Come thou over with me, and I will feed thee with me in Jerusalem.
34 And Barzillai said unto the king, How long have I to live, that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem?
35 I am this day fourscore years old: and can I discern between good and evil? can thy servant taste what I eat or what I drink? can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women? wherefore then should thy servant be yet a burden unto my lord the king?

36 Thy servant will go a little way over Jordan with the king: and why should the king recompense it me with such a reward?
37 Let thy servant, I pray thee, turn back again, that I may die in mine own city, and be buried by the grave of my father and of my mother. But behold thy servant Chimham; let him go over with my lord the king; and do to him what shall seem good unto thee.

38 And the king answered, Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do to him that which shall seem good unto thee: and whatsoever thou shalt require of me, that will I do for thee.

39 And all the people went over Jordan. And when the king was come over, the king kissed Barzillai, and blessed him; and he returned unto his own place.
40 Then the king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went on with him: and all the people of Judah conducted the king, and also half the people of Israel.
41 And, behold, all the men of Israel came to the king, and said unto the king, Why have our brethren the men of Judah stolen thee away, and have brought the king, and his household, and all David's men with him, over Jordan?
42 And all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, Because the king is near of kin to us: wherefore then be ye angry for this matter? have we eaten at all of the king's cost? or hath he given us any gift?

43 And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more right in David than ye: why then did ye despise us, that our advice should not be first had in bringing back our king? And the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.

10.

Why did Shimei do obeisance? 2 Samuel 19:16

Shimei had cursed David as the king fled from Jerusalem (2 Samuel 16:5). When David returned, the Jordan river was in a flood-swollen condition. A ferry was sent to carry the king's household over the water, Shimei showed his hypocritical zeal and humility in the presence of the king by swimming across the river. He was a coward and wished to escape the punishment that he rightly should have suffered. David forgave him and let him live.

11.

Why were men of Benjamin with Shimei? 2 Samuel 19:17

Shimei himself was a man of Benjamin. He had cursed David because he felt that David was on Saul's throne without any right to it (2 Samuel 16:8). After David had been victorious over Absalom, Shimei might well expect to be the brunt of David's retaliation. In some manner he had influenced a thousand other men of the tribe of Benjamin to stand with him, and they came out to welcome David back to Jerusalem. Ziba was among them, and he also was connected with the tribe of Benjamin. He was the servant of the house of Saul and especially accountable to Mephibosheth, Saul's grandson. All these men must have come to the conclusion that it was useless for them to oppose David's claim to the throne. They should have known that it was God's will and that David had been anointed by Samuel to replace Saul, but their extreme sense of family loyalty and devotion had led them to foolish actions, epitomized in Shimei's cursing David when the king was driven out of Jerusalem. They were anxious to make restitution and to be included among the people welcoming David back to his throne.

12.

How could Shimei be of the house of Joseph? 2 Samuel 19:20

Two of Joseph's sons were adopted by Jacob as his own sons and made heads of tribes in Israel (Genesis 48:5). These two sons were Ephraim and Manasseh, and their descendants settled in the land immediately north of the tribe of Benjamin. Benjamin itself lay on the northern border of Judah. Benjamin was also the son of Rachel by Jacob, the same as Joseph. They were very close to each other, and the last two sons to be born to Jacob. In the wilderness wanderings, their people had been given campsites immediately to the west of the tabernacle (Numbers 2:18-24). This close affinity gendered by a common birthright and strengthened through years of close proximity led Shimei to make reference to himself as a member of the house of Joseph.

13.

What was Abishai's proposal? 2 Samuel 19:21

Abishai's position was constant. When Shimei came out to curse David as they were leaving the environs of Jerusalem, Abishai had asked permission to go over to Shimei and behead him. This was typical of Abishai's militant spirit, and his first reaction upon hearing Shimei's appeal to the king was that the appeal should be denied. It was his opinion that Shimei should be put to death for the shame that he brought on David when he cursed him. In Abishai's eyes, David was the Lord's anointed, and anybody who treated him shamefully was worthy of death.

14.

What was David's reaction to Abishai's proposal? 2 Samuel 19:22

Once again, David affirmed that he did not have anything to do with the wicked proposals of his nephews. He disclaimed any responsibility for the death of Abner at the hands of the two brothers. He had barely been able to restrain Abishai when he wanted to behead Saul as he and David crept into Saul's camp. He had held back Abishai when he first proposed beheading Shimei; and once again, he was restraining Abishai's unbridled desire for revenge. He had been unable to restrain Joab in the battle against Absalom, although he had strictly charged him not to harm Absalom. David had no taste for bloodshed, and he felt the day was one of rejoicing and not a time for an execution of any kind. He would not mar the happiness of being restored to his throne by putting any of his enemies to death.

15.

Why was Mephibosheth negligent of his person? 2 Samuel 19:24

Mephibosheth showed his sorrow over the plight of David by letting his person go unattended. The phrase dressed his feet may tell us something of the nature of his lameness. At the conclusion of the interview, David divided Mephibosheth's inheritance between him and Ziba. Such an action shows that David doubted Mephibosheth. David did not want to punish Ziba, to say the least. If Mephibosheth was sincere, his urging David to give all to Ziba means that he was very glad to see David return; if he was not sincere, this saying meant that he realized his jeopardous position and wanted to flatter David.

16.

How were Jonathan's descendant's dead men? 2 Samuel 19:28

Had David been like other oriental potentates, he would have slain all of Saul's descendants since Saul had been his predecessor on the throne. As it was, David had made a covenant with Jonathan that he would not act in this way. The two men had promised each other that they would deal kindly with each other's descendants, regardless of which of them survived the other. Mephibosheth had suffered the loss of his father in the battle when his grandfather and uncles were killed by the Philistines. He may have thought that his life was in danger also, because he had not made himself known for a number of years after the others of his house were killed. Anything Mephibosheth possessed was his largely on account of the kindness of David. Mephibosheth acknowledged this and made reference to David's kindness in setting him among the people who were privileged to be considered members of the king's household. He could ask for nothing more from David. Mephibosheth's happiness over the king's safety seemed sincere, which would lead one to believe that Ziba had betrayed him when he reported the reason for Mephibosheth's not coming out to see David when the king was driven out from his capital city.

17.

Who was Barzillai? 2 Samuel 19:31

Barzillai was one of the men of Gilead who had brought supplies to David at Mahanaim (2 Samuel 17:27). Barzillai was very wealthy, but his greatness could hardly be measured by any present-day yardstick. He was an old man, and the pleasures of court were undesirable to him. All he wanted was to live out his last days in his home in peace. Chimham was more than likely his son, although he referred to him as David's servant (2 Samuel 19:37)

18.

How did David reward Barzillai for his kindness? 2 Samuel 19:40

When the king went on from the edge of the Jordan to Gilgal on his way back to Jerusalem, he took Chimham with him. He had told Barzillai that he would do whatever seemed good to him and that he would show any favor which Barzillai would require of him. David was deeply indebted to the men of Gilead for supplying the provision necessary for his campaign, and he would not be likely to forget their many favors. As David laid down the reins of his government and turned them over to Solomon, he reminded Solomon of the kindness which had been showed to him by Barzillai. He commanded Solomon to show kindness unto the sons of Barzillai, the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table, for so they came to me when I fled because of Absalom thy brother (1 Kings 2:7). In other words, David made Chimham to be equal to David's own sons and Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, to whom he had already shown great kindness.

19.

What was the quarrel between Judah and Israel? 2 Samuel 19:41

Half of Israel had probably been waiting for their leaders to bring them back to David. Perhaps the other half of the people had been with David all along helping him. The people of Israel felt that they had a larger share in David's work and victory than Judah, but Judah seemed to be preferred. At least they had hurried out to meet David, although this had been at David's invitation.

20.

What was Judah's reply? 2 Samuel 19:42

The men of Judah replied to the men of Israel by saying that the king was near of kin to them. He was from the tribe of Judah; his father, Jesse, was a man from Bethlehem, a town in the midst of the land of Judah. David had also asked for Amasa, one of his kinsmen and a man of Judah, to be captain of his army. The men of Judah felt that it was only natural for them to be the first to welcome back the king and to be closer to him than anybody else. They denied that they were given any undue favors because of their kinship to him. They said that they had not eaten anything at the king's cost which was another way of saying that he was not giving them any provisions. David had not given them any kind of gifts to bribe their loyalty to him, but it was the natural outpouring of their love for one of their own.

21.

What was the outcome? 2 Samuel 19:43

The arguments of the men of Judah prevailed. Their words were described as being fiercer than the men of Israel. The men of Israel felt that they were more numerous and thus they had a greater claim on the affections of the king. They were slighted somewhat, inasmuch as they had instigated the movements to bring David back; but David had skirted their overtures by making a direct appeal to the people of Judah through his priests who were back in Jerusalem. For this reason, the men of Israel felt that they were despised, or that their proposition was taken too lightly. They would very much have liked to have the honor of being the first to bring the king back to his throne. All of this popular opinion with regard to the monarchy gives us a refreshing view of the nature of the kingship of Israel. David was not a despotic ruler who laid claims to the throne regardless of the affections of his people. He might well have remained in exile in Gilead if nobody had shown an inclination to bring him back. Although the king was not selected by popular vote, David was very much aware of the attitude of the people towards him. This made a very happy situation. God's chosen ruler was popular with people of goodwill, and he made every effort to treat them with fairness and kindness.