About
Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan, David’s best friend and son of King Saul, the man who preceded David on the throne. Mephibosheth was lame and David invited him to live in the palace, in honor of his late friend.
Backstory
Jonathan, Mephibosheth’s father, and young David were best friends. While King Saul persecuted David out of jealousy, Jonathan protected him, in spite of Samuel’s prophesy that David would occupy the throne (1 Samuel 16:1, 13; 1 Samuel 20:14-15, 42).
Jonathan asked David to take an oath to care for his descendants if he was killed. Tragically, Jonathan died in battle around the same time as his father (1 Samuel 31:2).
Once David’s kingdom was firmly established, he remembered his promise to Jonathan. He asked if there was anyone in Jonathan’s household that he could bless. Ziba, a servant from Saul’s household told him about Mephibosheth, making clear he was lame in both feet. Mephibosheth was living in Lo Debar at the house of Makir, son of Ammiel at the time, not on his family estate.
When Mephibosheth heard David invite him to live in the palace and eat at his table, his reaction was: why David would “notice a dead dog like me.” Not only did David bring him to the palace, he also restored his ownership of everything that had belonged to Saul and his family. He ordered Ziba to farm the land and bring in the crops to provide for Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9).
Years later, as David started out from the city during Absalom’s insurrection, Ziba approached him bearing supplies. When David asked about Mephobosheth’s whereabouts, Ziba replied that he was staying in Jerusalem in the hope that the Israelites would restore Saul’s kingdom to him. David responded by giving Ziba all that belonged to Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 16:1-4).
Upon return to Jerusalem, Mephibosheth met David, unkempt and distraught. He explained that his servant Ziba had betrayed him and prevented him from going with him. David ordered Mephibosheth and Ziba to divide the land. Mephibosheth said to let Ziba take everything, now that the king was home safely (2 Samuel 19:24-30).
Ziba had 15 sons and 20 servants. Mephibosheth had only one son. (2 Samuel 9:10, 12)