The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Samuel — Section 458

Ver. 26.-Thy ■ervant ■aid, I 'Will 1aadle in pereon until he ro&ched the other side of me a.n a111. This would meRn, "Thy serv1mt Jordan, pul'f'Oeed, Mid within himsolf, that be would Ver. 33.-And I will feed thee. This ia s&ddle an ass, not by his own hande, but by the same verb ae that used in ver, 32, and tb<>l!e of hie eervante." All the versions, transl&ted "to provide of sustenance." however, except the Chaldee, read, "Tbr, Ver. 37.-That I me.y die in mine own servant l!Rid to him, Saddle me an Rss. ' oity, ... by the grave of my father e.nd of mr, With this agrees the narrative in <'h. xvi. l. mother. The inserted words, "and be buried,' lllephiboshetb orderod Ziba to eaddle for are very matter-of-fact and commonpl11ce. him an ass, and one for an attendant, and to What Barzillai wished was thnt, when death put hastily together a eupply of food for the overtook him, it should find him in the old journey. And Ziba does eo; but when every- abode of his family, where his father and thing is ready, he leaves his master in the mother had died, and where their tombs lurch, and carries all away to Dnvid, to were. This regard for the family sepulohre whom he falsely repreeents Mephibosheth WBS hereditary among the Israelites, who a,; a traitor. In the words that follow, he followed in it the example of their forefather unreservedly submits himself to David, on (see Gen. xlix. 29-31). Chimhe.m. David the ground that, though innoc-ent in this remembered Barzillai's kindness to the last, affair, yet that, as a member of a dethroned and on his dying bed specially commended dynasty, his life wa.s forfeit (comp. eh. :xxi. Chimham and his brothers to the care of 7), and that, in permitting him to live, and Solomon. In Jer. xii. 17 we read of "the placing him among bis friends, the 1.-ing had hnbite.tion of Chimham, which is by Bethle- done him an act of grace. hem," whence it has been supposed that Ver. 29.-Thou and Ziba divide the land. David also endowed the son of Barzillai Two views are taken of this decision-the with land near his own city. Stanley one, that it was a complete reversal oi the (•Jewish Church,' ii. 201) considers that command in eh. :xvi. 4, placing matters upon this we.s a caravansere.i founded by Chimham the old footing, by which Ziba was to have for the hospitable lodging of travellers on half tlle produce for cultivating the estate; their w11y to Egypt, and that Mary and the other, and apparently the most correct Joseph found shelter there. It lay to the view, is that Ziba was now me.de actual south of Bethlehem ; but there is nothing owner of half the le.nd, and Mephibosheth, more them the name to conneot it with the instead of a half, would henceforth have son of Barzillni. In ver. 40 he is called in only a qnarter of the crops. The decision the Hebrew C!timhan. was not equit11ble, and David speaks in a Ver. 40.-B:alf the people of Israel. The curt o.nd hurried manner, as though vexed northern tribes had been the first to debate with himself for wbe.t he was doing. As a the question of the king's reco.11 (ver. 9), matter of fact, Ziba's treachery had been while the men of Jud11h hllllg back. But most useful to David. Besides the pleasUJ'e e.t the instigation of the high priests and of e.t the time of finding one man faithful, Ame.sa, who WBB actually in command, they when "e.ll men were lie.re " (Ps. c:xvi. 11 ), determined upon David's restoration, and Ziba had been most active in bringing over e.cted so promptly and so independently of the tribe of Benjamin to David's side; and the rest of Israel that, when they reached though his motives were selfish and venal, Gilgal, only the delegates of a few tribes yet, e.s the king reaped the benefit of his were in time to join them. As we read in conduct, he wo.s boUild not to leave him ver. 41 of "all the men of Israel," it is without reward. evident that the rest had ro.pidly followed. Ver. 30.-Yee., let him take all These It would have been well if the tribe of words betray a feeling ofresentment. Though Judah hnd informed the rest of their pur- ontwe.rdly they profess to rege.rd the loBB of pose, as the bringing of David back would the property with indifference, e.s compared then hfl.ve been the act of all Isre.el; but with the joy of the king's return, yet this tribal jealousies were the cause of Israel's sort of" I don't care" answer usually covers weakness throughout the time of the judges, e.nger. Blunt's arguments (' Undesigned e.ntl broke out into open disunion upon the • Coincidences,' p. 157, etc.), to show that death of Solomon. Mephibosheth reslly was e. traitor, are in- Ver. 41.-Why have our brethren the men genious, but not convincing. of J'udah 1tolen thee away 1 Why, that is, Ver. 31.-:Be.rzillai Ba.rzille.i WSB so have they acted by stealth and without our wealthy a me.n that, with some help from concurrence? As they were discussing the others, he had provided t.he king "of susten- matter, their decision should have been e.nce,'' or, in more modem English. "with e.we.ited, anrl David should not have crossed .ustenance," while his e.rmy le.y encamped e.t until formally invited so to do. The half Me.ban.aim ; e.nd now, though he was eighty of Israel consisted, probably, of the trans- ye;are of age, he wished t.o 11,tte114 th13 king, JQrdRnic tribes, upon wliom those on tb.11 Clt. :lttX. 1-43,) THE SlWOND BOOK OF SAMUEL. 469