2 Samuel 9:8 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Samuel 9:1-8

Here is, I. David's enquiry after the remains of the ruined house of Saul, 2 Sam. 9:1. This was a great while after his accession to the throne, for it should seem that Mephibosheth, who was but five years old when Saul died, had now a son born, 2 Sam. 9:12. David had too long forgotten his obligations to Jonathan, but now, at length, they are brought to his mind. It is good sometimes to bethink ourselves whether there be any promises or engagements that we have neglected to make good; better... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 9:8

And he bowed himself ,.... In token of gratitude, and as a sign of humility, and of the sense he had of his unworthiness to enjoy such a favour: and said, what is thy servant, that thou shouldest look on such a dead dog as I am ? one so mean, and base, and worthless; which he might say with respect to the infirmities of his body, the rejection of his family by the Lord, their attainder of high treason for rebellion against David, and the low circumstances he was brought into and now... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 9:1-13

The facts are: 1 . David, remembering his love for Jonathan, inquires whether there were any survivors of the house of Saul; and being informed of the proximity of Ziba, an old servant, he sends for him. 2 . He is told that a son of Jonathan, lame of foot, is a sojourner in the house of Machir. 3 . Being sent for, Mephibosheth, on appearing before the king, falls on his face and pays reverence, but is spoken to kindly. 4 . Being assured by David that there was no need for fear,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 9:5-13

( THE KING 'S PALACE .) Mephibosheth before the king. We have here a picture of— I. EXTRAORDINARY VICISSITUDES IS LIFE . A prince by birth, deprived of his father, crippled by a heedless footstep, carried into exile and poverty, recently a helpless dependent in a remote district, is conducted into the presence of one who was once a shepherd boy, afterwards a wandering outlaw, and now the greatest monarch on earth! Such changes: 1 . May be largely, though not... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 9:8

A dead dog. At first sight this extreme self-humiliation makes us look on Mephibosheth as a poor creature, whom early misfortune and personal deformity had combined to depress But really this is to impose on an Oriental hyperbole a Western exactness of meaning. When in the East your entertainer assures you that everything he has to his last dirhem is yours, he nevertheless expects you to pay twice the value foreverything you consume; but he makes his exaction pleasant by his extreme... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 2 Samuel 9:8

Mephibosheth’s humility of expression, even in the mouth of an Oriental, is painful. It was perhaps in part the result of his helpless lameness, and of the other misfortunes of his life.A dead dog - The wild dogs of the East, which still abound in every town, are the natural objects of contempt and dislike. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 2 Samuel 9:6-8

2 Samuel 9:6-8 . He fell on his face and did reverence As the manner was when men came into the presence of the king or king’s son; for thus David himself prostrated himself before Jonathan, 1 Samuel 20:41. I will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father That is, according to our mode of speaking, thy grand-father. This land was, perhaps, the family estate of Saul, to which he had annexed other lands for his private use. But because they had been taken by virtue of Saul’s royal... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 9:1-13

Remembering former kindnesses (9:1-10:19)Although his power was now great, David did not forget his covenant with Jonathan. Unlike other kings, David would not destroy the family of the king whom he replaced (9:1; see 1 Samuel 20:12-17). David not only spared the life of Jonathan’s sole surviving son, the crippled Mephibosheth, but also restored to him Saul’s family property (2-8; cf. 4:4). David gave Mephibosheth the privilege of free access into the palace, and appointed one of Saul’s former... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 2 Samuel 9:8

What . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 . a dead dog . Self-abasement is ever the result of grace shown. I am. So the sinner is concerned about what he is, rather than what he has done. Compare Isaiah 6:5 .Luke 5:8 . read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 2 Samuel 9:1-13

A. David’s Faithfulness ch. 9The story of David’s kindness to Mephibosheth (ch. 9) helps to explain David’s subsequent acceptance by the Benjamites. It also enables us to see that the writer returned here to events in David’s early reign."It is, in my personal opinion, the greatest illustration of grace in all the Old Testament." [Note: Swindoll, p. 169.] If Mephibosheth was five years old when Jonathan and Saul died on Mt. Gilboa (2 Samuel 4:4), he was born in 1016 B.C. When David captured... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Samuel 9:1-8

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 9:8

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 9:1-13

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 9:5-13

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 9:8

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 2 Samuel 9:8

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 2 Samuel 9:6-8

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 9:1-13

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 2 Samuel 9:8

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 2 Samuel 9:1-13

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