2 Samuel 19:24

DAVID LEARNED THE TRUTH FROM MEPHIBOSHETH

"And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king; he had neither dressed his feet nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came back in safety. And when he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, "Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth"? He answered, "My lord, O king, my servant deceived me; for your servant said to him, `Saddle an ass for me, that I may ride upon it and go with the king.' For your servant is lame. He has slandered your servant to my lord the king. But my lord the king is like the angel of God; do therefore what seems good to you. For all my father's house were but men doomed to death before my lord the king; but you set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right have I to cry to the king. And the king said to him, `Why speak any more of your affairs? I have decided: you and Ziba shall divide the land.' And Mephibosheth said to the king, `Oh, let him take it all, since my lord the king has come safely home.'"

"And Mephibosheth the son of Saul" (2 Samuel 19:24). Of course, Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan and the grandson of Saul, but the use of the term "son" in the Bible is very flexible: (1) It may mean simply descendant of (Matthew 1:1); (2) grandson as here; (3) Levirate son; (4) adopted son (Luke 3:23); (5) actual son; (6) son by creation (Luke 3:38); (7) a possessor of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14); (8) merely a follower of as in Acts 13:10; or (9) son-in-law (Luke 3:23).

"He had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes" (2 Samuel 19:24). Here was the only proof David needed that Mephibosheth was telling the truth. His personal appearance indicated quite plainly that he had been in mourning ever since David left Jerusalem. "There is no ground for Winer's statement that it is now impossible to determine whether or not Mephibosheth was innocent. That Mephibosheth had indeed been calumniated by Ziba was placed beyond any doubt by Mephibosheth's remaining in mourning throughout the period of David's absence."[19]

This confronted David with a real dilemma. He had already given "all of Saul's property" to Mephibosheth; and then he had given all of it to Ziba. He decided to divide the property between them. It may be that David did not have the courage to reverse his decision completely; and, as the property was very extensive, he simply decided to divide it equally.

Payne pointed out that this decision to divide the property, "Is reminiscent of the proverbial judgment of Solomon in 1 Kings 3:16-28; and Mephibosheth's response is not unlike the reply of the harlot (who was the real mother of the child)."[20]

"Let him take the whole" (2 Samuel 19:30). "These words, spoken in the usual exaggeration of Eastern courtesy, were never intended to be taken literally."[21] The king's decision to divide the property stood as it had been spoken.