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.
Complete Jewish Bible:
There were a thousand men of Binyamin with him, also Tziva the servant of the house of Sha'ul with his fifteen sons and twenty servants; and they rushed into the Yarden ahead of the king
Berean Standard Bible:
along with a thousand men of Benjamin, as well as Ziba the steward of the house of Saul and his fifteen sons and twenty servants. They rushed down to the Jordan before the king
American Standard Version:
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 through the Jordan in the presence of the king.
¶ And when David was a little past the top [of the hill], behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred [loaves] of bread, and an hundred bunches of raisins, and an hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine.
Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, thine [are] all that [pertained] unto Mephibosheth. And Ziba said, I humbly beseech thee [that] I may find grace in thy sight, my lord, O king.
And [there was] of the house of Saul a servant whose name [was] Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, [Art] thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant [is he].
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.
Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in [the fruits], that thy master's son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master's son shall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
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Commentary for 2 Samuel 19:17
2 Samuel 19:17 is a verse that captures a moment during the aftermath of Absalom's rebellion against King David. The historical context is the turbulent period following Absalom's attempt to usurp the throne from his father, David. After Absalom's defeat and death, David is returning to Jerusalem to reclaim his kingship. The verse specifically mentions a contingent of a thousand men from the tribe of Benjamin, who are accompanying the king as he crosses the Jordan River back into his kingdom.
The Benjaminite presence is significant for several reasons. Benjamin was the tribe of Saul, the first king of Israel, whom David had succeeded. The loyalty of the Benjaminites to David at this juncture is a sign of his restored authority and the reunification of the tribes of Israel under his leadership after the division caused by Absalom's revolt.
Ziba, the servant of the house of Saul, is also mentioned with his fifteen sons and twenty servants. Ziba had previously been involved in a dispute with Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son and Saul's grandson, over loyalty and inheritance during David's flight from Absalom (2 Samuel 16). His presence with the king, along with a substantial entourage, indicates both his ongoing service to David and the integration of Saul's former household into David's court, further solidifying David's rule.
The verse reflects themes of loyalty, restoration, and the re-establishment of order after a period of conflict and uncertainty. It underscores the complex dynamics of political allegiance and the intricate relationships between the royal household, the tribes of Israel, and the remnants of Saul's lineage. The crossing of the Jordan River symbolizes a return to stability and the resumption of David's rightful reign over a united kingdom.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
Strong's Number: H505 There are 496 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: אֶלֶף Transliteration: ʼeleph Pronunciation: eh'-lef Description: prop, the same as אֶלֶף; hence (the ox's head being the first letter of the alphabet, and this eventually used as a numeral) a thousand; thousand.
Strong's Number: H376 There are 1507 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: אִישׁ Transliteration: ʼîysh Pronunciation: eesh Description: contracted for אֱנוֹשׁ (or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant); a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation); also, another, any (man), a certain, [phrase] champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-, husband-) man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree), him (that is), husband, man(-kind), [phrase] none, one, people, person, [phrase] steward, what (man) soever, whoso(-ever), worthy. Compare אִשָּׁה.
Strong's Number: H1145 There are 18 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: בֶּן־יְמִינִי Transliteration: Ben-yᵉmîynîy Pronunciation: ben-yem-ee-nee' Description: sometimes (with the article inserted) בֵּן־הַיּמִינִי; with אִישׁ inserted (1 Samuel 9:1) בֶּן־אִישׁ ימִינִי; son of a man of Jemini; or shortened אִישׁ יְמִינִי; (1 Samuel 9:4; Esther 2:5) a man of Jemini, or (1 Samuel 20:1) simply יְמִינִיxlit Yᵉmînîy corrected to Yᵉmîynîy; a Jeminite; (plural) בְּנֵי יְמִינִיxlit Bᵉnîy corrected to Bᵉnêy; patron from בִּנְיָמִין; a Benjaminite, or descendent of Benjamin; Benjamite, of Benjamin.
Strong's Number: H6717 There are 13 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: צִיבָא Transliteration: Tsîybâʼ Pronunciation: tsee-baw' Description: from the same as צוֹבָא; station; Tsiba, an Israelite; Ziba.
Strong's Number: H5288 There are 221 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: נַעַר Transliteration: naʻar Pronunciation: nah'-ar Description: from נָעַר; (concretely) a boy (as active), from the age of infancy to adolescence; by implication, a servant; also (by interch. of sex), a girl (of similar latitude in age); babe, boy, child, damsel (from the margin), lad, servant, young (man).
Strong's Number: H1004 There are 1718 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: בַּיִת Transliteration: bayith Pronunciation: bah'-yith Description: probably from בָּנָה abbreviated; a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.); court, daughter, door, [phrase] dungeon, family, [phrase] forth of, [idiom] great as would contain, hangings, home(born), (winter) house(-hold), inside(-ward), palace, place, [phrase] prison, [phrase] steward, [phrase] tablet, temple, web, [phrase] within(-out).
Strong's Number: H7586 There are 335 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: שָׁאוּל Transliteration: Shâʼûwl Pronunciation: shaw-ool' Description: passive participle of שָׁאַל; asked; Shaul, the name of an Edomite and two Israelites; Saul, Shaul.
Strong's Number: H2568 There are 273 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: חָמֵשׁ Transliteration: châmêsh Pronunciation: khaw-maysh' Description: masculine חֲמִשָּׁה; a primitive numeral; five; fif(-teen), fifth, five ([idiom] apiece).
Strong's Number: H6240 There are 292 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: עָשָׂר Transliteration: ʻâsâr Pronunciation: aw-sawr' Description: for עֶשֶׂר; ten (only in combination), i.e. -teen; also (ordinal) -teenth; (eigh-, fif-, four-, nine-, seven-, six-, thir-) teen(-th), [phrase] eleven(-th), [phrase] sixscore thousand, [phrase] twelve(-th).
Strong's Number: H1121 There are 3654 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: בֵּן Transliteration: bên Pronunciation: bane Description: from בָּנָה; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.); [phrase] afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, ([phrase]) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, [phrase] (young) bullock, [phrase] (young) calf, [idiom] came up in, child, colt, [idiom] common, [idiom] corn, daughter, [idiom] of first, [phrase] firstborn, foal, [phrase] very fruitful, [phrase] postage, [idiom] in, [phrase] kid, [phrase] lamb, ([phrase]) man, meet, [phrase] mighty, [phrase] nephew, old, ([phrase]) people, [phrase] rebel, [phrase] robber, [idiom] servant born, [idiom] soldier, son, [phrase] spark, [phrase] steward, [phrase] stranger, [idiom] surely, them of, [phrase] tumultuous one, [phrase] valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.
Strong's Number: H6242 There are 281 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: עֶשְׂרִים Transliteration: ʻesrîym Pronunciation: es-reem' Description: from עֶשֶׂר; twenty; also (ordinal) twentieth; (six-) score, twenty(-ieth).
Strong's Number: H5650 There are 714 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: עֶבֶד Transliteration: ʻebed Pronunciation: eh'-bed Description: from עָבַד; a servant; [idiom] bondage, bondman, (bond-) servant, (man-) servant.
Strong's Number: H6743 There are 64 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: צָלַח Transliteration: tsâlach Pronunciation: tsaw-lakh' Description: or צָלֵחַ; a primitive root; to push forward, in various senses (literal or figurative, transitive or intransitive); break out, come (mightily), go over, be good, be meet, be profitable, (cause to, effect, make to, send) prosper(-ity, -ous, -ously).
Strong's Number: H3383 There are 164 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: יַרְדֵּן Transliteration: Yardên Pronunciation: yar-dane' Description: from יָרַד; a descender; Jarden, the principal river of Palestine; Jordan.
Strong's Number: H6440 There are 1890 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: פָּנִים Transliteration: pânîym Pronunciation: paw-neem' Description: plural (but always as singular) of an unused noun פָּנֶה; from פָּנָה); the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.); [phrase] accept, a-(be-) fore(-time), against, anger, [idiom] as (long as), at, [phrase] battle, [phrase] because (of), [phrase] beseech, countenance, edge, [phrase] employ, endure, [phrase] enquire, face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-part), form(-er time, -ward), from, front, heaviness, [idiom] him(-self), [phrase] honourable, [phrase] impudent, [phrase] in, it, look(-eth) (-s), [idiom] me, [phrase] meet, [idiom] more than, mouth, of, off, (of) old (time), [idiom] on, open, [phrase] out of, over against, the partial, person, [phrase] please, presence, propect, was purposed, by reason of, [phrase] regard, right forth, [phrase] serve, [idiom] shewbread, sight, state, straight, [phrase] street, [idiom] thee, [idiom] them(-selves), through ([phrase] -out), till, time(-s) past, (un-) to(-ward), [phrase] upon, upside ([phrase] down), with(-in, [phrase] -stand), [idiom] ye, [idiom] you.
Strong's Number: H4428 There are 1922 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: מֶלֶךְ Transliteration: melek Pronunciation: meh'-lek Description: from מָלַךְ; a king; king, royal.