Albert Barnes Commentary 2 Samuel 16
Albert Barnes Commentary
2 Samuel 16
Albert Barnes Commentary
2 Samuel 16
"And when David was a little past the top [of the ascent], behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and a hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine." — 2 Samuel 16:1 (ASV)
A couple of donkeys saddled - These were the donkeys that Mephibosheth and his servant should have ridden. See the note on 2 Samuel 19:26.
"And the king said, And where is thy master`s son? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem; for he said, To-day will the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father." — 2 Samuel 16:3 (ASV)
Your master’s son - Meaning Saul’s grandson (2 Samuel 9:6). David asks the question, evidently hurt by the apparent ingratitude of Mephibosheth. It is impossible to say whether Mephibosheth was entirely guiltless or not. If Psalm 116 was composed by David after the quelling of Absalom’s rebellion, then Psalm 116:11 may contain David’s confession of his hasty judgment in this matter (2 Samuel 16:4).
"And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, there came out thence a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came out, and cursed still as he came." — 2 Samuel 16:5 (ASV)
Bahurim - See the note for 2 Samuel 3:16. It seems to have lain off the road on a ridge (2 Samuel 16:13), separated from it by a narrow ravine, so that Shimei was out of easy reach though within hearing and a stone’s throw (2 Samuel 16:6, 9).
Shimei, the son of Gera - In the title to Psalm 7, he is apparently called “Cush the Benjamite.” On Gera, see the note for Judges 3:15.
"And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Begone, begone, thou man of blood, and base fellow:" — 2 Samuel 16:7 (ASV)
Come out - Rather, “Go out,” namely, from the land and into exile. .
You bloody man - The Lord’s word to David in 1 Chronicles 22:8 was probably known to Shimei, who now threw it in David’s face, with special reference to the innocent blood of Uriah.
"Jehovah hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and Jehovah hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son; and, behold, thou art [taken] in thine own mischief, because thou art a man of blood." — 2 Samuel 16:8 (ASV)
All the blood of the house of Saul - Shimei probably held David accountable for a series of deaths: Saul, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Melchishua, who were killed in battle by the Philistines with whom David was allied; Ish-bosheth, who was killed as a result of David’s pact with Abner; Abner himself, whose death Shimei attributed to David’s secret orders; and all 360 men killed in the battle between Joab and Abner (2 Samuel 2:31).
Some also think that the execution of seven men from Saul’s immediate family (2 Samuel 21:8) had already occurred before David’s flight, and that Shimei was referring to this as well.
Shimei’s hatred and virulence indicate that the Benjamites resented the loss of the kingship from their tribe, even at the height of David’s monarchy.
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