Lives of Scripture

Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan and grandson of King Saul. When he was five years old, news arrived that Saul and Jonathan had been killed in battle; in the panic, his nurse fled with him and dropped him, permanently crippling both his feet (2 Samuel 4:4). He grew up in hiding at Lo-debar, likely fearing for his life as a surviving member of the previous king's line. Years later, King David, remembering his covenant of loyal love with Jonathan, asked whether anyone remained of Saul's household to whom he could "show the kindness of God" (2 Samuel 9:1-3). David restored to Mephibosheth all of Saul's land, assigned Ziba and his household to farm it for him, and gave Mephibosheth a permanent place eating at the king's own table "like one of the king's sons" (9:7-11) -- a stunning reversal for a man who called himself "a dead dog" (9:8). During Absalom's later revolt, Ziba told David that Mephibosheth had stayed behind hoping to reclaim his grandfather's throne, and David gave Ziba all of Mephibosheth's property; when David returned victorious, Mephibosheth insisted Ziba had lied and left him behind despite his loyalty, and the text does not clearly settle who told the truth (16:1-4; 19:24-30). David split the land between them, and Mephibosheth's response -- that David's safe return mattered more to him than any property -- closes his story on a note of loyalty to David's house.