You can skip to local navigation, content or closing (global) navigation.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge: 2 Samuel 16

Chapter 16

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.

little past

15:30,32

Ziba

9:2,9-12

with a couple

17:27-29 19:32 1 Samuel 17:17,18 25:18 1 Chronicles 12:40 Proverbs 18:16 29:4,5

summer

These were probably pumpkins, cucumbers, or water-melons; the two latter being extensively used in the East to refresh travellers in the burning heat of the summer; and probably, as Mr. Harmer supposes, called summer fruits on this very account.

Jeremiah 40:10,12 Amos 8:1 Micah 7:1

a bottle

1 Samuel 10:3 16:20

And the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses be for the king's household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that such as be faint in the wilderness may drink.

What meanest

Genesis 21:29 33:8 Ezekiel 37:18 The asses. This is the eastern mode of speaking when presenting any thing to a great man: "This is for the slaves of the servants of your majesty;" when at the same time the presents are intended for the sovereign himself, and it is so understood.; 15:1 19:26 Judges 5:10 10:4

for the young

1 Samuel 25:27

that such

15:23 17:29 Judges 8:4,5 1 Samuel 14:28 Proverbs 31:6,7

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 shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.

where is

9:9,10 Psalms 88:18 Micah 7:5

Today

19:24-30 Exodus 20:16 Deuteronomy 19:18,19 Psalms 15:3 101:5 Proverbs 1:19 21:28 1 Timothy 6:9,10 Jude 1:11

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.

Behold

14:10,11 Exodus 23:8 Deuteronomy 19:15 Proverbs 18:13,17 19:2

I humbly beseech thee

Heb. I do obeisance.

14:4,22

And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera: he came forth, and cursed still as he came.

Bahurim

This place is supposed to be the same as Almon, (Jos 21:18,) and Almeth, (1 Ch 6:60,) a city of Benjamin, north of Jerusalem, and apparently not far from Olivet.

14 3:16 17:18

whose name

19:16-18 1 Kings 2:8,9,36-44,45,46

he came, etc

or, he still came forth and cursed. cursed.

Exodus 22:28 1 Samuel 17:43 Psalms 69:26 109:16-19,28 Proverbs 26:2 Ecclesiastes 10:20 Isaiah 8:21 Matthew 5:11,12

And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial:

bloody man

Heb. man of blood.

3:37 11:15-17 12:9 Psalms 5:6 51:14

man of Belial

Deuteronomy 13:13 1 Samuel 2:12 25:17 1 Kings 21:10,13

The LORD hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the LORD hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son: and, behold, thou art taken in thy mischief, because thou art a bloody man.

returned

Judges 9:24,56,57 1 Kings 2:32,33 Acts 28:4,5 Revelation 16:6

the blood

1:16 3:28,29 4:8-12 Psalms 3:2 4:2

thou, etc

or, thee in thy evil.

Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head.

Abishai

3:30 1 Samuel 26:6-8

dead dog

3:8 9:8 1 Samuel 24:14

curse

Exodus 22:28 Acts 23:5 1 Peter 2:17

let me go

1 Samuel 26:6-11 Job 31:30,31 Jeremiah 40:13-16

And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? so let him curse, because the LORD hath said unto him, Curse David. Who shall then say, Wherefore hast thou done so?

What have

3:39 19:22 1 Kings 2:5 Matthew 16:23 Luke 9:54-56 1 Peter 2:23

so let him

Genesis 50:20 1 Kings 22:21-23 2 Kings 18:25 Lamentations 3:38,39 John 18:11

Who shall

Job 9:12 Ecclesiastes 8:4 Daniel 4:35 Romans 9:20

And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more now may this Benjamite do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for the LORD hath bidden him.

Behold

12:11,12

came forth

7:2 Genesis 15:4

seeketh

17:1-4 2 Kings 19:37 2 Chronicles 32:21 Matthew 10:21

the Lord

Isaiah 10:5-7 Ezekiel 14:9 20:25

It may be that the LORD will look on mine affliction, and that the LORD will requite me good for his cursing this day.

the Lord

Genesis 29:32,33 Exodus 2:24,25 3:7,8 1 Samuel 1:11 Psalms 25:18

affliction

or, tears. Heb. eye. requite.

Deuteronomy 23:5 Isaiah 27:7 Matthew 5:11,12 Romans 8:28 2 Corinthians 4:17 2 Thessalonians 1:7 Hebrews 12:10 1 Peter 4:12-19

And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hill's side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.

cursed

5,6

cast dust

Heb. dusted him with dust.

Acts 23:23 It was an ancient custom, in those warm and arid countries, to lay the dust before a person of distinction, by sprinkling the ground with water. Dr. Pococke and the consul were treated with this respect when they entered Cairo. The same custom is alluded to in the well-known fable of PhÊdrus, in which a slave is represented going before Augustus and officiously laying the dust. To throw dust in the air while a person was passing was therefore an act of great disrespect; to do so before a sovereign prince, an indecent outrage. But it is probable that Shimei meant more than disrespect and outrage to this afflicted king. Sir John Chardin informs us, that in the East, in general, those who demand justice against a criminal throw dust upon him, signifying that he ought to be put in the grave: and hence the common imprecation among the Turks and Persians, "Be covered with earth," or, "Earth be upon thy head."

And the king, and all the people that were with him, came weary, and refreshed themselves there.

there

Verse 15

And Absalom, and all the people the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.

Absalom

15:37

And it came to pass, when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, was come unto Absalom, that Hushai said unto Absalom, God save the king, God save the king.

God save the king

Heb. let the king live.

1 Samuel 10:24 1 Kings 1:25,34 2 Kings 11:12 Daniel 2:4 5:10 6:6,21 Matthew 21:9

And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this thy kindness to thy friend? why wentest thou not with thy friend?

Is this thy

Deuteronomy 32:6

why wentest

15:32-37 19:25 Proverbs 17:17 18:24

And Hushai said unto Absalom, Nay; but whom the LORD, and this people, and all the men of Israel, choose, his will I be, and with him will I abide.

5:1-3 1 Samuel 16:13

And again, whom should I serve? should I not serve in the presence of his son? as I have served in thy father's presence, so will I be in thy presence.

should I not serve

15:34 1 Samuel 28:2 29:8 Psalms 55:21 Galatians 2:13

Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall do.

Give counsel

Exodus 1:10 Psalms 2:2 37:12,13 Proverbs 21:30 Isaiah 8:10 29:15 Matthew 27:1 Acts 4:23-28

And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father's concubines, which he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong.

Go in

Genesis 6:4 38:16

unto thy

12:11 15:16 20:3 Genesis 35:22 Leviticus 18:8 20:11 1 Kings 2:17,22 1 Corinthians 5:1

abhorred

Genesis 34:30 1 Samuel 13:4

thy father

Genesis 49:3,4

then shall

1 Samuel 27:12

the hands

2:7 Zechariah 8:13

So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.

the top

11:2

went in

12:11,12 15:16 20:3 Numbers 25:6 Isaiah 3:9 Jeremiah 3:3 8:12 Ezekiel 24:7 Philippians 3:19

And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.

as if

Numbers 27:21 1 Samuel 30:8 Psalms 28:2 1 Peter 4:11

oracle of God

Heb. word of God.

Psalms 19:7

so was

The first counsel of this sagacious but wicked man to Absalom was more like an oracle of Satan, both for subtlety and atrocity. He advised the shameless measure just detailed, in order to establish Absalom, and to preclude the possibility of a reconciliation with David. The wives of a conquered king were always the property of the conqueror; and in possessing these he appeared to possess the right to the kingdom.

all the counsel

17:14,23 Job 5:12 28:28 Jeremiah 4:22 8:9 Matthew 11:25 Luke 16:8 Romans 1:22 1 Corinthians 3:19,20 James 3:13-18

both

15:12 Ecclesiastes 10:1