2 Samuel 9:10
“Till the land for him, you, your sons, and your servants. Bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have bread to eat; but Mephibosheth your master’s son will always eat bread at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.”
What does 2 Samuel 9:10 mean?
David is giving practical instructions to Ziba, a servant who once belonged to King Saul's household. Ziba is to work Saul's land and bring in all the crops, but here's the beautiful part: Mephibosheth (Saul's disabled grandson) won't have to worry about survival because David has invited him to eat at the royal table every single day. This is David keeping a promise he made to his dear friend Jonathan, Saul's son, by caring for Jonathan's son with both dignity and genuine provision. The detail about Ziba's family size (fifteen sons and twenty servants) shows that David gave him substantial resources to manage this responsibility, turning what could have been charity into a real working arrangement that honored everyone involved.