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.

2 SAMUEL 16:1KJV
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2 Samuel 16:1 (KJV)

What does 2 Samuel 16:1 mean?

2 Samuel 16:1 describes how, as David traveled just past the top of a hill, Ziba—the servant of Mephibosheth—met him with two saddled donkeys carrying a large amount of food and wine. This meeting happens while David is fleeing Jerusalem during Absalom’s rebellion, and Ziba brings supplies for David and his followers.

David is on the run because his son Absalom has staged a coup. Ziba, who serves Mephibosheth (the disabled grandson of Saul), approaches David with gifts: two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred bunches of raisins, one hundred summer fruits, and a bottle of wine. This act seems generous, but it also sets up a later conversation about loyalty and motives.

The Hebrew behind 2 Samuel 16:1

  • זִיבָא (Ziba, transliterated "Ziba") is named as the servant, highlighting his role as an intermediary between Mephibosheth and David. His actions here are significant for the unfolding story about loyalty and inheritance.
  • עֲבֶד (ʿeved, "servant") emphasizes Ziba’s status and relationship to Mephibosheth, which becomes important in understanding the dynamics of trust and betrayal in the following verses.
  • רֹאשׁ (rosh, "top" or "head") is used for the "top of the hill," marking a specific location that signals a turning point in David’s journey and the narrative.
  • קָרָא (qara, "met") indicates an intentional encounter, not just a chance meeting, suggesting Ziba’s approach was planned and purposeful.

Why 2 Samuel 16:1 matters

  • This verse introduces a key moment in David’s escape, showing who supports him during his time of need and setting up questions about loyalty and motives.
  • The detailed list of supplies Ziba brings underlines the seriousness of David’s situation and the practical needs of a king on the run.
  • The encounter with Ziba leads directly to a deeper story about Mephibosheth’s loyalty, which becomes a significant subplot in David’s reign and the aftermath of Absalom’s rebellion.

Where else these words appear

“raisins” Hebrew H6778 · used in 4 verses

  • 1 Samuel 25:18 Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.
  • 1 Samuel 30:12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.
  • 1 Chronicles 12:40 Moreover they that were nigh them, even unto Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, and meat, meal, cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep abundantly: for there was joy in Israel.

“Ziba” Hebrew H6717 · used in 13 verses

  • 2 Samuel 9:2 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.
  • 2 Samuel 9:10 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.
  • 2 Samuel 16:3 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.

“Mephibosheth” Hebrew H4648 · used in 13 verses

  • 2 Samuel 4:4 And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.
  • 2 Samuel 9:12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth.
  • 2 Samuel 19:25 And it came to pass, when he was come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said unto him, Wherefore wentest not thou with me, Mephibosheth?

“couple” Hebrew H6776 · used in 15 verses

  • Judges 19:3 And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father's house: and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him.
  • 1 Kings 19:19 So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.
  • Job 42:12 So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.