Chapter 9 of Shmuel B is a chapter of kindness. After we have seen David's wars and the arrangements of authority in his kingdom, we come to a chapter that is entirely about fulfilling an old oath. David swore to Yehonatan and made a covenant with him, that he would protect his family and his sons and do kindness with them. Now, when the kingship is firmly established in his hand, he comes to search: is there anyone still left of the house of Shaul, with whom I can fulfill the covenant.
וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד הֲכִי יֶשׁ עוֹד אֲשֶׁר נוֹתַר לְבֵית שָׁאוּל וְאֶעֱשֶׂה עִמּוֹ חֶסֶד בַּעֲבוּר יְהוֹנָתָן׃ - And David said: Is there anyone still left of the house of Shaul, that I may do kindness with him for the sake of Yehonatan?
The question cries out: David is the king's son in law, married to Michal the daughter of Shaul, and he knows all the men of the royalty. Does he not know how many sons this one had and how many that one had, and what their names are? Three of Shaul's sons fell in battle, and a son of Yehonatan remained, yet David asks and inquires and requests that they check whether there are any more? How can this be?
The Malbim explains this based on a principle we have already repeated several times: it was customary in those days that a king who rose to reign would carry out a "cleaning of the stables" and kill the entire dynasty of the previous king. In this way he would ensure that his kingship would endure, until another king arose and did the same to him. For anyone left from the previous dynasty carries in his heart thoughts of kingship and ideas of rebellion: I am the son of the king, how is it that this man rose to reign?
The result was that all the survivors of the house of Shaul fled and went underground, out of fear for their lives. True, we know full well that David was not like this: Shaul himself, who pursued him and endangered his life, he did not kill. And all the more so he would not kill his sons. And we saw with Ish Boshet, that when they killed him on his bed, David put to death the two servants who had killed him. But the people were not certain of this, and so they fled. And because of this, David was forced to begin inquiring: are there any sons left to Shaul? Are they alive? Where are they? He wants to do kindness with them, and he needs to search for them.
The Abarbanel, and also the Radak, explain that "I may do kindness with him" means that David wanted to establish them as officers and judges. According to this the juxtaposition to the previous passage is understood: there we saw David doing justice and righteousness, and the list of appointments, Yoav son of Tzeruyah over the army, Yehoshafat son of Achilud as recorder, all the arrangements of authority in the kingdom. And following this David said: is there anyone still left of the house of Shaul to whom I can give an appointment, even if he is not part of the "coalition"? And nevertheless, the Malbim emphasizes, none from the house of Shaul came out from the holes in which they were hiding. With all the searching, none of them felt secure enough to reveal himself before David.
וּלְבֵית שָׁאוּל עֶבֶד וּשְׁמוֹ צִיבָא וַיִּקְרְאוּ לוֹ אֶל דָּוִד וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ אֵלָיו הַאַתָּה צִיבָא וַיֹּאמֶר עַבְדֶּךָ׃ - And the house of Shaul had a servant whose name was Tziva, and they called him to David, and the king said to him: Are you Tziva? And he said: Your servant.
The house of Shaul had a Canaanite servant whose name was Tziva. The king asks him: Are you Tziva? And seemingly what is the point of the question. The Malbim explains: the intent of the question is whether you are still Tziva, the servant of Yehonatan's son, a servant who was not freed, or perhaps in the meantime you were freed and you no longer have any connection to him.
We must understand this: a Canaanite slave remains a slave as long as he has not been freed, forever. Only a Hebrew servant works six years and goes free in the seventh year for nothing, and if he says "I love my master, my wife, and my children" he goes free at the Yovel. But a Canaanite slave serves forever, as it says "forever you shall work them," and it is even forbidden to free him: one who frees his Canaanite slave transgresses the positive commandment of "forever you shall work them."
And when a slave goes free he becomes a Jew in every respect. The Gemara relates that once they needed a minyan and only nine were present, so one man went and freed his Canaanite slave and joined him to the minyan. For a Canaanite slave is obligated in mitzvot like a woman and does not count toward a minyan, but from the moment they free him he is a full Jew and counts. And the freeing of a slave is done with a document, just as one writes a get for a woman, one writes a document of manumission for a slave.
And why did David ask specifically with the phrasing "Are you Tziva"? The Malbim says: one who had been a slave and was freed would change his name to a Jewish name. Therefore he asked him: are you still called Tziva, a gentile name? To this he answered: "your servant" - meaning I am still a slave.
וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ הַאֶפֶס עוֹד אִישׁ לְבֵית שָׁאוּל וְאֶעֱשֶׂה עִמּוֹ חֶסֶד אֱלֹהִים וַיֹּאמֶר צִיבָא אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ עוֹד בֵּן לִיהוֹנָתָן נְכֵה רַגְלָיִם׃ - And the king said, "Is there no one left of the house of Shaul that I may show him the kindness of God?" And Tziva said to the king, "There is still a son of Yehonatan, lame in his feet."
"Is there none" - have they all ended and ceased, is there no one left of the house of Shaul to whom I may show kindness. And according to the Abarbanel's approach: someone whom I could appoint to a position of authority. Tziva answers him: there is, but he is lame in his feet. And what did he intend by this addition? To say that he is not fit for authority. Perhaps you can give him some gift, but to appoint him to office is not fitting.
וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ הַמֶּלֶךְ אֵיפֹה הוּא וַיֹּאמֶר צִיבָא אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ הִנֵּה הוּא בֵּית מָכִיר בֶּן עַמִּיאֵל בְּלוֹ דְבָר׃ - And the king said to him, "Where is he?" And Tziva said to the king, "Behold, he is in the house of Machir son of Ammiel, in Lo Devar."
He is hiding in the house of Machir son of Ammiel, in a place whose name is Lo Devar. And immediately: "And King David sent and took him from the house of Machir son of Ammiel, from Lo Devar."
וַיָּבֹא מְפִיבֹשֶׁת בֶּן יְהוֹנָתָן בֶּן שָׁאוּל אֶל דָּוִד וַיִּפֹּל עַל פָּנָיו וַיִּשְׁתָּחוּ וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד מְפִיבֹשֶׁת וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה עַבְדֶּךָ׃ - And Mefivoshet son of Yehonatan son of Shaul came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, "Mefivoshet," and he said, "Behold your servant."
Mefivoshet thought that David had summoned him in order to punish him and put him to death, as if to say: at last I have gotten the better of you. Therefore he said "Behold your servant" - I am your servant, ready to accept any punishment you decree upon me.
And Chazal say: why was he called Mefivoshet? Because he was a great sage and would embarrass and shame David's face in halacha - "Mefivoshet," one who shames (mevayesh) David's face (penei) in halacha. Until Kilav son of David came, who would embarrass those who shamed David in halacha, that is, he would embarrass Mefivoshet in halacha. The Holy One, blessed be He, raised up for him from David's own sons one who would answer those who taunted him.
And according to this, Chazal also explain the hint in the name of the place: the slave who informed against him said that he was in "Lo Devar," meaning there is nothing to him, empty and fit for nothing. But in truth he was "full of matter" (malei davar) - full and overflowing with Torah.
וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ דָוִד אַל תִּירָא כִּי עָשֹׂה אֶעֱשֶׂה עִמְּךָ חֶסֶד בַּעֲבוּר יְהוֹנָתָן אָבִיךָ וַהֲשִׁבֹתִי לְךָ אֶת כָּל שְׂדֵה שָׁאוּל אָבִיךָ וְאַתָּה תֹּאכַל לֶחֶם עַל שֻׁלְחָנִי תָּמִיד׃ - And David said to him: Do not fear, for I will surely deal kindly with you for the sake of Yehonatan your father, and I will restore to you all the fields of Shaul your father, and you shall eat bread at my table always.
David promises two things: the return of all of Shaul's fields, and eating at the king's table always. Yet this seems difficult: what kindness is there in returning the fields? After all, whatever a servant acquires belongs to his master, so all of Tziva's property belongs to Mefiboshet automatically. And there is a further difficulty: Ritzpa daughter of Aya was Shaul's concubine, and we will meet her later on, and she too had sons from Shaul, and seemingly they too are fit to inherit like Mefiboshet. How does David give the entire estate to Mefiboshet alone?
A further difficulty: in the law of kingship it says "and your vineyards he will take," and Chazal say that this does not refer to the vineyards themselves but to their produce. That is why we saw with Achav, that when he wanted Navot's vineyard he could not take it by force and they had to stage a trial, since the king has no authority to take the vineyard itself but only its produce. And some say that even the produce he has no authority to take for himself but only for his servants, as the verse states "your vineyards he will take and give to his servants." It emerges that the king himself has no authority to take a person's field, and if so, from where did David get the fields to distribute?
The Malbim explains, and so too the Radak: David acquired the entire estate of Shaul by law, and David is the heir. How? Ish Boshet son of Shaul, who reigned over Israel for a certain period, was in the category of one who rebels against the kingship of the House of David. And one who rebels against the kingship is liable to death, and all his property goes to the king. Consequently Ish Boshet inherited from Shaul, and his property became forfeit to the king, and David inherited it. And the Holy One, blessed be He, had already told him "and I gave you the house of your master," meaning the house of Shaul. Since David acquired everything by law, he is able to return everything to Mefiboshet and say: it is all mine, and I give it all to you. And in addition he placed him among those who eat at his table all the days.
And a further explanation in the Malbim: the house and wealth of Shaul were not private wealth but royal property. To what may the matter be compared? A prime minister or president who steps down from office does not take the residence of state home with him. The royal palace is not your private possession. So too "the house of Shaul": all the assets that stemmed from the kingship pass automatically to David. And this itself is the kindness: David returns everything to Mefiboshet, even though by law everything belongs to him as the heir.
וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ וַיֹּאמֶר מֶה עַבְדֶּךָ כִּי פָנִיתָ אֶל הַכֶּלֶב הַמֵּת אֲשֶׁר כָּמוֹנִי׃ - And he bowed down and said: What is your servant, that you should turn to a dead dog such as I am?
Mefiboshet is astonished: what am I considered in your eyes? You do me a double kindness: you return the money to me, and you seat me among those who eat at your table. And who am I? A dead dog.
וַיִּקְרָא הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶל צִיבָא נַעַר שָׁאוּל וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו כֹּל אֲשֶׁר הָיָה לְשָׁאוּל וּלְכָל בֵּיתוֹ נָתַתִּי לְבֶן אֲדֹנֶיךָ׃ - And the king called to Tziva, Shaul's servant, and said to him: All that belonged to Shaul and to all his house I have given to your master's son.
וְעָבַדְתָּ לּוֹ אֶת הָאֲדָמָה אַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ וַעֲבָדֶיךָ וְהֵבֵאתָ וְהָיָה לְבֶן אֲדֹנֶיךָ לֶחֶם וַאֲכָלוֹ וּמְפִיבֹשֶׁת בֶּן אֲדֹנֶיךָ יֹאכַל תָּמִיד לֶחֶם עַל שֻׁלְחָנִי וּלְצִיבָא חֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר בָּנִים וְעֶשְׂרִים עֲבָדִים׃ - And you shall work the land for him, you and your sons and your servants, and bring in the produce, that your master's son may have bread to eat; but Mefiboshet your master's son shall eat bread at my table always. Now Tziva had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
What was Tziva's status? Tziva was a servant over servants, a kind of officer of servants. He had servants under him, and he himself did not do menial labor but sent them to do it. That is why David says to him: "you and your sons and your servants."
At first glance this is difficult: if Mefiboshet always eats at the king's table, what is the meaning of "and you shall bring in the produce, that it may be food for your master's son, and he shall eat it"? There are two explanations. One: the bread is not for him but for the needs of his household. The second: eating at the king's table was more a matter of honor and glory than eating for sustenance. People did not come to the king's table for the main meal but for the dessert; it was a way of showing honor to invite people to the king's table for the dessert and the treats that follow the meal, while the main eating took place at home.
There is another explanation: even if he ate at the king's table, this does not necessarily mean that he ate all three meals there. It is possible that he would come once a day, at midday, and eat at the king's table, while he ate his other meals at his home. Regarding this David says to Tziva: "and you shall bring in... that it may be food for your master's son, and he shall eat it."
וַיֹּאמֶר צִיבָא אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר יְצַוֶּה אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת עַבְדּוֹ כֵּן יַעֲשֶׂה עַבְדֶּךָ וּמְפִיבֹשֶׁת אֹכֵל עַל שֻׁלְחָנִי כְּאַחַד מִבְּנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ׃ - And Tziva said to the king, According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so shall your servant do; and Mefiboshet, said he, shall eat at my table, like one of the king's sons.
There are two explanations. According to Rashi, the end of Tziva's words is "According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so shall your servant do," meaning whatever you say I will carry out; and from here on David's words resume: "and Mefiboshet shall eat at my table" - he shall eat at my own table.
According to the Metzudot, this is a continuation of Tziva's words: I will do as you say, and just as until now Mefiboshet ate at my table like one of the king's sons and lacked nothing, so I will continue to do as you say. So too the Malbim explains, that Tziva comes to say: I will care for Mefiboshet in the very best way, he shall eat at my table like one of the king's sons, he will truly receive a royal table with me.
And even according to Rashi, that these are David's words, the meaning is: like one of the king's sons he shall eat at the king's table, in comfort and abundance. In the very best way I will see to it that Mefiboshet eats at my table, and I will not give to him sparingly.
וְלִמְפִיבֹשֶׁת בֵּן קָטָן וּשְׁמוֹ מִיכָא וְכֹל מוֹשַׁב בֵּית צִיבָא עֲבָדִים לִמְפִיבֹשֶׁת׃ - And Mefiboshet had a young son whose name was Mikha; and all who dwelt in the house of Tziva were servants to Mefiboshet.
Mefiboshet had a young son named Mikha, and Tziva had to care both for Mefiboshet and for his son Mikha, and all of Tziva's household were servants to Mefiboshet.
וּמְפִיבֹשֶׁת יֹשֵׁב בִּירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם כִּי עַל שֻׁלְחַן הַמֶּלֶךְ תָּמִיד הוּא אֹכֵל וְהוּא פִסֵּחַ שְׁתֵּי רַגְלָיו׃ - And Mefiboshet dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king's table; and he was lame in both his feet.
The three parts of the verse are connected to one another: Mephiboshet had no mobility, and since this was so, he had no choice but to live in Jerusalem near the royal palace, for he ate at the king's table. He was lame in both his legs, and could not mount a horse each day and ride for half an hour in order to reach the king's table. Therefore he was compelled to dwell near the king's table, to live in Jerusalem, and only in this way could he eat at the king's table always.
The chapter opens with David searching for the survivors of the house of Shaul in order to fulfill his covenant with Yehonatan, and it turns out that the search itself testifies to the dread of kings who would wipe out the dynasty of their predecessors, to the point that no one from the house of Shaul dared to come out of hiding. With the help of Tziva, a servant of the house of Shaul who had not yet been freed, David reaches Mephiboshet son of Yehonatan from "Lo Devar," which Chazal expound to mean "full of matter" (male davar) - a great scholar who put David to shame in halacha. David bestows upon him a double kindness: the return of all of Shaul's property, which by law he was already entitled to as an heir of the kingdom or as owner of the property of one who rebelled against the crown, and a permanent place at the king's table like one of the king's sons. Tziva is appointed to work the land for him, and Mephiboshet, who was lame in both his legs, dwells in Jerusalem near the palace. A chapter that is entirely the fulfillment of an oath, loyalty to a friend even after his death, and kindness done in full measure and not in a stinting way.