Bible Strands
2 Samuel 16:1
When David had gone a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth was there to meet him. He had a pair of saddled donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred clusters of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — David is fleeing Jerusalem when he passes a little beyond the summit and is met by Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, who arrives with supplies. Ziba presents the provisions to the fleeing king without David initially knowing their purpose.
The words — The Hebrew עָבַ֤ר ('a.Var) denotes David’s movement as he "passed on," while מֵֽ/הָ/רֹ֔אשׁ (me./ha./Rosh) specifies the location as "from the top" or summit. These terms anchor the encounter to a precise geographic and narrative transition point.
The thread — The sudden appearance of a servant bearing bread, wine, and fruit echoes the provision motif in 1 Samuel 25:18 and 2 Samuel 15:32, where loyal followers meet David at critical junctures. These parallels frame Ziba’s arrival as part of a recurring pattern of supporters supplying the king during transitions.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to observe how political loyalty and material support shift during a king’s flight. It demands attention to the precise moment when a former ally’s servant steps forward with provisions, signaling changing allegiances.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 25:18 Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five butchered sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs. She loaded them on donkeys
- 2 Samuel 15:32 When David came to the summit, where he used to worship God, Hushai the Archite was there to meet him with his robe torn and dust on his head.
- 1 Samuel 10:3 Then you will go on from there until you come to the Oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine.
- 1 Samuel 16:20 And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and one young goat and sent them to Saul with his son David.
- 1 Samuel 17:17 One day Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp.
- 2 Samuel 9:2 And there was a servant of the house of Saul named Ziba. They summoned him to David, and the king inquired, “Are you Ziba?” “I am your servant,” he replied.
- 2 Samuel 15:30 But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went up. His head was covered, and he was walking barefoot. And all the people with him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they went.
- 2 Samuel 17:27 When David came to Mahanaim, he was met by Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, Machir son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim.
- 2 Samuel 19:32 Barzillai was quite old, eighty years of age, and since he was a very wealthy man, he had provided for the king while he stayed in Mahanaim.
- 1 Chronicles 12:40 And their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen—abundant supplies of flour, fig cakes and raisin cakes, wine and oil, oxen and sheep. Indeed, there was joy in Israel.