2 Samuel 19 Study Notes

19:1-4 Joab returned to Mahanaim from the battle to hear about David’s mourning over Absalom. Victory was turned into mourning because victory had come through Absalom’s death. In this bittersweet moment, David’s victorious troops returned to the city (lit “stole away”), acting as if they had lost the battle.

19:5-7 Joab recognized the serious public relations problem the king would face if he persisted in mourning the traitorous Absalom. David’s soldiers, who had saved David and all his family, would feel shame instead of a sense of victory because of the king’s mourning. Joab told David to go out and encourage his soldiers, lest they abandon him. Joab’s words in these verses are strong and blunt, but they may have saved David’s kingship.

19:8 David returned to the city gate where he had reviewed his troops as they headed to battle. It was also at the gate (in Jerusalem) that Absalom had stolen the heart of many of David’s subjects when David was supposedly neglecting his duties of administering justice. So his returning to the gate amounted to a “return to normality” (R. P. Gordon).

19:9-10 The tribes of Israel sensed that a public restoring of King David to his throne might help the nation heal from the wounds of its civil war.

19:11-12 Apparently because of a lack of response on the people’s part, King David summoned Zadok and Abiathar to begin his restoration proceedings. He gave the elders of Judah first notice—an act of favoritism that would later cause consternation among the other tribes (vv. 41-43).

19:13 David’s appointment of Amasa, who had headed Absalom’s army (17:25), as commander of his army indicated that David planned to bear no animosity toward those who had sided with Absalom. Amasa was to replace Joab—a clear sign that David had heard about Joab’s murder of Absalom, but the king felt it would be politically unwise to put Joab to death for killing the person who had conspired for the throne. Amasa was the son of David’s half sister Abigail; Joab was a son of David’s sister Zeruiah.

19:14-15 David won back the hearts of the people of Judah.

19:16 Now that Absalom was dead, the “prophecy” of Shimei was clearly false. Moreover, he had cursed the king. He moved quickly to make amends.

19:17 Ziba, servant of Mephibosheth, also came to welcome David. He soon would be joined by Mephibosheth, creating an interesting dilemma for David (vv. 24-30).

19:18-20 Shimei confessed that he had sinned. He was trying to atone for his sin by being the first one of the house of Joseph (the northern tribes, Am 5:6) to welcome David back as king.

19:21 Abishai offered for the second time to kill Shimei for his harsh words against the Lord’s anointed (16:9).

19:22 On do we agree on anything, see note at 16:10. Interestingly, adversary translates the Hebrew word satan. David was reluctant to add more bloodshed to the day when his kingdom was restored.

19:23 Shimei would later die when he violated Solomon’s edict (1Kg 2:42-46).

19:24 Mephibosheth now met David, showing several signs of having been in mourning from the day the king left.

19:25-26 Mephibosheth contended that Ziba had betrayed (lit “deceived”) him and had not provided him a donkey so Mephibosheth could go with the king.

19:27-28 Mephibosheth asserted his confidence in David’s discernment and recognized that he deserved none of David’s grace toward him. His final question, what further right do I have to keep on making appeals to the king, anticipated what he hoped would be a favorable ruling.

19:29 David had received Ziba’s support as he fled, yet Mephibosheth’s testimony seemed credible. David decided on a compromise under which the two of them would divide the land.

19:30 Mephibosheth’s expression let Ziba take it all should be understood as a typical Middle Eastern overstatement to honor a ruler, just as his question in v. 28 was an understatement of his own value (cp. 9:8).

19:31-32 Although Rogelim was about fifty miles northeast of David’s crossing point, Barzillai, who had provided food and other supplies for the king and his men while he stayed in Mahanaim (17:27-29), accompanied David to the Jordan River.

19:33 David wanted to reward Barzillai for his show of support during the king’s desperate time of need.

19:34-36 Barzillai pointed out that he was too old to be of any use to David.

19:37-38 Barzillai considered himself too old to enjoy royal privileges and preferred to remain in his own city near his family tomb, to finish his days in the surroundings he had known all his life, but he takes the opportunity to introduce Chimham, who was apparently a close relative, to benefit from David’s offer.

19:39 Though Barzillai returned to his home after David blessed him, the king did not forget him, later instructing Solomon to continue to show kindness to Barzillai’s household (1Kg 2:7). Jeremiah 41:17 mentions Geruth Chimham (“dwelling of Chimham”) near Bethlehem—perhaps the fulfillment of David’s words.

19:40 Gilgal was Israel’s base camp during the days of Joshua’s conquest (Jos 4:19).

19:41 Tensions between Judah and the other tribes that were evident earlier in Israel’s history (2:10; 3:10; 12:8; 1Sm 11:8; 17:52; 18:16) now boiled to the surface again as the delegation from Israel challenged the king on the protocol for restoring him to Jerusalem. Take you away secretly is literally “stole you.” The northern tribes also felt they were under-represented in comparison to the leaders from Judah (v. 40).

19:42 The men of Judah answered instead of allowing David to do so. They asserted that since David was their relative (a closer relative), they had taken the lead in restoring him as king. They insisted, however, that their tribe was not treated with favoritism.

19:43 The other tribes pointed out that David also ruled their ten shares (tribal territories), and they had been the first to speak of restoring David (vv. 9-10). The men of Judah responded even more harshly and ended the conversation, but the tension between the tribes grew stronger.