II Samuel 9:6
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And when Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he fell facedown in reverence. Then David said, “Mephibosheth!” “I am your servant,” he replied.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
David's Kindness towards Mephibosheth - Sa2 9:1-13 When David was exalted to be king over all Israel, he sought to show compassion to the house of the fallen king, and to repay the love which his noble-minded friend Jonathan had once sworn to him before the Lord (Sa1 20:13.; comp. Sa2 23:17-18). The account of this forms the conclusion of, or rather an appendix to, the first section of the history of his reign, and was intended to show how David was mindful of the duty of gratitude and loving fidelity, even when he reached the highest point of his regal authority and glory. The date when this occurred was about the middle of David's reign, as we may see from the fact, that Mephibosheth, who was five years old when Saul died (Sa2 4:4), had a young son at the time (Sa2 9:12).
Open source ↗The only thing recorded in this chapter is the kindness David showed to Jonathan's seed for his sake. I. The kind enquiry he made after the remains of the house of Saul, and his discovery of Mephibosheth (Sa2 9:1-4). II. The kind reception he gave to Mephibosheth, when he was brought to him (Sa2 9:5-8). III. The kind provision he made for him and his (Sa2 9:9-13).
Open source ↗9:6 Given Mephibosheth’s physical limitations, bowing low to the ground must have been very difficult.
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
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The son of Jonathan: Merib-baal, who was the father of Micah.
So the king said to Ziba, “All that belongs to Mephibosheth is now yours!” “I humbly bow before you,” said Ziba. “May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king!”
The son of Jonathan: Merib-baal, and Merib-baal was the father of Micah.
When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off the donkey, fell facedown, and bowed before him.
When the young man had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone, fell facedown, and bowed three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept together—though David wept more.
And Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
But Jacob himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.