The Reading

The Summary

Shemuel Bet Chapter 9

True to form, David wishes to honor the oath he made to both Yonatan and Shaul to preserve and protect their descendants. He seeks out any surviving member of the house of Shaul. Toward this end, he summons Tziva, who was a servant who had been given the responsibility of overseeing and managing the estate of Shaul after his death. David inquires whether there is any descendant of Shaul still living; Tziva responds that Mefivoshet, who is lame and incapable of walking, is the son of Yonatan and the sole heir of the household. Rather than living at home, Mefivoshet has been residing with another wealthy family that has been taking care of him; David summons him from there and they meet.

We can assume this was a tense encounter, since ostensibly Mefivoshet had no idea why he was being called to the palace and may have suspected that his life was in danger; in those days, a new king would often exterminate the family of his predecessor to remove any possibility of a threat to his power. However, David wishes to inform Mefivoshet that he is entitled to all of the property that belonged to his grandfather, and that he is invited to live in the palace and dine at the table of David permanently.

David instructs Tziva that he and his family should maintain the estate of Shaul, tilling the land and harvesting the produce, on behalf of Mefivoshet, but that Mefivoshet would reside with David. Tziva, whom we are told had fifteen sons and twenty servants of his own, accepts this command and departs.

This brief chapter is another example of David’s principled and selfless behavior. He fulfills his promise to Shaul and Yonatan even though he has nothing to gain, politically or personally, from these actions; if anything, they may have been seen as controversial and problematic by his advisers who were worried about fueling any resurgence of Shaul’s supporters in opposition to David. Nevertheless, David is true to his word.

The audience is somewhat wary of the character of Tziva, servant and executor of Shaul, and for good reason. When we read between the proverbial lines of the story, we gather that Tziva was given almost total control of the properties of Shaul and that he was not especially deferential to Mefivoshet, who – despite being legally entitled to much wealth – was currently dependent upon another family for room and board. Apparently, Mefivoshet was not able to stand up for himself (literally or figuratively) and protest, so Tziva took advantage of his weakness and treated the estate of Shaul as if it was his own. A typical servant does not have fifteen sons and twenty slaves; Tziva fancied himself a king and was living the lifestyle of the rich and famous at Shaul’s (or, really, Mefivoshet’s) expense.

From Tziva’s initial response to David we sense a lack of respect for and even resentment of Mefivoshet, whom he describes to David as “lame in his feet” – in other words, unworthy of your concern or favor. We can assume that David’s declaration that the estate of Shaul belongs to his rightful heir and his order to Tziva to work the land on behalf of Mefivoshet were not well received but that Tziva had no choice but to obey the voice of the king.

For Tziva, this meant relinquishing his claim to power and influence and discontinuing his comfortable life in order to support the grandson of his master whom he regarded as a pathetic inferior undeserving of such service. It will become apparent in future chapters that Tziva never quite gives up hope of an eventual return to glory; he bides his time and, when Mefivoshet is again vulnerable, will disingenuously attempt to regain his unjust foothold in Shaul’s home.