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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.

Met him with a couple of asses saddled. — His master Mephibosheth could not get him to saddle one ass for him to go along with David, 2 Samuel 19:26 for he had a design by false accusation, to wrest his land from him, as also he did; furnishing, meanwhile, this rich present out of Mephibosheth’s means; which it is likely he made bold with for his own advantage.

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And the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses [be] for the king’s household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that such as be faint in the wilderness may drink.

What meanest thou by these? — Is it thy master’s doing, or thine own?

For the young men to eat. — A modesty not unlike that of Abigail, to see to, 1 Samuel 25:27 only that was real, this in semblance.

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And the king said, And where [is] thy master’s son? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem: for he said, To day shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.

For he said, Today shall the house of Israel. — A shameless and senseless slander, uttered by a false and faithless informer, who would, in all likelihood, have been as ready to murder his master, if the king had pleased, as now he was to deceive him. See Ezekiel 22:9 . Plato commendeth that law of the Lydians, that punisheth slanderers like as they did murderers.

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Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, thine [are] all that [pertained] unto Mephibosheth. And Ziba said, I humbly beseech thee [that] I may find grace in thy sight, my lord, O king.

Behold, thine are all that pertained unto Mephibosheth. — Thus poor Mephibosheth is condemned and punished causa inaudita, before he was heard speak for himself: so was the Lord Cromwell in Henry VIII’s time. His enemies durst not bring him to his answer, nor try him by his peers; but procured an Act of attainder, whereby he was condemned, before he was heard: yet the king not long after his death repented that haste, wishing him alive again, … David had good cause to repent and retract this his error; but did it to the halves: where we may easily observe that the best men are but men; and that it is a very dangerous thing for a magistrate to receive gifts. Olim didici quid sint munera, said one.

And Ziba said, I humbly beseech thee. — Flattering Ziba doth more harm to good David, than railing Shimei Beware of such flatters, Oι κολακες κοραχες

That I may find grace in thy sight. — Utinam semper ira me ames. Vatab. I do highly esteem thy gift, but much more thy favour. So should we do God’s as that which sugareth all comforts, and is the mother blessing. When Cyrus had given Artabazus a cup of gold, and Chrysantas a kiss in token of his special favour, Artabazus was discontented, and said that the kiss was better gold than the cup. Xenoph.

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And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name [was] Shimei, the son of Gera: he came forth, and cursed still as he came.

And when king David came to Bahurim. — Which was not far from Jerusalem. There is no small cruelty in picking out a time for mischief: that word would scarce wound at one season, that killeth at another. It is the murder of the tongue to insult upon those whom God hath humbled, and to draw blood from that back which is yet blue from the hand of the Almighty.

He came forth and cursed still as he came. — This was blasphemy in the second table; and it justly befell David, for his causing the name of God to be blasphemed by the heathen. 2 Samuel 12:14

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And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David: and all the people and all the mighty men [were] on his right hand and on his left.

And he cast stones at David. — He both spake and cast stones against David: not that he could thereby harm him, but the more to show his hatred and contempt.

And all the mighty men were on his right hand. — So that if Shimei had not been stark mad with malice, he would not have thus desperately vented himself, and ventured his life.

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And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial:

Come out, come out, … — Prima semper irarum tela maledicta aunt: et quod non possumus imbecilli, optamus irati. Sallust. Calvin Epist. ad Farell. maketh mention of an insolent heretic, who, though he had as fair language given him as was possible, yet would never vouchsafe to speak better to that most worthy man than if he had had to deal with a dog.

Thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial. — Facundia plane canina. With what eagerness barketh this dead dog, no otherwise than if he had fetched every word as far as hell! Such a rabiosus canis was Porphyrie, Genebrard, Scioppius, …

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The LORD hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the LORD hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son: and, behold, thou [art taken] in thy mischief, because thou [art] a bloody man.

The Lord hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul. — What blood was that? Saul he spared once and again, when but few men else would have done it, by his own confession. 1 Samuel 24:19 In the death of Ishbosheth and Abner it was well known he had no hand at all. But it may very well be, which some say, that Shimei and such like charged David, that he had stirred up the Philistines to make that invasion upon the land, wherein Saul and his sons were slain, and hence this false accusation. But was not David rightly punished by Shimei’s railing, for his hearkening so readily to Ziba’s flattering? Was not he justly spoiled of his honours, who had so unjustly spoiled Mephibosheth of his goods?

Because thou art a bloody man. — Bloody he had been indeed, though not as Shimei meant it: and prayeth hard for pardon of that crimson sin. Psalms 51:14 God is just, though men be unjust.

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