1 When David was a little past the top (of the ascent), behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of donkeys saddled, and on them two hundred loaves of bread, and one hundred clusters of raisins, and one hundred summer fruits, and a bottle of wine.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
A couple of donkeys saddled - Those that Mephibosheth and his servant should have ridden. See 2-Samuel 19:26 note.
Two hundred loaves of bread - The word loaf gives us a false idea of the ancient Jewish bread; it was thin cakes, not yeasted and raised like ours.
Bunches of raisins - See on 1-Samuel 25:18 (note).
Summer fruits - These were probably pumpions, cucumbers, or watermelons. The two latter are extensively used in those countries to refresh travelers in the burning heat of the summer. Mr. Harmer supposes they are called summer fruits on this very account.
A bottle of wine - A goat's skin full of wine; this I have already shown was the general bottle in the Eastern countries; see on 1-Samuel 25:18 (note).
And when David was a little past the (a) 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.
(a) Which was the hill of olives, (2-Samuel 15:30).
And when David was a little past the top of the hill,.... Of the mount of Olives, the ascent of which he is said to go up by, and to come to the top of it, 2-Samuel 15:30,
behold, Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, met him; of whom see 2-Samuel 9:2;
with a couple of asses saddled: and so fit to ride on, but for the present he used them to another purpose:
and upon them two hundred loaves of bread; an hundred on each ass very probably:
and an hundred bunches of raisins; or dried grapes, as the Targum:
and an hundred of summer fruits: not in number, but in weight, as apples, pears, plums, apricots, &c. so the Targum, an hundred pounds of figs:
and a bottle of wine: a cask or flagon of wine; for a bottle, such as is in use with us, would have signified nothing in such a company.
Ziba belied Mephibosheth. Great men ought always to be jealous of flatterers, and to be careful that they hear both sides.
ZIBA, BY FALSE SUGGESTIONS, CLAIMS HIS MASTER'S INHERITANCE. (2-Samuel 16:1-4)
Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him--This crafty man, anticipating the certain failure of Absalom's conspiracy, took steps to prepare for his future advancement on the restoration of the king.
a bottle of wine--a large goatskin vessel. Its size made the supply of wine proportioned to the rest of his present.
Ziba's faithless conduct towards Mephibosheth. - 2-Samuel 16:1. When David had gone a little over the height (of the Mount of Olives: הראשׁ points back to 2-Samuel 15:32), Mephibosheth's servant Ziba came to meet him, with a couple of asses saddled, and laden with two hundred loaves, a hundred raisin-cakes, a hundred date or fig-cakes, and a skin of wine. The word קיץ corresponds to the Greek ὀπώρα, as the lxx have rendered it in Jeremiah 40:10, Jeremiah 40:12, and is used to signify summer fruits, both here and in Amos 8:1 (Symm.). The early translators rendered it lumps of figs in the present passage (παλάθαι; cf. Ges. Thes. p. 1209). The Septuagint only has ἑκατὸν φοίνικες. The latter is certainly the more correct, as the dried lumps of figs or fig-cakes were called דּבלים (1-Samuel 25:18); and even at the present day ripe dates, pressed together in lumps like cakes, are used in journeys through the desert, as a satisfying and refreshing food (vid., Winer, bibl. Realwrterbuch, i. 253).
Bottle - A large bottle, or vessel proportionable to the other provisions.
*More commentary available at chapter level.