When he had come to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, “Why didn’t you go with me, Mephibosheth?”
Parallel translations
- KJV And it came to pass, when he was come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said unto him, Wherefore wentest not thou with me, Mephibosheth?
- BSB And he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, who asked him, “Mephibosheth, why did you not go with me?”
- NKJV So it was, when he had come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said to him, “Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?”
- NASB And it was when he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said to him, “Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?”
- NLT “Why didn’t you come with me, Mephibosheth?” the king asked him.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
When Mephibosheth met the king at Jerusalem, David asked why he had not gone with him. It matters because David sought to learn the truth behind Ziba's accusation.
Overview
David's question gave Mephibosheth the chance to explain his absence during the flight from Absalom. The king weighed conflicting accounts, having earlier given Mephibosheth's lands to Ziba on the servant's testimony. The verse sets up Mephibosheth's defense and David's difficult judgment between the two men.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- 2 Sam 16:17Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your kindness to your friend? Why didn’t you go with your friend?”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
God's covenant with David — a son whose throne and kingdom would last forever (7:12–16) — finds its yes in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns without end.
How 2 Samuel 19:25 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.