So the king said to him, “Why do you speak anymore of your matters? I have said, ‘You and Ziba divide the land.’ ”
Parallel translations
- WEB The king said to him, “Why do you speak any more of your matters? I say, you and Ziba divide the land.”
- KJV And the king said unto him, Why speakest thou any more of thy matters? I have said, Thou and Ziba divide the land.
- BSB The king replied, “Why say any more? I hereby declare that you and Ziba are to divide the land.”
- NASB So the king said to him, “Why do you still speak of your affairs? I have decided, ‘You and Ziba shall divide the land.’ ”
- NLT “You’ve said enough,” David replied. “I’ve decided that you and Ziba will divide your land equally between you.”
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
David ended the dispute by ordering Mephibosheth and Ziba to divide the land. It matters because the king rendered a swift, if imperfect, judgment amid conflicting claims.
Overview
Rather than fully restoring Mephibosheth or punishing Ziba, David split the estate between them, perhaps weary of unresolvable testimony. Faithful readers note David's ruling seems less than fully just, possibly reflecting his diminished vigor after the rebellion. The verse shows that even godly judges may render incomplete justice, pointing to the need for a perfectly righteous Judge.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Prov 18:13He who gives answer before he hears, that is folly and shame to him.
- Ps 101:5I will silence whoever secretly slanders his neighbor. I won’t tolerate one who is haughty and conceited.
- Acts 18:15but if they are questions about words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves. For I don’t want to be a judge of these matters.”
- Deut 19:17–19then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before Yahweh, before the priests and the judges who shall be in those days;
- Ps 82:2“How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked?” Selah.
- Job 19:16–17I call to my servant, and he gives me no answer. I beg him with my mouth.
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 19:29 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.