2 Samuel 9:13
New International Version
And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet.

New Living Translation
And Mephibosheth, who was crippled in both feet, lived in Jerusalem and ate regularly at the king’s table.

English Standard Version
So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.

Berean Standard Bible
So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table, and he was lame in both feet.

King James Bible
So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king's table; and was lame on both his feet.

New King James Version
So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he was lame in both his feet.

New American Standard Bible
So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he ate at the king’s table regularly. And he was disabled in his two feet.

NASB 1995
So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate at the king’s table regularly. Now he was lame in both feet.

NASB 1977
So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate at the king’s table regularly. Now he was lame in both feet.

Legacy Standard Bible
So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate at the king’s table continually. Now he was lame in both feet.

Amplified Bible
So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he always ate at the king’s table. And he was lame in both feet.

Christian Standard Bible
However, Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem because he always ate at the king’s table. His feet had been injured.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
However, Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem because he always ate at the king’s table. His feet had been injured.

American Standard Version
So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem; for he did eat continually at the king's table. And he was lame in both his feet.

English Revised Version
So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king's table; and he was lame on both his feet.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
However, Mephibosheth, who was disabled, lived in Jerusalem. He always ate at the king's table.

Good News Translation
So Mephibosheth, who was crippled in both feet, lived in Jerusalem, eating all his meals at the king's table.

International Standard Version
Mephibosheth continued to live in Jerusalem, always eating at the king's table, since he was maimed in both feet.

Majority Standard Bible
So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king?s table, and he was lame in both feet.

NET Bible
Mephibosheth was living in Jerusalem, for he was a regular guest at the king's table. But both his feet were crippled.

New Heart English Bible
So Mippibaal lived in Jerusalem; for he ate continually at the king's table. He was lame in both his feet.

Webster's Bible Translation
So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he ate continually at the king's table; and was lame in both his feet.

World English Bible
So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s table. He was lame in both his feet.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And Mephibosheth is dwelling in Jerusalem, for he is continually eating at the table of the king, and he [is] lame [in] his two feet.

Young's Literal Translation
And Mephibosheth is dwelling in Jerusalem, for at the table of the king he is eating continually, and he is lame of his two feet.

Smith's Literal Translation
And Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem; for at the king's table be always ate; and he was lame in his two feet.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
But Miphiboseth dwelt in Jerusalem: because he ate always of the king's table: and he was lame of both feet.

Catholic Public Domain Version
But Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem. For he was fed always from the table of the king. And he was lame in both feet.

New American Bible
But Meribbaal lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table. He was lame in both feet.

New Revised Standard Version
Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he always ate at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem; for he ate continually at the king's table; and he was lame in both his feet.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Maphibshath was dwelling in Jerusalem, because he was eating at the table of the King continually, and his two legs were crippled
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
But Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem; for he did eat continually at the king's table; and he was lame on both his feet.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Memphibosthe dwelt in Jerusalem, for he continually ate at the table of the king; and he was lame in both his feet.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
David and Mephibosheth
12And Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica, and all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. 13So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table, and he was lame in both feet.

Cross References
2 Samuel 4:4
And Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the report about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she was hurrying to escape, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.

2 Samuel 19:24-30
Then Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson, went down to meet the king. He had not cared for his feet or trimmed his mustache or washed his clothes from the day the king had left until the day he returned safely. / And he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, who asked him, “Mephibosheth, why did you not go with me?” / “My lord the king,” he replied, “because I am lame, I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled so that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ But my servant Ziba deceived me, ...

1 Samuel 20:14-17
And as long as I live, treat me with the LORD’s loving devotion, that I may not die, / and do not ever cut off your loving devotion from my household—not even when the LORD cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.” / So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD hold David’s enemies accountable.” ...

1 Samuel 18:3
Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.

1 Samuel 20:42
And Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for the two of us have sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘May the LORD be a witness between you and me, and between your descendants and mine forever.’” Then David got up and departed, and Jonathan went back into the city.

1 Samuel 23:16-18
And Saul’s son Jonathan came to David in Horesh and strengthened his hand in God, / saying, “Do not be afraid, for my father Saul will never lay a hand on you. And you will be king over Israel, and I will be your second-in-command. Even my father Saul knows this is true.” / So the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. And David remained in Horesh, while Jonathan went home.

2 Samuel 21:7
Now the king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the LORD between David and Jonathan son of Saul.

2 Kings 25:27-30
On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah’s King Jehoiachin, in the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he released King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. / And he spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and set his throne above the thrones of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. / So Jehoiachin changed out of his prison clothes, and he dined regularly at the king’s table for the rest of his life. ...

Genesis 32:31
The sun rose above him as he passed by Penuel, and he was limping because of his hip.

Luke 14:13-14
But when you host a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, / and you will be blessed. Since they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Matthew 5:3
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:7
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Matthew 25:35-40
For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, / I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’ / Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? ...

Luke 6:20-23
Looking up at His disciples, Jesus said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. / Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. / Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man. ...

Luke 14:12-14
Then Jesus said to the man who had invited Him, “When you host a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or brothers or relatives or rich neighbors. Otherwise, they may invite you in return, and you will be repaid. / But when you host a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, / and you will be blessed. Since they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”


Treasury of Scripture

So Mephibosheth dwelled in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king's table; and was lame on both his feet.

he did eat

2 Samuel 9:7,10,11
And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually…

was lame

2 Samuel 9:3
And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.

Jump to Previous
Always Ate Continually Crippled Dwelling Dwelt Eat Eating Feet Jerusalem King's Lame Meals Mephibosheth Mephib'osheth Regularly Table Use
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Always Ate Continually Crippled Dwelling Dwelt Eat Eating Feet Jerusalem King's Lame Meals Mephibosheth Mephib'osheth Regularly Table Use
2 Samuel 9
1. David by Ziba sends for Mephibosheth
7. For Jonathan's sake he restores to him all that was Saul's
9. He makes Ziba his farmer














So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem
The name "Mephibosheth" is significant in Hebrew, meaning "dispeller of shame" or "from the mouth of shame." This name reflects his past, as he was the son of Jonathan and grandson of Saul, who fell from royal favor. His residence in "Jerusalem," the city of peace and the political and spiritual center of Israel, signifies a restoration and acceptance into the heart of the nation. Historically, Jerusalem was the city of David, and Mephibosheth's presence there symbolizes the fulfillment of David's covenant with Jonathan to show kindness to his descendants (1 Samuel 20:14-17).

because he always ate at the king’s table
Eating "at the king’s table" is a powerful symbol of honor, provision, and acceptance. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, sharing a meal was an intimate act that signified fellowship and covenant. For Mephibosheth, a descendant of a former rival dynasty, to eat continually at King David's table demonstrates David's grace and the breaking down of enmity. This act of kindness reflects the heart of God, who invites us to His table despite our unworthiness, echoing the future Messianic banquet where all believers will dine with the King of Kings.

and he was lame in both feet
The mention of Mephibosheth's lameness underscores his vulnerability and the grace extended to him. His physical condition, a result of an accident during his childhood (2 Samuel 4:4), left him unable to fend for himself, making him a symbol of human frailty and dependence on divine mercy. In a society that often marginalized the disabled, David's acceptance of Mephibosheth highlights the biblical theme of God's strength being made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). It serves as a reminder that God's kingdom is open to all, regardless of physical or social status, and that His grace is sufficient for our every need.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So Mephibosheth
וּמְפִיבֹ֗שֶׁת (ū·mə·p̄î·ḇō·šeṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4648: Mephibosheth -- 'dispeller of shame'

lived
יֹשֵׁב֙ (yō·šêḇ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

in Jerusalem,
בִּיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם (bî·rū·šā·lim)
Preposition-b | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 3389: Jerusalem -- probably 'foundation of peace', capital city of all Israel

because
כִּ֣י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

he
ה֣וּא (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

always
תָּמִ֖יד (tā·mîḏ)
Adverb
Strong's 8548: Continuance, constant, ellipt, the regular, sacrifice

ate
אֹכֵ֑ל (’ō·ḵêl)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 398: To eat

at
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the king’s
הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

table,
שֻׁלְחַ֥ן (šul·ḥan)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7979: A table, a meal

and he was lame
פִסֵּ֖חַ (pis·sê·aḥ)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 6455: Lame

in both
שְׁתֵּ֥י (šə·tê)
Number - fdc
Strong's 8147: Two (a cardinal number)

feet.
רַגְלָֽיו׃ (raḡ·lāw)
Noun - fdc | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7272: A foot, a step, the pudenda


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OT History: 2 Samuel 9:13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem (2Sa iiSam 2 Sam ii sam)
2 Samuel 9:12
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