2 Samuel 4 4

2 Samuel 4:4 kjv

And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.

2 Samuel 4:4 nkjv

Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel; and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.

2 Samuel 4:4 niv

(Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became disabled. His name was Mephibosheth.)

2 Samuel 4:4 esv

Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled, and as she fled in her haste, he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.

2 Samuel 4:4 nlt

(Saul's son Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth, who was crippled as a child. He was five years old when the report came from Jezreel that Saul and Jonathan had been killed in battle. When the child's nurse heard the news, she picked him up and fled. But as she hurried away, she dropped him, and he became crippled.)

2 Samuel 4 verses

2 Samuel 4 4 Meaning

This verse introduces Mephibosheth, a son of Jonathan and grandson of King Saul. It records the tragic incident that caused his permanent physical disability: at the tender age of five, upon receiving the news of Saul and Jonathan's deaths at Jezreel, his nurse panicked and fled with him, but in her haste, he fell and became permanently crippled. His full name, Mephibosheth, is given.

2 Samuel 4 4 Context

This verse is positioned in 2 Samuel immediately following the death of Saul's last surviving son, Ish-Bosheth (also called Ishbaal). This violent death extinguishes the remaining claim of Saul's direct dynastic line to the throne of Israel, clearing the path for David's complete rule. Amidst the chaos and fear that accompanied such transitions of power, particularly the common practice of exterminating previous royal houses to eliminate future threats, the revelation of Mephibosheth's existence, disability, and tragic past introduces a poignant detail that sets the stage for David's future act of remarkable grace and covenant faithfulness found in 2 Samuel 9. The event occurred when David was not yet king over all Israel, and Saul's family was considered vulnerable and marked for potential annihilation.

2 Samuel 4 4 Word analysis

• Jonathan, Saul’s son: This specifies Mephibosheth's direct paternal lineage, connecting him to the recently fallen king and his beloved son, Jonathan. This link is crucial for understanding David's later actions, rooted in the covenant between David and Jonathan (1 Sam 18, 20).
• had a son who was crippled in his feet: The Hebrew word for crippled is pisseaḥ (פסח), meaning "lame" or "disabled." This state implies vulnerability and, in ancient contexts, often carried social stigma or prevented participation in certain roles (e.g., Levitical priesthood, Lev 21:18). It underscores Mephibosheth's helplessness and physical inability to pose any threat to David's throne.
• He was five years old: This age highlights Mephibosheth's extreme vulnerability and innocence at the time of the trauma. It emphasizes that his injury was an unfortunate accident, not a pre-existing condition, deepening the pathos of his story.
• when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel: Jezreel was where the fateful battle took place and where Saul and Jonathan died (1 Sam 31). The "news" signifies the abrupt end of the reigning dynasty and the start of a perilous interregnum, stirring fear and desperate flight.
• and his nurse picked him up and fled;: The nurse's action demonstrates her desperate attempt to protect the young prince, fearing dynastic purges, which were a common political practice (e.g., 1 Kings 15:29). This reflects a profound and justifiable fear for the child's life given the instability of the time.
• and as she hurried to flee, he fell and became crippled.: The Hebrew nāpal (נפל), "to fall," points to a specific, sudden, and accidental injury, making the lameness a direct consequence of the panicked flight. This particular detail underlines the tragedy, as his disability resulted not from birth but from a desperate escape, emphasizing his tragic circumstances.
• His name was Mephibosheth: The name Mᵉfîbōšeth (מפיבשת) likely means "man of shame" or "dispeller of shame," reflecting a possible polemical shift from a probable original "Merib-baal" or "Meresh-baal" (similar to Ish-Bosheth from Ishbaal), where "Baal" was replaced with bosheth ("shame") as a denunciation of Canaanite deity worship. This transformation of a name indicates religious loyalty and historical commentary on Israelite idolatry. It may also poetically allude to his crippled state, a "shame" in the physical sense, later transformed into an emblem of David's grace.

2 Samuel 4 4 Bonus section

The name Mephibosheth itself, possibly a softened version of a name containing "Baal" (like Merib-Baal or Mâphi-Baal), is a silent theological commentary. It highlights a common scribal practice in Israel to alter names that incorporated pagan deity names (such as "Baal") by substituting them with terms like bosheth (shame), demonstrating the narrator's consistent rejection of idolatry. This transformation connects Mephibosheth to his uncle Ish-Bosheth (originally Ishbaal, "man of Baal"). Beyond the polemic, the verse presents a significant theological type. Mephibosheth, an undeserving and disabled individual from a rival, disgraced house, is rescued from potential oblivion and brought to eat at the king's table (David's table) as one of his own sons, receiving unmerited favor. This serves as a powerful foreshadowing of God's grace toward humanity: undeserving, spiritually crippled by sin, yet welcomed into the presence and family of the true King, not based on merit, but on divine covenant and unwavering faithfulness.

2 Samuel 4 4 Commentary

2 Samuel 4:4 is a pivotal verse that subtly introduces Mephibosheth, setting the stage for David's remarkable display of grace and covenant faithfulness later in the narrative (2 Sam 9). It details his origins as Jonathan's son, his young age of five, and the tragic circumstances of his permanent disability – a fall during his nurse's panicked flight upon hearing of Saul and Jonathan's deaths. This trauma, resulting from the dynastic collapse, rendered him not only physically helpless but also a prime target for elimination by the new ruling power, typical of ancient Near Eastern kings seeking to secure their thrones. Yet, his lameness ironically might have played a role in his survival, as a physically disabled individual was less of a political threat. The verse underscores the insecurity of the period and prepares the reader for David's later, unexpected act of unmerited kindness towards one who by all political norms would have been eradicated.