What Does 2 Samuel 9:2 Mean in the King James?
And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The Hebrew verb for “called” can also mean “name,” so this summons is an act of recognition, and Ziba still answers for himself.
THE MEANING
The verse meets you in the moment you are addressed: the call makes you present, but your answer gives voice to the relation you claim. Ziba answers in the language of service, placing himself in relation to the king.
THE ROOT
קָרָא
qara
GROWS FROM
ק־ר־א
q-r-ʾ
To call out, summon, proclaim, name, or read aloud.
The verb rendered “called” can carry the force of naming as well as summoning. English makes the call sound like a step in arranging an audience; the Hebrew word can also suggest bringing someone into presence through address.
ALSO GROWS
qore: One who calls or reads aloud.
קוֹרֵא
The caller and the reader both bring words into hearing, linking a summons with a voice that makes something known.
miqra: A convocation or public reading; something called together or proclaimed.
מִקְרָא
This branch shows how calling can gather people into a shared encounter, beyond simply getting someone’s attention.
עֶבֶד
eved
GROWS FROM
ע־ב־ד
ʿ-b-d
To work, labor, or serve.
“Servant” is eved, from abad, a verb spanning labor and service. Ziba’s answer keeps service close to identity: he responds to the king by naming the relation he occupies.
ALSO GROWS
avad: To work or serve.
עָבַד
The verb beneath “servant” makes the word a relation expressed through action.
avodah: Work, labor, or service.
עֲבוֹדָה
This branch shows that Ziba’s answer belongs to the language of service and work, not only a fixed title.
דָּוִד
Dāwīd
GROWS FROM
ד־ו־ד
d-w-d
Beloved.
David’s name carries the nature of the beloved. The verse places Ziba’s answer before a king whose own name holds a word of relationship beneath the royal title.
ALSO GROWS
dod: Beloved one; also kinsman in related usage.
דּוֹד
This is the name’s root association, carrying affection and kinship beneath David’s office.
dodim: Love or beloved ones.
דּוֹדִים
This related form makes the relational meaning in David’s name more audible.
THE PATTERN
A call becomes recognition when a name is spoken and the person answers.
And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.THE THREAD
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.Genesis uses qara for God’s naming of light and darkness; 2 Samuel uses the same verb when Ziba is summoned. The shared root lets the call carry the edge of naming: an address brings someone into presence for recognition.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us