Skip to reading
Atomic Bible
2 Samuel 16:2
“Why do you have these?” asked the king.
from David and Ziba, 2 Samuel 16:1-4
What it says

David asks why Ziba has brought these things, opening the exchange about their purpose and about Mephibosheth.

What it is doing

This verse turns the meeting from gift to explanation.

In context

1When David had gone a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth was there to meet him. He had a pair of saddled donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred clusters of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine. 2“Why do you have these?” asked the king. 3“Where is your master’s grandson?” asked the king. 4So the king said to Ziba, “All that belongs to Mephibosheth is now yours!”