The Meaning of 2 Samuel 16:2 Explained

2 Samuel 16:2

KJV: And the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses be for the king's household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that such as be faint in the wilderness may drink.

YLT: And the king saith unto Ziba, 'What -- these to thee?' and Ziba saith, 'The asses for the household of the king to ride on, and the bread and the summer-fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for the wearied to drink in the wilderness.'

Darby: And the king said to Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses are for the king's household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruits for the young men to eat; and the wine, that such as are faint in the wilderness may drink.

ASV: And the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses are for the king's household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that such as are faint in the wilderness may drink.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the king  said  unto Ziba,  What meanest thou by these? And Ziba  said,  The asses  [be] for the king's  household  to ride on;  and the bread  and summer fruit  for the young men  to eat;  and the wine,  that such as be faint  in the wilderness  may drink. 

What does 2 Samuel 16:2 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Samuel 16:1-12 - A Day That Revealed Character
There may have been some truth in Ziba's statement, but we should balance it with 2 Samuel 19:24. Shimei vented the spleen of the house of Saul. He probably referred to the recent execution of the sons of Rizpah, and perhaps suggested that David had been guilty of all the disaster that had befallen Saul's house from the day of Gilboa. When men curse us, whether we deserve it or not, let us look past them to the permissive will of God. "Let him curse; for the Lord hath bidden him!"
When, through the treachery of Judas, the bitter cup came to the lips of our Lord, he said, "It is the cup that my Father hath given me to drink." Pain and sorrow, treachery and hard speeches, may be devised against us by the malignity of an Ahithophel, a Shimei, or a Judas; but by the time these have passed, through the permissive will of God, we may receive them as the strokes of His chastening rod, that we may partake of His holiness. We are not the sport of chance or human caprice. God deals with us as with sons. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Samuel 16

1  Ziba, by presents and false suggestions, obtains his master's inheritance
5  At Bahurim, Shimei curses David
9  David with patience abstains, and restrains others, from revenge
15  Hushai insinuates himself into Absalom's counsel
20  Ahithophel's counsel

What do the individual words in 2 Samuel 16:2 mean?

And said the king to Ziba what [do you mean to do] [with] these to so said Ziba the donkeys [are] for household of the king to ride on - the bread and summer fruit to eat the for young men and the wine for to drink those who are faint in the wilderness
וַיֹּ֧אמֶר הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ אֶל־ צִיבָ֖א מָה־ ؟ אֵ֣לֶּה לָּ֑ךְ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר צִ֠יבָא הַחֲמוֹרִ֨ים לְבֵית־ הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ לִרְכֹּ֗ב [ולהלחם] (וְהַלֶּ֤חֶם) וְהַקַּ֙יִץ֙ לֶאֱכ֣וֹל הַנְּעָרִ֔ים וְהַיַּ֕יִן לִשְׁתּ֥וֹת הַיָּעֵ֖ף בַּמִּדְבָּֽר

וַיֹּ֧אמֶר  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
צִיבָ֖א  Ziba 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: צִיבָא  
Sense: a servant of Saul whom David made steward of Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth.
מָה־  what  [do  you  mean  to  do] 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
؟ אֵ֣לֶּה  [with]  these 
Parse: Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר  so  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
צִ֠יבָא  Ziba 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: צִיבָא  
Sense: a servant of Saul whom David made steward of Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth.
הַחֲמוֹרִ֨ים  the  donkeys  [are] 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: חֲמֹור 
Sense: (he)ass.
לְבֵית־  for  household 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ  of  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
לִרְכֹּ֗ב  to  ride  on 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: רָכַב  
Sense: to mount and ride, ride.
[ולהלחם]  - 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
(וְהַלֶּ֤חֶם)  the  bread 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: לֶחֶם  
Sense: bread, food, grain.
וְהַקַּ֙יִץ֙  and  summer  fruit 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: קַיִץ  
Sense: summer, summer-fruit.
לֶאֱכ֣וֹל  to  eat 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
הַנְּעָרִ֔ים  the  for  young  men 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: נַעַר  
Sense: a boy, lad, servant, youth, retainer.
וְהַיַּ֕יִן  and  the  wine 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יַיִן  
Sense: wine.
לִשְׁתּ֥וֹת  for  to  drink 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: שָׁתָה  
Sense: to drink.
הַיָּעֵ֖ף  those  who  are  faint 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: יָעֵף  
Sense: faint, weary, fatigued.
בַּמִּדְבָּֽר  in  the  wilderness 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְבָּר 
Sense: wilderness.