And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king, and had neither dressed his feet, nor And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king, and had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came again in peace.
Mephibosheth ... came down to meet the king. The reception given to Mephibosheth was less creditable to David. The sincerity of that prince's grief for the misfortunes of the king cannot be doubted. He "had neither dressed his feet" (not taken the bath), "nor trimmed his beard" х `aasaah (H6213) sªpaamow (H8222), trimmed the lip, beard, or moustache (cf. Leviticus 13:45; Micah 3:7); Septuagint, epoieese ton mustaka autou]. The Hebrews cut off the hair on the upper lip (see the notes at Leviticus 13:45) and cheeks, but in mourning let it grow carelessly, as on the chin. Besides dyeing the beard some colour, which, however, is the exception, and not the rule in the East, there are various modes of trimming it: they train it into a massy, bushy form, swelling and round; or they terminate it like a pyramid, in a sharp point. Whatever the mode, it is always trimmed with the greatest care; and they usually carry a small comb for the purpose.
The neglect of this attention to his beard was an undoubted proof of the depth of Mephibosheth's grief. The king seems to have received him upbraidingly, and not to have been altogether sure either of his guilt or innocence. It is impossible to commend the cavalier treatment, any more than to approve the partial award, of David in this case. If he were too hurried and distracted by the pressure of circumstances to inquire fully into the matter, he should have postponed his decision; because if by 'dividing the land' (2 Samuel 19:29) he meant that the former arrangement should be continued, by which Mephibosheth was acknowledged the proprietor, and Ziba the farmer, it was a hardship inflicted on the owner to fix him with a tenant who had so grossly slandered him. But if 'by dividing the land,' they were now to share alike, the injustice of the decision was greatly increased by his being made partner with his selfish and slanderous steward. Jerome ('Quest. Hehraicae,' in loco) says that the later Jews believed the division of David's kingdom was an act done by the retributive justice of Providence for the unequal measure awarded to Mephibosheth. Whatever may be thought of the hasty and imprudent conduct of David, in any view the generous, disinterested spirit displayed by Mephibosheth was worthy a son of the noble-hearted Jonathan.