Person Old Testament
Ziba
Ziba, a servant of Saul's household, became a servant of David and played a role in the conflict between David and Mephibosheth. Mentioned in 13 verses across 1 book, first at 2 Samuel 9:2.
Why it matters. Servant of Saul's household, later served David
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Ziba
Ziba was a servant of Saul's household who later became a servant of King David. He first appears in the narrative when David inquires about any remaining members of Saul's family to whom he can show kindness. Ziba informs David about Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son, who was lame in both feet. David grants Mephibosheth all of Saul's land and appoints Ziba, along with his fifteen sons and twenty servants, to manage the property on Mephibosheth's behalf. Later, during Absalom's rebellion, Ziba meets David with supplies and falsely claims that Mephibosheth had hoped to regain the kingdom. David then grants Ziba all of Mephibosheth's possessions. After Absalom's death, when David returns to Jerusalem, Mephibosheth explains that Ziba had deceived him, and David divides the land between Ziba and Mephibosheth. Ziba's actions throughout the story suggest that he was an opportunist seeking to gain favor and wealth through his service to the king.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 13 verses across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.