The Meaning of 2 Samuel 16:3 Explained

2 Samuel 16:3

KJV: And the king said, And where is thy master's son? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem: for he said, To day shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.

YLT: And the king saith, 'And where is the son of thy lord?' and Ziba saith unto the king, 'Lo, he is abiding in Jerusalem, for he said, To-day do the house of Israel give back to me the kingdom of my father.'

Darby: And the king said, And where is thy master's son? And Ziba said to the king, Behold, he abides at Jerusalem; for he said, To-day shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.

ASV: And the king said, And where is thy master's son? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem; for he said, To-day will the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the king  said,  And where [is] thy master's  son?  And Ziba  said  unto the king,  Behold, he abideth  at Jerusalem:  for he said,  To day  shall the house  of Israel  restore  me the kingdom  of my father. 

What does 2 Samuel 16:3 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 16:3 mean?

And said the king and where [is] son your master's and said Ziba to the king indeed he is staying in Jerusalem for he said Today will restore to me the house of Israel - the kingdom of my father
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ וְאַיֵּ֖ה ؟ בֶּן־ אֲדֹנֶ֑יךָ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר צִיבָ֜א אֶל־ הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ הִנֵּה֙ יוֹשֵׁ֣ב בִּירוּשָׁלִַ֔ם כִּ֣י אָמַ֔ר הַיּ֗וֹם יָשִׁ֤יבוּ לִי֙ בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֵ֖ת מַמְלְכ֥וּת אָבִֽי

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
וְאַיֵּ֖ה  and  where  [is] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interrogative
Root: אַיֵּה  
Sense: where?.
؟ בֶּן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
אֲדֹנֶ֑יךָ  your  master's 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אָדֹון  
Sense: firm, strong, lord, master.
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
צִיבָ֜א  Ziba 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: צִיבָא  
Sense: a servant of Saul whom David made steward of Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth.
הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
הִנֵּה֙  indeed 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
יוֹשֵׁ֣ב  he  is  staying 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
בִּירוּשָׁלִַ֔ם  in  Jerusalem 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
אָמַ֔ר  he  said 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הַיּ֗וֹם  Today 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
יָשִׁ֤יבוּ  will  restore 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
לִי֙  to  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
בֵּ֣ית  the  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
אֵ֖ת  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
מַמְלְכ֥וּת  the  kingdom 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: מַמְלָכוּת  
Sense: kingdom, dominion, reign, sovereignty.
אָבִֽי  of  my  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.