And there was a servant of the house of Saul named Ziba. They summoned him to David, and the king inquired, “Are you Ziba?” “I am your servant,” he replied.
Here is, I. David's enquiry after the remains of the ruined house of Saul, Sa2 9:1. This was a great while after his accession to the throne, for it should seem that Mephibosheth, who was but five years old when Saul died, had now a son born, Sa2 9:12. David had too long forgotten his obligations to Jonathan, but now, at length, they are brought to his mind.
Commenting on 2 Samuel 9:1-8
And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba,.... Or there was a servant that belonged to Saul's family; not that any of Saul's family was a servant; and this servant the Jews commonly say was a Canaanitish servant, and who upon the death of his master was not made free, but became the inheritance and possession of his children...
When David was exalted to be king over all Israel, he sought to show compassion to the house of the fallen king, and to repay the love which his noble-minded friend Jonathan had once sworn to him before the Lord (1Sa 20:13.; comp. 2Sa 23:17-18).
Commenting on 2 Samuel 9:1-4