· Translation: KJV

2 Samuel 19:25It happened, when he had come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said to him, "Why didn't you go with me, Mephibosheth?"

The setting

Jerusalem, ~970 BC. David has just returned after fleeing Absalom's rebellion. Mephibosheth, Jonathan's disabled son, meets the king to explain his absence during the crisis. Modern-day Jerusalem, Israel.

The emotion here: confused but still caring

The original word

lamah (לָמָה) — why, for what reason — implies David genuinely doesn't understand

Why it matters

Mephibosheth hadn't trimmed his beard or washed his clothes during David's entire exile, showing mourning

Read with care

What most readers miss in 2 Samuel 19:25

David asks 'Why didn't you go?' — he still doesn't know Ziba lied about Mephibosheth

Common misconceptionPeople think David is angry here, but he's genuinely puzzled — he trusted Ziba's story and doesn't understand why his covenant son didn't flee with him.

Bible Genome reading

2 Samuel 19:25 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerDavid
EraUnited Kingdom
Primary emotionseeking
Literary typedialogue

Emotional genome

Comfort power30%
Quotability30%
Memorability40%
Crisis relevance60%
Standalone40%
Themes:questioningloyalty

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open 2 Samuel 19

2 Samuel 19:25 comes from the book of 2 Samuel, written during the United Kingdom period. These words are attributed to David. The dominant emotion in this verse is seeking, with a comfort power of 30% and a tone that is conversational. It belongs to the dialogue genre of biblical literature. Key themes include questioning, loyalty. Notable phrases: Why didn't you go with me.

Your reflection

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