שמואל ב, פרק י״ט, פסוק כ״ו

The reunion between King David and Mephibosheth following the rebellion is heavy with tension and suspicion. Earlier, Mephibosheth's servant, Ziba, had slandered his master. Ziba claimed that Mephibosheth was indifferent to the king's distress and secretly hoped the political chaos would restore the royal throne to his own hands [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The exact circumstances of their meeting depend on who was actually arriving in Jerusalem at the time. The primary approach among commentators is that Mephibosheth went out to meet King David just as the king was returning to the city [רד״ק]. Conversely, others suggest that Mephibosheth himself had been hiding outside of Jerusalem during the rebellion. According to this view, it was only upon the king's return that Mephibosheth finally entered the city to greet him [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

When they finally face each other, David demands to know why Mephibosheth did not join him when he initially fled the city [רש״י]. Fleeing alongside the king was the basic expectation of loyalty, a standard met by the rest of David's devoted friends and supporters [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Yet, David waits until this face-to-face encounter, when Mephibosheth's innocence is already becoming apparent, to confront him. By asking directly, David gives Mephibosheth a fair opportunity to explain his behavior and clear his name [מלבי״ם].