Barzillai was quite old, eighty years of age, and since he was a very wealthy man, he had provided for the king while he stayed in Mahanaim.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now Barzillai was a very aged man, even eighty years old. He had provided the king with sustenance while he stayed at Mahanaim; for he was a very great man.
- KJV Now Barzillai was a very aged man, even fourscore years old: and he had provided the king of sustenance while he lay at Mahanaim; for he was a very great man.
- NKJV Now Barzillai was a very aged man, eighty years old. And he had provided the king with supplies while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he was a very rich man.
- NASB Barzillai was very old: eighty years old; and he had provided the king food while he stayed in Mahanaim, for he was a very great man.
- NLT He was very old—eighty years of age—and very wealthy. He was the one who had provided food for the king during his stay in Mahanaim.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Barzillai was a very old and wealthy man who had sustained David during his stay at Mahanaim. It matters because his generosity in David's need showed true and costly loyalty.
Overview
At eighty years old and very wealthy, Barzillai had used his means to provide for the king when David was a fugitive. His support came at a time of risk, when David's fortunes were uncertain. The verse honors a man whose faithfulness was proven by sacrificial generosity rather than mere words.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Deut 34:7Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak, and his vitality had not diminished.
- 1 Sam 25:2Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. He was a very wealthy man with a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel.
- Prov 16:31Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is attained along the path of righteousness.
- Job 1:3and he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very large number of servants. Job was the greatest man of all the people of the East.
- Gen 25:7Abraham lived a total of 175 years.
- Gen 5:27So Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.
- Gen 47:28And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years, and the length of his life was 147 years.
- Gen 9:29So Noah lived a total of 950 years, and then he died.
- Gen 50:26So Joseph died at the age of 110. And they embalmed his body and placed it in a coffin in Egypt.
- Ps 90:3–10You return man to dust, saying, “Return, O sons of mortals.”
- 2 Sam 17:27–29When David came to Mahanaim, he was met by Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, Machir son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim.
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Christ at the center
God's covenant with David — a son whose throne and kingdom would last forever (7:12–16) — finds its yes in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns without end.
How 2 Samuel 19:32 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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