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.
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.
- BSB 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.
- 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.
- 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 one hundred twenty years old when he died. His eye was not dim, nor his strength gone.
- 1 Sam 25:2There was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats; and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
- Prov 16:31Gray hair is a crown of glory. It is attained by a life of righteousness.
- Job 1:3His possessions also were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the children of the east.
- Gen 25:7These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: one hundred seventy-five years.
- Gen 5:27All the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty-nine years, then he died.
- Gen 47:28Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were one hundred forty-seven years.
- Gen 9:29All the days of Noah were nine hundred fifty years, and then he died.
- Gen 50:26So Joseph died, being one hundred ten years old, and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
- Ps 90:3–10You turn man to destruction, saying, “Return, you children of men.”
- 2 Sam 17:27–29When David had come to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lodebar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.