Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 30 Oct. 2022
The key verb in this passage is the Hebrew verb עבר – “pass over/go across/travel through;” it occurs 10 times in these 10 verses.
This highlights the fact that this passage is about a transition, and that transition is symbolized by the crossing of the Jordan River.
For David, crossing the river was a return to the role of being king of Israel and Judah.
For David’s followers, it was the border of Israel:
Those from Judah were returning home when they crossed the river.
Those who lived on the East side, however, for them, crossing the river meant leaving their home to follow David.
Read
text in my translation:
31 Barzillai the Gileadite also came
down from Rogelim and he crossed over the Jordan with the king to
commission him at the Jordan. Now, Barzillai was very old – 80
years old, and it was he who had supported the king while he was
residing in Machanaim, for he was a very great man. Now the king
said to Barzillai, “You should cross over with me, and I will
support you beside me in Jerusalem.” But Barzillai said to the
king, “How many more days are there to the years of my life
that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? Eighty years old I
am today! Can I distinguish between [what looks] good vs. bad? Can
your servant taste what I eat or what I drink? Can I still hear the
sound of male-singers and female-singers? Why then should your
servant become more of a burden to my master the king? It’s a
small thing that your servant crosses over the Jordan with the king.
Why then should the king award me this award? Please let your
servant {settle down}, that I may die in my hometown {and be buried}
at the tomb of my father and my mother. However, here is your
servant Kimham. Let him cross over with my master the king, then do
for him whatever is good in your eyes. So the king said, “Let
Kimham cross over with me, and, as for me, I will do for him what is
good in your eyes, and anything which you desire of me, I will do
for you!” When all the people had crossed over the Jordan,
then the king crossed over. Then the king kissed Barzillai, and he
blessed him. Then he returned to his place, and the king went on
toward Gilgal (and Kimham went on with him). Thus all the people of
Judah and also half of the people of Israel brought the king over.”
Introducing Barzillai
Barzillai, you may remember, was one of the three political leaders in the trans-Jordan area who met with David and supported him back when he was running away from Absalom. In 2 Samuel 17:27-29 we read, “Now, it came about when David was going to Machanaim, that Shobi, son of Nahash from Rabbah of the descendants of Ammon, and Makir son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Roglim {presented} bedding and bowls and pottery vessels, and wheat and barley and flour, and granola and beans and lentils, and honey and butter, and sheep and cow's cheese to David and to the people which was with him to eat, for, they said, ‘The people has become hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.’” (NAW)
It is believed that Barzillai was an Israelite of the tribe of Manasseh, living on the East side of the Jordan River.
His hometown of Roglim has not been discovered, and it is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible outside of 2nd Samuel, but it is thought to be just North or South of Machanaim, up in the highlands of Gilead overlooking the Jordan River, since it says here that Barzillai came “down” from his home to meet David at the river.
He was “a very great man,” according to our text, and, along with his great wealth and influence, God gave him a large heart to do good to others.
The Hebrew text of verse 31 (as well as the ancient Greek, Latin, Aramaic, and Syriac versions) speak of Barzillai having crossing the Jordan River with David in the past tense, but five verses later, it appears that David and Barzillai have NOT crossed the river yet!
For this reason, all the modern English Bibles adjust the wording of verse 31 to make it sound like Barzillai merely came to the Eastern shore of the Jordan in v.31 but did not actually cross over until later. But I think the King James and ancient versions were correct1 in saying that he crossed over, because in the big picture he did2.
I think that verse 31 is just giving us an overview about this whole follow-up encounter between David and Barzillai, and that the subsequent 7 verses unpack that summary with details which are subordinate to the overview statement.
In other words, verses 32-38 are not intended to be in time sequence after verse 31; if anything, v.31 comes after verses 32-38 in time order, but that is the nature of an overview statement: it tells you the main thing that is going to happen. Barzillai is going to cross over the Jordan River into the main land of Israel with David.
And the reason he came to do this is also stated in v.31: literally to “send-off” David “at the Jordan River.”
Where was David going? To Jerusalem to resume his rule as King over Israel and Judah.
Some English versions translate v.31 as though the purpose of Barzillai’s meeting was merely to “escort” or “conduct” David across the river, but escorting David across the river was just the symbolic action which signified Barzillai’s overall support of David in resuming his kingship over the nation, the river crossing per se wasn’t the goal.
Ancient Latin manuscripts have the preposition “over the Jordan,” (which is what the KJV, NAS, and ESV chose to follow), and the old Syriac has the preposition “from the Jordan” (which is what the NIV chose to follow), but the ancient Greek and Hebrew manuscripts either don’t have any preposition before the word “Jordan” or have a preposition which means “in/at,” which is why I translated it, “at the Jordan.”
I think what we have here is a transjordanian nobleman re-commissioning the once-deposed king of Israel at the border of Israel. He is demonstrating that he will support David’s return to the throne, thus he will escort David out of exile back in the direction of Jerusalem.
Now David, like any good organizational leader, is always on the lookout for folks who could help him lead the army and the nation. David could use someone as wise and respected as Barzillai in his court, and Barzillai could bring a real specialty in dealing with the politics of things on the East side of the Jordan River, so when Barzillai shows up to lend his support to David’s return to the throne, David offers him a paid position as one of his cabinet members in Jerusalem.
In verses 34 and following, Barzillai politely declines, reasoning that
he is so old that he probably doesn’t have many more years to live, so he wouldn’t be able to serve David very long in that capacity
v.35 could mean that his 80th birthday was that very day, or it could just mean that he was currently in his 80th year.3
He also notes that, due to his age, he has lost a lot of his physical abilities. He talks about losing his sense of hearing and his sense of taste in v.35, so I suspect that by “not knowing good vs. bad” he is referring to his sense of sight4.
An old guy who can’t see very well isn’t going to be able to help much in war reconnaissance, or in reading documents, or even in judging court fashion.
A court official who can’t taste very well isn’t the person you’d want to be your cook or butler or cup-bearer.
And a guy who can’t hear very well is always going to be missing important things that people said in government meetings.
Barzillai is afraid he would be more of a burden than a help to David if he joined the court in Jerusalem.
In v.36, Barzillai suggests that David’s offer of a court appointment is far out-of-proportion in generosity compared to his own gesture of crossing the river with David5.
For what it’s worth, I think that the grammar of the Hebrew (as well as the logical meaning) of v.36 do not support translating the word for “little” as an adverb describing how far over the river Barzillai would go6 (I think the rest of the passage indicates he went all the way across the river.), rather I think the word “little” is a predicate adjective describing how “little” a thing it was to cross the river with David, in comparison to how great a reward David had offered him.
In doing so, Barzillai minimizes any social obligation David might feel to return Barzillai’s favors, particularly the unmentioned favor of supplying David’s thousands of soldiers with food while they were sojourning in Machanaim.
Barzillai doesn’t exaggerate the importance of his good deeds or manipulate others with his expectations of kickbacks.
Man, how we need statesmen like him in government who won’t contribute to the corruption of the political swamp – who will do things because it was the right thing to do, rather than in order to get political favors!
In v.37, translators historically have been divided over whether the first verb means “settle down” or “return.” Those two verbs can be spelled with the exact same Hebrew consonants, so they can easily be mistaken for each other, but either way, Barzillai is speaking of retirement, not wanting to start another chapter of active service at his age.
In the moment, Barzillai, as an old man, may want to “sit down7” and “rest and refresh8” himself after the physical exertion of crossing the river. Then he will want to cross back over to his side of the Jordan and “return9” home.
And in the bigger picture, he would rather “settle down” and die in his own hometown than start a new job as a court counselor in Jerusalem.
Now, being buried in your parents’ tomb was a tradition of the day. You may recall that:
Asahel was buried in his father’s tomb in chapter two10,
and Ahithophel was buried in11 his father’s tomb in chapter seventeen,
and we’ll see in chapter 21, that King Saul was buried in his father’s tomb12.
This appeal to burial tradition probably would have carried a great deal of weight with David.
Barzillai then offers to send one of his own people named Kimham, in his place, to Jerusalem, suggesting that David could instead offer Kimham the court position that David had just offered him.
There is an old tradition found in the Syriac Bible, the Arabic Bible, and in the Lucian Rescription of the Greek Bible that Kimham was Barzillai’s own son, and practically every commentary I read affirmed this tradition.
Nothing more of substance is said about Kimham joining David’s court except that in 1 Kings 2:7, when David was on his deathbed, giving instructions to his son Solomon about taking over the kingdom, David told Solomon to welcome the descendants of Barzillai anytime to his table at the palace. The fact that there were local descendants of Barzillai may support the tradition that Kimham was actually a son of Barzillai and that he and his family had settled near Jerusalem and had remained loyal to David.
There is one more interesting sidenote about Kimham in Jeremiah chapter 41, where faithful Jews under the Babylonian occupation decided to escape from Israel and take refuge in Egypt. In Jeremiah 41:17 it says that while they were on their way from central Israel down to Egypt, they stopped overnight at a place called the Lodge of Kimham.13 Bible scholars14 are generally agreed that Kimham therefore must have established a household near Bethlehem which endured and became known as a place where God’s people could find hospitality!
Matthew Henry went so far as to suggest in his commentary the reason why Kimham’s estate was in rural Bethlehem rather than in the big city of Jerusalem. Remember that David said he would “do for [Kimham] whatever was good in [Barzillai’s] sight”? Well, where was it good in Barzillai’s sight to live? Not in Jerusalem, but out in the country! I think Matthew Henry’s hypothesis is pretty plausible that Barzillai must have asked David to let Barzillai occupy “a country seat near Jerusalem but not in it,” and so David pulled some strings with his family to give a portion of his family land in Bethlehem to Kimham.
At any rate, David accepted Barzillai’s suggestion to make Kimham part of his court – I’m sure that also included paying him well and treating him so well that Barzillai and Kimham would have nothing to complain about15.
But for Kimham, crossing that river with David meant leaving his family and leaving his homeland of Gilead on the East side of the Jordan to join David in Jerusalem in a new community, a new location, and a new world of Israelite politics. It appears he did this faithfully, though!
At the end of v. 38 David says to Barzillai something to the effect of, “Call me if you need anything!” And one gets the impression that David means it.
If Barzillai had sent a message to David asking for anything, David would have given it to him.
Particularly, if any foreign nation were to raise an army to threaten the Jews on Barzillai’s side of the river, David would have his army over there in a heartbeat to defend them (just like King Saul had done for the Gileadites in his good days). That, in particular, is what a good king does: he defends his people.
David wants Barzillai to know that he is going to take his job as king seriously again.
With all that settled, David and Barzillai are escorted over the Jordan River together in great pomp and splendor, and then, on the West Bank,
David kisses Barzillai on both cheeks to show that they are like brothers on good terms,
and David offers a prayer of blessing over Barzillai.
Then they part ways.
Barzillai goes back across the river to his home in Roglim,
and David leads his people up from the river bank about 5 miles to Gilgal, which was a good place to camp, before heading up into the hills toward Jerusalem.
We never hear of Barzillai again, except that his children continued to thrive in Israel (1 Ki. 2:7) for centuries – even during the time of Ezra (2:61) and Nehemiah (7:63).
As I said in my introduction, this passage is about crossings-over:
For David, it was a transition from being out-of-commission in exile to getting back to doing what God had called him to do.
For Shimei and others, it was a transition from following the wrong leader to following the Lord’s anointed.
For Kimham, it was a transition from faithful work at home to faithful service in a new place that was foreign to him.
And for Barzillai, it was a watershed moment of preparing for the ultimate transition from life in this world to the next life.
I want to encourage you now to consider which of these characters in the story God wants you to follow as an example. 1 Corinthians 10:11 tells us – the New Testament church – that “...all these things [in the Old Testament] happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” (NKJV)
Maybe you can identify with David – A believer who has been repeatedly knocked out-of-commission by sin or by difficult circumstances.
Are you willing to trust and obey God again, and step back into doing what He has called you to do – to cross the Jordan like David did?
Will you re-engage in the work of recruiting and training children, employees, and other disciples in strategic roles, like David took on Kimham?
Will you start making promises again to your family, to your business, to your church, trusting that God will give you the ability to carry out your responsibilities to protect them and provide for them and serve them faithfully, even if you have failed in the past?
The apostle Paul told the believers in Corinth, “Some of y'all were [sunk in terrible sins], but you were washed, and you were made holy, and you were made right in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor. 6:11, NAW)
Will you show affection and speak blessing, like David did, to the people God has placed around you in your family, your work, your church, and your community? Maybe you can kiss your spouse and your kids more. Have you ever tried placing a hand on your child or grandchild or great-grandchild or on a disciple you are teaching and spoken a prayer of blessing over them? That’s a powerful thing.
Maybe you can identify with Shimei. You’ve despised the Lord’s anointed, the Christ, Jesus, the 26th-great grandson of David (Matt. 1), but you realize that Jesus is coming back to judge the world, and you need to switch allegiance to Him or else you’re going to be cast into the lake of fire with all the other liars, cowards, unbelievers, idolaters, and sexually immoral persons16.
Will you humble yourself and ask Jesus to forgive you of your offenses against Him?
Will you drop what you were doing and be there for Him and start looking for ways you can serve His interests instead of your own?
Will you recruit other people to follow King Jesus too?
2 Cor. 5:19-20 tells us that “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ…” (NKJV)
Or maybe you identify with Kimham. You have been faithful at home, and lived a relatively-stable life, but now Christ is calling you to follow Him to a strange new place.
Are you willing to leave the comfort of home to follow Christ?
Will you cross the water with Him, like Kimham did with David, to serve wherever Christ Jesus calls you to go?
Do you believe that Jesus will be with you wherever you go, just as He promised in the Gospel of Matthew? “...once y'all have proceeded, start discipling all the ethnicities, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to keep all of whatever I commanded y'all, and see, I myself am with y'all all your days until the conclusion of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20, NAW)
Will you be faithful in that new place, like Kimham was, to build a house that becomes known for generations as a place where God’s people can find peace?
Finally, if the Lord tarries, all of us will one day be in Barzillai’s shoes. We will have to face that great transition of death. What can we learn from Barzillai’s example?
“It is good for us all, but it especially becomes old people to think... of dying… ‘The grave is ready for me, let me go and get ready for it…’” ~Matthew Henry
Barzillai didn’t confine himself to his bed at the age of 80. He got out and delivered food to David, then got out again and crossed a river with David. An octogenarian may not be able to be as active as a 20- or a 40-year-old, but we still need to find strategic things that we can remain active in.
Barzillai “supported the king” throughout the late years of his life. He continued appropriating his resources to benefit the Lord’s anointed until the day he died. What resources has God given you that you can leverage to the benefit of the kingdom of Christ Jesus?
Barzillai thought strategically about the best use of his later years. He asked the question, “How many more days are there to the years of my life?”
Moses also wrote in Psalm 90:10 “The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away…. 12 So teach us to number our days…” (NKJV)
Have you given thought to that? How many more years are likely left to your life before you die? What big-picture things can you accomplish in that space of time which you have left?
And, in light of that, are you letting go of the things that make no sense to invest in – like Barzillai passed up on David’s offer of ending his days in the palace? “Let those that are old learn of Barzillai to be dead to the delights of sense…” ~Matthew Henry
Also, are you setting up the next generation to carry on without you? Barzillai raised up a son in Kimham who was capable of shouldering the responsibilities of a cabinet member of the king and capable of faithfully developing a household of his own that would be a blessing to others for generations. And instead of demanding that Kimham care for him in his old age, Barzillai generously encouraged his son to go serve the Lord’s anointed. If God calls one of your children to the mission field, will you be as generous as Barzillai was?
I want to close with two more verses of encouragement and exhortation from God’s word about old age:
Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, ‘I have no delight in them’; before the sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain; in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and mighty men stoop, the grinding ones stand idle because they are few, and those who look through windows grow dim; and the doors on the street are shut as the sound of the grinding mill is low, and one will arise at the sound of the bird, and all the daughters of song will sing softly. Furthermore, men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags himself along, and the caperberry is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal home while mourners go about in the street. Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” (NASB) And what are we to remember about Him?
Isaiah 46:3-4 "Listen to me, house of Jacob, and all the remainder of the house of Israel, the ones who were carried in my bosom and were lifted from my womb; Even until old age I am He, and until gray hair I myself will carry you. I, I made you, and I, I lift you up, and I, I will carry, and I will deliver.” (NAW)
LXX |
Brenton |
DRB |
KJV |
NAW |
MT |
32) καὶ Βερζελλι ὁ Γαλααδίτης κατέβη ἐκ Ρωγελλιμ καὶ διέβη μετὰ τοῦ βασιλέως τὸν Ιορδάνην ἐκπέμψαι αὐτὸν X τὸν Ιορδάνην· |
31 And Berzelli the Galaadite came down from Rogellim, and crossed over Jordan with the king, that he might conduct [the king overB] Jordan. |
31
Berzellai also the Galaadite coming down from Rogelim, brought
X
the
king over
the Jordan, [being
ready also]
to |
31
And Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim, and went
over
Jordan with the king, to conduct
him |
31 Barzillai the Gileadite also came down from Rogelim and he crossed over the Jordan with the king to commission him at the Jordan. |
32 וּבַרְזִלַּי הַגִּלְעָדִי יָרַד מֵרֹגְלִים וַיַּעֲבֹרD אֶתE-הַמֶּלֶךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן לְשַׁלְּחוֹ אֶת-Fבַיַּרְדֵּן: |
33) καὶ Βερζελλι [ἀνὴρG] πρεσβύτερος σφόδρα, υἱὸς ὀγδοήκοντα ἐτῶν, καὶ αὐτὸς διέθρεψεν τὸν βασιλέα ἐν τῷ οἰκεῖν αὐτὸν ἐν Μαναϊμ, ὅτι ἀνὴρ μέγας ἐστὶν σφόδρα. |
32 And Berzelli was a very old [man], eighty years old; and he had maintained the king when he dwelt in Manaim; for he was a very great man. |
32 Now Berzellai the Galaadite was of a great age, [that is to say,] fourscore years old, and he provided the king [with sustenance] when he abode in the campH: for he was a man exceeding rich. |
32 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. |
32 Now, Barzillai was very old – 80 years old, and it was he who had supported the king while he was residing in Machanaim, for he was a very great man. |
33 וּבַרְזִלַּי זָקֵן מְאֹד בֶּן-שְׁמֹנִים שָׁנָה וְהוּא-כִלְכַּלI אֶת-הַמֶּלֶךְ בְשִׁיבָתוֹJ בְמַחֲנַיִם כִּי-אִישׁ גָּדוֹל הוּא מְאֹד: |
34) καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς Βερζελλι Σὺ διαβήσῃ μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ, καὶ διαθρέψω [τὸ γῆράς] σου μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ ἐν Ιερουσαλημ. |
33 And the king said to Berzelli, Thou shalt go over with me, and I will nourish thine [old age] with me in Jerusalem. |
33
And the king said to Berzellai: X
Come
with me that |
33 And the king said unto Barzillai, Come thou over with me, and I will feed thee with me in Jerusalem. |
33 Now the king said to Barzillai, “You should cross over with me, and I will support you beside me in Jerusalem.” |
34 וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶל-בַּרְזִלָּי אַתָּה עֲבֹר אִתִּי וְכִלְכַּלְתִּי אֹתְךָ עִמָּדִי בִּירוּשָׁלִָם: |
35) καὶ εἶπεν Βερζελλι πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Πόσαι ἡμέραι ἐτῶν ζωῆς μου, ὅτι ἀναβήσομαι μετὰ τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς Ιερουσαλημ; |
34 And Berzelli said to the king, How many are the days of the years of my life, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? |
34 And Berzellai said to the king: How many are the days of the years of my life, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? |
34
And Barzillai said unto the king, How long
have I X
X X X
|
34 But Barzillai said to the king, “How many more days are there to the years of my life that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? |
35 וַיֹּאמֶר בַּרְזִלַּי אֶל-הַמֶּלֶךְ כַּמָּה יְמֵי שְׁנֵי חַיַּי כִּי-אֶעֱלֶה אֶתL-הַמֶּלֶךְ יְרוּשָׁלִָם: |
36) υἱὸς ὀγδοήκοντα ἐτῶν ἐγώ εἰμι σήμερον· μὴ γνώσομαι [ἀνὰ] μέσον ἀγαθοῦ καὶ κακοῦ; ἢ γεύσεται ὁ δοῦλός σου ἔτι ὃ φάγομαι ἢ X πίομαι; ἢ ἀκούσομαι ἔτι φωνὴν ᾀδόντων καὶ ᾀδουσῶν; X ἵνα τί ἔσται ἔτι ὁ δοῦλός σου εἰς φορτίον ἐπὶ τὸν κύριόν μου τὸν βασιλέα; |
35 I am this day eighty years old: can I [then] distinguish between good and evil? Can thy servant taste any longer what I eat or X drink? XM can I any longer hear the voice of singing men or singing women? and wherefore shall thy servant any longer be a burden to my lord the king? |
35
I am this day fourscore years old, are my [senses
quick to]
discern
|
35 I am this day fourscore years old: and can I discern between good and evil? can thy servant taste what I eat or what I drink? can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women? wherefore then should thy servant be yet a burden unto my lord the king? |
35 Eighty years old I am today! Can I distinguish between [what looks] good vs. bad? Can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink? Can I still hear the sound of male-singers and female-singers? Why then should your servant become more of a burden to my master the king? |
36 בֶּן-שְׁמֹנִים שָׁנָה אָנֹכִי הַיּוֹם הַאֵדַע בֵּין-טוֹב לְרָע אִם-יִטְעַם עַבְדְּךָ אֶת-אֲשֶׁר אֹכַל וְאֶת-אֲשֶׁר אֶשְׁתֶּה אִם-אֶשְׁמַע עוֹד בְּקוֹל שָׁרִים וְשָׁרוֹת Nוְלָמָּה יִהְיֶה עַבְדְּךָ עוֹד לְמַשָּׂא אֶלO-אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ: |
37) ὡς βραχὺ διαβήσεται ὁ δοῦλός σου τὸν Ιορδάνην μετὰ τοῦ βασιλέως· καὶ ἵνα τί ἀνταποδίδωσίν μοι ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν ἀνταπόδοσιν ταύτην; |
36 Thy servant will go a little way over Jordan with the king: and why does the king return me this recompense? |
36
[I]
thy servant will
go
on
a
little way [from]
the Jordan with |
36
Thy servant will
go
a
little way over
Jordan with the king: and why should the king recompense
it
me [with]
|
36 It’s a small thing that your servant crosses over the Jordan with the king. Why then should the king award me this award? |
37 כִּמְעַטP יַעֲבֹר עַבְדְּךָ אֶת-הַיַּרְדֵּן אֶת-הַמֶּלֶךְ וְלָמָּה Qיִגְמְלֵנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ הַגְּמוּלָהR הַזֹּאת: |
38)
|
37
Let, I pray [thee],
thy servant |
37
[But]
I beseech [thee]
let thy servant return, and die in my own city, [and
be buried]
by the sepulchre of my father, and of my mother. But there is thy
servant Chamaam, let him go
with |
37 Let thy servant, I pray [thee], turn back [again], that I may die in mine own city, and be buried by the grave of my father and of my mother. But behold thy servant Chimham; let him go over with my lord the king; and do to him what shall [seem] good unto X thee. |
37 Please let your servant {settle down}, that I may die in my hometown {and be buried} at the tomb of my father and my mother. However, here is your servant Kimham. Let him cross over with my master the king, then do for him whatever is good in your eyes. |
38 יָשָׁבT-נָא עַבְדְּךָ וְאָמֻת בְּעִירִי עִםU קֶבֶר אָבִי וְאִמִּי וְהִנֵּה עַבְדְּךָ כִמְהָםV יַעֲבֹר עִם-אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ וַעֲשֵׂה-לוֹ אֵת אֲשֶׁר-טוֹב בְּעֵינֶיךָ: ס |
39) καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεύς Μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ διαβήτω Χαμααμ, κἀγὼ ποιήσω αὐτῷ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς σου καὶ πάντα, ὅσα ἐκλέξῃ ἐπ᾿ ἐμοί, ποιήσω σοι. |
38
And the king said, Let Chamaam go
over
with me, and I will do to him what is good in |
38
Then the king said [to
him]:
Let Chamaam go
over
with me, and I will do for him whatsoever shall please X
thee,
and all that thou shalt |
38 And the king answered, Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do to him that which shall [seem] good unto X thee: and whatsoever thou shalt require of me, that will I do for thee. |
38 So the king said, “Let Kimham cross over with me, and, as for me, I will do for him what is good in your eyes, and anything which you desire of me, I will do for you!” |
39 וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ אִתִּי יַעֲבֹר כִּמְהָם וַאֲנִי אֶעֱשֶׂה-לּוֹ אֶת-הַטּוֹב בְּעֵינֶיךָ וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר-תִּבְחַרY עָלַי אֶעֱשֶׂה-לָּךְ: |
40) καὶ διέβη πᾶς ὁ λαὸς τὸν Ιορδάνην, καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς διέβη· καὶ κατεφίλησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν Βερζελλι καὶ εὐλόγησεν αὐτόν, καὶ ἐπέστρεψεν εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ. |
39 And all the people went over Jordan, and the king went over; and the king kissed Berzelli, and blessed him; and he returned to his place. |
39 And when all the people XX and the king had passed over the Jordan, the king kissed Berzellai, and blessed him: and he returned to his own place. |
39 And all the people went over Jordan. And when the king was come over, the king kissed Barzillai, and blessed him; and he returned unto his own place. |
39 When all the people had crossed over the Jordan, then the king crossed over. Then the king kissed Barzillai, and he blessed him. Then he returned to his place, |
40 וַיַּעֲבֹר כָּל- הָעָם אֶת-הַיַּרְדֵּן וְהַמֶּלֶךְ עָבָר וַיִּשַּׁק הַמֶּלֶךְ לְבַרְזִלַּי וַיְבָרֲכֵהוּZ וַיָּשָׁב לִמְקֹמוֹ: ס |
41) καὶ διέβη ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς Γαλγαλα, καὶ Χαμααμ διέβη μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ, καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς Ιουδα X διαβαίνοντες μετὰ τοῦ βασιλέως καί γε τὸ ἥμισυ τοῦ λαοῦ Ισραηλ. -- |
40 And the king went over to Galgala, and Chamaam went over with him: and all the men of Juda X went over with the king, and also half the people of Israel. |
40 So the king went on to Galgal, and Chamaam X with him. Now all the people of Juda X had brought the king over, and only half of the people of Israel [were there]. |
40 Then the king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went on with him: and all the people of Judah X conducted the king, and also half the people of Israel. |
40 and the king went on toward Gilgal (and Kimham went on with him). Thus all the people of Judah and also half of the people of Israel {} brought the king over. |
41 וַיַּעֲבֹר הַמֶּלֶךְ הַגִּלְגָּלָה וְכִמְהָן עָבַר עִמּוֹ וְכָל-עַם יְהוּדָה וַיְעֱבִרוּAA אֶת-הַמֶּלֶךְ וְגַם חֲצִי עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל: |
42) καὶ ἰδοὺ πᾶς ἀνὴρ Ισραηλ παρεγένοντο πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα καὶ εἶπον πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Τί ὅτι ἔκλεψάν σε οἱ ἀδελφοὶ ἡμῶν ἀνὴρ Ιουδα καὶ διεβίβασαν τὸν βασιλέα καὶ τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ τὸν Ιορδάνην καὶ πάντες ἄνδρες Δαυιδ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ; |
41
And
behold,
all the men of Israel came to the king, and said to the king, Why
have our brethren the m |
41
Therefore
all the men of Israel |
41
And,
behold,
all the men of Israel came to the king, and said unto the king,
Why have our brethren the m |
41 But all the men of Israel were there, coming to the king, and they said to the king, “Why did our brothers – each of Judah – steal you away and bring the king and his household over the Jordan, along with all the men of David with him?” |
42 וְהִנֵּה כָּל-אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּאִים אֶל-הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֶל-הַמֶּלֶךְ מַדּוּעַ גְּנָבוּךָ אַחֵינוּ אִישׁ יְהוּדָה וַיַּעֲבִרוּ אֶת-הַמֶּלֶךְ וְאֶת- בֵּיתוֹ אֶת-הַיַּרְדֵּן וְכָל-אַנְשֵׁי דָוִד עִמּוֹ: ס |
43) καὶ ἀπεκρίθη πᾶς ἀνὴρ Ιουδα πρὸς ἄνδρα Ισραηλ καὶ εἶπαν Διότι ἐγγίζει πρός με ὁ βασιλεύς· καὶ ἵνα τί οὕτως ἐθυμώθης περὶ τοῦ λόγου τούτου; μὴ βρώσει ἐφάγαμεν ἐκ τοῦ βασιλέως, [ἢ δόμα ἔδωκεν] ἢ ἄρσιν ἦρεν ἡμῖν; |
42
And all the m |
42
And all the m |
42
And all the m |
42 And each man of Judah answered to a man of Israel, “Because the king is near to me! And why is this that there is friction for you over this thing? Have we eaten gluttonously off of the king? Or has something been carried off thievishly for ourselves?” |
43 וַיַּעַןAB כָּל-אִישׁ יְהוּדָה עַל-אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי-קָרוֹב הַמֶּלֶךְ אֵלַי וְלָמָּה זֶּה חָרָהAC לְךָ עַל-הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה הֶאָכוֹל אָכַלְנוּ מִן-הַמֶּלֶךְ אִם-נִשֵּׂאת נִשָּׂא לָנוּ: ס |
44)
καὶ ἀπεκρίθη
ἀνὴρ Ισραηλ τῷ
ἀνδρὶ Ιουδα
καὶ εἶπεν Δέκα
χεῖρές μοι ἐν
τῷ βασιλεῖ,
[καὶ
πρωτότοκος
ἐγὼ ἢ σύ,]
καί γε ἐν τῷ
Δαυιδ εἰμὶ
ὑπὲρ σέ· καὶ
ἵνα τί [τοῦτο]
ὕβρισάς
με καὶ οὐκ
|
43
And the m |
43
And the m |
43
And the m |
43 Then the man of Israel answered the man of Judah and said, “Ten votes for the king belong to me, and so I have more for David than you, so why did you make light of me? And didn’t I say it first that I should bring back my king?” Then the statement of each man from Judah became harsher than the statement of each man from Israel. |
44 וַיַּעַן אִישׁ- יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת-אִישׁ יְהוּדָה וַיֹּאמֶר עֶשֶׂר-יָדוֹת לִי בַמֶּלֶךְ וְגַם-בְּדָוִד אֲנִי מִמְּךָ וּמַדּוּעַ הֱקִלֹּתַנִי וְלֹא-הָיָה דְבָרִי רִאשׁוֹן לִי לְהָשִׁיב אֶת-מַלְכִּי וַיִּקֶשׁ דְּבַר-אִישׁ יְהוּדָה מִדְּבַר אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל: ס |
1John Gill was the only commentator I read who commented on the translation of this, and he supported the KJV.
2It was a bit astonishing to read the statement in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament that “Barzillai himself did not cross over the Jordan River, despite the king’s request”! In order to reach this bizarre conclusion, Tsumura, the author, had to explain that עבר never means “pass over” but always means “go on/along” and that “the Jordan” meant the valley or area of the Jordan, not the actual river.
3Gill opted for the latter interpretation.
4Gill, however, thought it referred to either his “intellectual powers” or his sense of “smell or taste.”
5Matthew Henry noted, “Thus, when the saints shall be called to inherit the kingdom in consideration of what they have done for Christ in this world, they will be amazed at the disproportion between the service and the recompence. Matt. 25:37.”
6Willett and Gill offered another idea that “a little” meant “a little ... way [towards Jerusalem],” but the next word in Hebrew after “your servant will cross just a little” is “the Jordan.” Goldman and K&D both asserted that the Hebrew wording means that Barzillai went “across the river and no further.”
7This is how the Greek Septuagint and Aramaic Targums interpreted this verb, and the Davidson Analytical Lexicon supports this.
8This seems to be how the Syriac interpreted this verb.
9This is how the Vulgate interpreted it, followed by most English versions, supported by the Westminster morphology and others.
102Sa. 2:32 “Then they carried Asahel up and buried him in his father's tomb [בְּקֶבֶר] which was at Bethlehem.” (NAW)
112 Sam. 17:23 “Now, when Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been acted upon, he saddled his donkey and mounted it, then he went to his house at his city and gave order to his household, then he strangled himself so that he died. He was then buried in his father's tomb [בְּקֶבֶר].” (NAW)
122 Samuel 21:14 “They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the tomb [בְּקֶבֶר] of Kish his father...” (NKJV) It should be noted, however that the wording of 19:38 is slightly different:עִם קֶבֶר
13Jeremiah 41:17 And they departed and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is near Bethlehem, as they went on their way to Egypt,” (NKJV)
14Including at least the Targums, Matthew Henry, and John Gill.
15This is an alternate way in addition to Matthew Henry’s of interpreting David’s promise that he would do to Kimham what was good in Barzillai’s eyes.
16Rev. 21:8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (NKJV)
AMy
original chart includes the NASB, NIV, and ESV, but their copyright
restrictions have forced me to remove them from the
publicly-available edition of this chart. (NAW is my translation.)
When a translation adds words not in the Hebrew text, but does not
indicate it has done so by the use of italics (or greyed-out text),
I put the added words in [square brackets]. When one version chooses
a wording which is different from all the other translations, I
underline it. When a version chooses a translation which, in
my opinion, either departs too far from the root meaning of the
Hebrew word or departs too far from the grammar form of the original
text, I use strikeout. And when a version omits a
word which is in the original text, I insert an X. (I also place an
X at the end of a word if the original word is plural but the
English translation is singular.) I occasionally use colors to help
the reader see correlations between the various editions and
versions when there are more than two different translations of a
given word. The only known Dead Sea Scrolls containing 2 Samuel 19
are 4Q51 Samuela containing parts of verses 5-15, 24-26,
& 38-37, dated between 50-25 B.C. Where the DSS is legible and
in agreement with the MT, the MT is colored purple.
Where the DSS supports the LXX (or Vulgate) with omissions or text
not in the MT, I have highlighted
with yellow the LXX
and its translation into English, and where I have accepted that
into my NAW translation, I have marked it with {pointed brackets}.
BNeither this noun (“king”) nor this preposition (“over”) are actually in the Greek text of the LXX or Vaticanus.
CThe Vulgate also adds prosequi eum (“after him”) at the end, which is not in the Hebrew.
DThis verse could be a summary statement, and the subsequent 7 verses could be an unpacking of that summary with details. This would remove the difficulty of the crossing of the Jordan by Barzillai in the past tense here while the crossing of the Jordan is still future in the subsequent verses.
EGreek, Syriac, and some Targums translate as the preposition “with” (followed by all the English versions), but Latin and some Targums translate merely as a direct object indicator.
FThe
Masoretic margin note here (called the Qere) suggests that the
preposition be removed to simply read “the Jordan”
(הַיַּרְדֵּן),
multiple Hebrew manuscripts support the Qere, as do the Targums and
the LXX. The Syriac also disagrees with the MT (although it has a
different reading altogether, which the NIV adopted). This leaves
the MT pretty much alone in supporting the beth preposition,
which means “in/with” not “from” as per the
Syriac/NIV. However, the word “HaYordan” could have a
locative meaning to it, such that, even without a preposition, a
preposition such as “at” could be interpreted from it.
This verse is completely obliterated in the DSS.
GNone of the other ancient manuscripts (including MT, Vulgate, Syriac, and Targums) have this extra word “man,” yet it has been inserted into most English versions. The masculine form of the verb “was old” implies that it was a man, so it doesn’t change the meaning.
HThe Hebrew place name “Machanaim” means “camps”
IPilpel 3ms – 2/3 of the instances of this verb in the O.T. are in this stem. Note that the subject “he” is emphatic. Cf. 2 Samuel 17:27
JThe only other place in the Hebrew OT this noun shows up is Psalm 126:1, referring to the “captivity/exile” of Israel in Babylon. Davidson traces the root to ישב (“sit”) not שוב (“turn”). According to BHS, several manuscripts have a different pointing (oTb=yc@b), perhaps to mark the word as a (substantive) participle rather than a simple noun, but that wouldn’t change the meaning.
KSyriac and Latin omit the word “you” but it is in the Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic.
LThe fact that the Targums, Syriac, and a couple of Hebrew manuscripts read <u (and the Septuagint manuscripts read μετα, and the Latin manuscripts read cum) makes clear that this word in the MT is not the direct object indicator (which is spelled the same), but is the preposition “with.”
MThe word “or” is here in the Vaticanus as well as the Rohlfs Septuagint; Brenton just neglected to translate it.
NLXX, Vulgate, and Syriac omit this conjunction [“and/then”], but it is in the Aramaic Targums and the Vaticanus Greek. It doesn’t change the meaning, but it does read more smoothly with it as a conclusatory conjunction.
OTargums and Septuagint read “upon” instead of “to.” Syriac preserves “to,” and the Vulgate drops the preposition (although the meaning of either preposition can be contained in the case structure of the Latin).
PThis word (literally “as a little”) occurs 17 other times in the Hebrew O.T. (Gen. 26:10; 1 Chr. 16:19; 2 Chr. 12:7; Ezr. 9:8; Job 32:22; Ps. 2:12; 73:2; 81:15; 94:17; 105:12; 119:87; Prov. 5:14; 10:20; Cant. 3:4; Isa. 1:9; 26:20; Ezek. 16:47) with a wide range of translations, including “mere, almost, lightly, short distance, small thing, few in number, yet a little, shortly, worthless.” Although most English versions interpreted this instance in terms of distance, I find it hard to make sense of “a little way across a river,” by which I imagine trying to cross and then failing and either drowning or going back, so I interpret it like it is used in Ezekiel 16:47b "...but, as if that were too little, you became more corrupt than they in all your ways” (NKJV), and that makes more sense to me in contrast with the greatness of David’s offer.
Qcf. previous use of this verb in 1 Samuel 24:17 And he said to David, "You are more righteous than me, because, in your case, you brought about an outcome for me that was good, whereas I, I brought about an outcome for you that was bad.” And subsequent use of this verb in 2 Sam. 22:21 “Yahweh will deal with me according to my righteousness; He will make a return to me according to [the] cleanness of my hands.” (NAW)
RThis noun is only found in the Hebrew O.T. here and in Isa. 59:18 & Jer. 51:56. Its masculine form is in 19 more places.
SMasoretic Hebrew, Latin, Syriac, and Aramaic all have the equivalent of a relative pronoun (“what”) here, but that is within the range of meaning for the definite article which occurs here in the Greek. DSS is obliterated here, and the spacing between legible sections of the verse could support either a definite article or a relative pronoun. (The line break in the illegible section makes for some elasticity in how many characters might or might not be written on each line of the DSS.)
TLatin and English versions (following the Groves-Wheeler Westminster morphology and the parsing of Beall and Banks, as well as the Strong’s tags for the KJV, NASB, and OSHB) interpreted this verb as though its root were שוב (“return” – which K&D also supported), but the Greek Septuagint and Aramaic Targums interpreted this verb as though its root were ישב (“sit/settle”), and the Davidson Analytical lexicon supports this, showing no entry with this spelling related to שוב. The Syriac supports neither, reading נפושׁ (“breathe/refresh”? which would be closer in meaning to “sit” than “return.”) Either meaning could work, and neither contradicts the other. Barzillai will want to return, that is, cross back over to his side of the Jordan. He is not that far from home, though. As an old man he may want to sit down and rest and refresh himself after the physical exertion of crossing the river. And, as per his request, he does not want to activate a new life-season of work in the political intrigues of Jerusalem, but would rather “settle down” and die in his own hometown. (Note that the spelling is slightly different in Hebrew v.40 where the verb “returned” occurs, and there everyone agrees that it is from שוב.)
UThe DSS is obliterated at this point, but there is too much space between legible parts of the verse for the MT text, suggesting there was one additional word in the DSS around this point. This could potentially support the insertion of “and be buried” found in the Vulgate and Targums (The Syriac also inserts a word here גנב “taking away”?). This extra word does not essentially change the meaning, however.
VThere is an old tradition mentioned in the Lucian Rescription of the Septuagint [o uioV mou] and in the Syriac [ברי] that Kimham was Barzillai’s son. Syriac changed the first letter and called him “Bimham.”
WVaticanus reads ὀφθαλμοῖς μου (“my eyes” – matching the Syriac) as opposed to the majority of the Septuagint manuscripts which read ὀφθαλμοῖς σου (“your eyes” – matching the MT, Targums, and Vulgate).
XThis is Brenton using figurative language in English. The Vaticanus reads like the rest of the LXX manuscripts “of me.”
YOther
interpretation possibilities I ruled out:
* Could this be David
saying that any other man Barzillai chooses to send his way will be
likewise well-received?
* Or that David is offering for
Barzillai to choose one of David’s men in trade for Kimham?
*
Or, in line with the emphasis upon the verb “choose” in
Samuel concerning the election of a king (1
Sam. 8:18, 10:24, 12:13, 16:10, 20:30, 2 Sam. 6:21, 16:18),
is David pledging to fulfill the obligations of kingship which
Barzillai and the other elders of Jerusalem elected him to fulfill?
If so, I would expect בהר
to be in the Perfect tense (“you chose”)
rather than in the Imperfect tense (“you will choose”)
as it is here.
ZEnglish versions make David the subject of “blessed,” but Keil & Delitzsch asserted that it was Barzillai who did the blessing. Technically, the Hebrew could support either interpretation. The first phrase of the verse clearly has David as the subject, and the third phrase of this verse about “going to his place” seems to refer to Barzillai, so does the second phrase of the verse have David or Barzillai as the subject? One objective way to resolve the question is to refer the levels of connection and disjunction suggested by the Masoretic pointing (see https://hb.openscriptures.org/structure/OshbVerse/index.html?b=2Sam&c=19&v=40), which would suggest more connection between the first two phrases, and more disjunction between the second and third phrase, leading me to support the English versions over Keil & Delitzsch. But blessings are a wonderful way to express godly friendship, so there is no problem if both men blessed each other.
AAMultiple Hebrew manuscripts omit the conjunction and change the verb to perfect tense to keep same same meaning as the imperfect verb with the vav consecutive in the MT - just minus the conjunction (הֶעֱבִירוּ). The Qere notes this, and the LXX, Syriac, Targums and Latin all support this, although the Greek (with the exception of the Lucian Rescription) switches to present tense.
ABIt should be noted that in the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin (and perhaps the Syriac too), the word “man” is singular, and the verb “answered” has a singular subject. Also the object of “near” is singular (“me”). It is the same in the next verse.
ACThe Hebrew and Aramaic verb is 3rd singular (“it burns”), followed by a prepositional phrase, “for you,” but the Latin and Greek translate the verb 2nd singular (“you burn”) and omit the prepositional phrase which is in the Hebrew. This is just a difference in the grammatical formation of an idiom across different languages, however, not a difference in meaning.
ADOld Latin actually supports the Septuagint with et primogenitus ego sum quam tu, but it didn’t carry over into the Vulgate.