2 Samuel 19:34
in 2 Samuel 19But Barzillai replied, “How many years of my life remain, that I should go up to Jerusalem with the king?
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Barzillai said unto the king, How many are the days of the years of my life, that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem?
KJV
And Barzillai said unto the king, How long have I to live, that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem?
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This verse in 2 Samuel 19
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
How long have I to live, that I should go up with the king
on 2 Samuel 19:34-37
Barzillai declines the king's offer on the ground of age alone, fourscore years old and past discerning good from evil, unable to taste what he eats or hear the singers who would perform at court. Henry reads his speech as a pattern for old age generally, dead to the delights of sense that once moved him, asking only to die in his own city and be buried by his father's grave. He asks nothing for himself and everything for Chimham, who goes over with the king in his place.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Shall I think of going into business, now that I am going out of this world?" He is old and unfit for the diversions of the court, which will be ill-bestowed, and even thrown away, upon one that can relish them so little,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
And Barzillai said unto the king,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
His declining to go to court, his recommendation of his son, his convoy across the Jordan, and his parting scene with the king, are interesting incidents. What mark of royal favor was bestowed on Chimham has not been recorded; but it is probable that David gave a great part of his personal patrimony in Beth-lehem to Chimham and his heirs in perpetuity (Jer 41:17).
The words behind it
13 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֥אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| בַּרְזִלַּ֖י | barzilai | Barzillai | H1271 → | 12 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| כַּמָּ֗ה | kamah | how many? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| יְמֵי֙ | yemei | [are] [the] days of | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| שְׁנֵ֣י | shenei | [the] years of | H8141 → | 877 times |
| חַיַּ֔י | chaiyai | life my | H2416 → | 498 times |
| כִּי־ | ki- | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אֶעֱלֶ֥ה | ʾeeleh | I will go up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | with | H854 → | 929 times |
| הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃ | yerushalim | Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
וַיֹּ֥אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
בַּרְזִלַּ֖יBarzillai
barzilaiH1271 →12 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הַמֶּ֑לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
כַּמָּ֗הhow many?
kamahH4100 →752 times
יְמֵי֙[are] [the] days of
yemeiH3117 →2304 times
שְׁנֵ֣י[the] years of
sheneiH8141 →877 times
חַיַּ֔יlife my
chaiyaiH2416 →498 times
כִּי־that
ki-H3588 →4482 times
אֶעֱלֶ֥הI will go up
ʾeelehH5927 →890 times
אֶת־with
ʾet-H854 →929 times
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃Jerusalem
yerushalimH3389 →643 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
James 4:14You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
it leads to
- 1 John 2:17
The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Peter 1:24
For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,
- Psalms 39:5
You, indeed, have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing before You. Truly each man at his best exists as but a breath. Selah
- Psalms 102:3
For my days vanish like smoke, and my bones burn like glowing embers.
- Job 7:6–7
My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle; they come to an end without hope.
- 1 John 2:17
Through
Job 14:14When a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, until my renewal comes.
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 15:51–52
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—
- Acts 26:8
Why would any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?
- 1 Corinthians 15:51–52
Through
1 Corinthians 7:29What I am saying, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none;
it leads to
- Romans 13:11–12
And do this, understanding the occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
- Romans 13:11–12
About 2 Samuel

Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
