* rKings 21 4 And* Barzillai the Gileadite came down from 2: 7. Rogelim, and went over Jordan with the King, to con- du& him over Jordan 0o. o And thento croſs Jordan again, and ſo return to his Native Land. | 22 Now Barzillai was a very aged man, ever four- ſcore years old, and * he.had provided the King of ſu- *Chap. 17. ftenance while he lay at Mahanaim : for hes: a very my great man. 23 And the King ſaid unto Barzillai, Come thou over with me, and 1 will feed thee with me in Jeru- #Heb. how falem. 7 LOOKS ph | many days 234 And Barzillaifaid unto the King, + How long are the. haye I to live, that I ſhould go up with the King unto 4:91 1" Jeruſalem,
U E LI. Chap. wy ſCbep:
p Seing my time of continuance in this World is but ſhort, it is not advifavle to change my Habitation, or to gi:e thee or my ſelfany further trouble.
35 I «nr: this day fourſcore years old : and can I dif. cern between good and evil? can thy fcrvant tafte what I eat or what I drink? c#nl hear any more the voice of ſinging-men, and ſinging-women a ? where. fore then ſhould thy ſervant be yer a burden unto my lord the King r ?
q My Senſes are grown dull, and uncapable{of reliſhing the De. lights of the Court. Iam paſt taking Pleature in delicious Taſtes, or ſweet Muſick, and other ſuch Delights of the Court. r I am through Age both uſeleſs and burthenſome to others, and there. fore moſt improper for a Court-life.
35 Thy ſervant will go a little way over Jordan / with the King :. and why ſhould the King recompenſsg it me # with ſuch a reward ?
S A little onward in thy way to Jeruſalem, and then return, £ Or, recompence me, to wit, for my ſmall kindneſs to thee at Maha. naim, Which was but a part of my Duty to thee.
37 Let thy ſervant, LI 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 #s, let him go over with my lord tha King, and do to him what ſhall ſcem good unte thee.
u Barzillai's Son, I Kings 2, 7.
38 And the King anſwered, Chimham ſhall go over + Ha with me: and I will:ds to him that which hall ſeem yu, good unto thee : and whatſoever thou ſhalt + require of me, that will I do for thee.
29 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.
40 Then the King went on to Gilga)l, and Chimhan went on with him, and all the people of Judah conduc- ed the King x, andalſo half the people of Iſrael y.
x Attended upon him on his Journey towards Jeruſalem. y Where. as the Men of Judah came intirely and unanimouſly to the King, as is noted here, and above, verſe - 4+ the 1ſraelites of the other Tribes came in but ſlowly, and by halves, as being no leſs guilty of the Rebellion, than the Tribe of Judah ; but not encouraged and invit- edto come in by ſuch a particular and gracious Meilage as they were. And this is here mentioned as the occaſion both of the contention here following, and of the Sedition, Chapter 20. |
41 4 And behold, all the men of Iſrael z came to the King, and ſaid unto the King, Why have our bre- thren the men of Judah ſtolen thee away 4, and have brought the King and his houſhold, and all Davids men b with him over Jordan ?
z To wit, ſuchas were preſent, 4 1. e. Conveyed thee over Jer- aan haſtily and privily, not expeCing nor deſiring our Conſent and Concurrence in the Buſineſs, which we were no leſs ready to afford than they, Tr is alſo a ſecret Refleftion upon the King, for per- micting this Precipitation. 6 1. e. All thy Men; ſuch changes of Perſons being moit frequent in the Hebrew Language ; thine Offi- cers, and Guards, and Soldiers. "This is mentioned as an aggrava- tion of their Faulr, That rhey did nor only carry the King over Jordan, bur all his Men too, withour asking their Advice.
- 42vAnd all the men of Judah anſwered the men of Iſrael, Becauſe the King is near of kin to us c : where- fore thea be ye angry for this matter? have we eatenat all of the Kings ce/#? or hath he given us any gifts «?
c Of the ſame Tribe with us,and therefore both owerh the more reſpe& ro u+, and might expet and challenge more reſpe& from us. 4 We have neither tought nor gained any advantage to our ſelves hereby,but only diſcharged our duty to the King, and uſed all Ex- p-dition in bringing him back, which you alſo ſhould have done, and not have come in by halves, and fo coldly as you bave done; See v. 40:
43 And the men of Ifrael anſwered the men of Ju- dah, and ſaid, We have ten parts e in the King f, and
we have alſo more right in David than ye g: Why then ? Hob. did ye + deſpiſe us, that our advice ſhould not be firſt * * had in bringing back our King h? And the words of che «>; ang were fiereer # than the words of the mea
of Itrael.
e They ſay but ten, though ftriftly there were Eleven ; Either, becauſe they accounted Joſeph ( which comprehends both Ephraim and Manaſſch under it) for one Tribe, as it is ſometimes reckoned 5 Or becauſe S:meon, whoſe Lot lay within the Tribe of Judah, were joyngd with them in this Action. F 1.e. In the Kingdom, and the management of the Affeairs of it; the word King being put for King- dom, asSit 1s 2 Chron: 23. 26, and Iſa: 25+ 15, Dan: 7+ 17» Hoſ: 10.15. Or, in the King'sPerſon, and the diſpoſal thereof: g As in the ge- neral we have more right inthe King and Kingdom ; ſo particular- ly,we have more rightin David than you, becauſe you were the firſt beginners, and the moſt zealous promoters of this Rebellion ; And as David is nearneſt of kin to you, ſo he hath been moſt injured by you ; Howſoever, as he is King, we juſtly claim a greater Intereſt in him, than you; inaſmuch as we are the far greateſt part of his Subje&s. h That we being the far greater Number, {ſhould nor have the firſt and chiefeſt Vote in this Attion. But the words are by ſome, and may well be rendred interrogatively, And was nt my word firſt about . bringing the King back > Did not we make the firſt
mention of it, before you could be drawen toit? For ſo indeed they did, verſet1, And therefore the negle& of their Advice here= in might ſeem more inexcuſable. i In ſtead of mollifying them with gentle words, they anſwered them with greater fierceneſs and in!0- lency ; ſo that David durſt not intcrpoſe himſelf in tho matter.
CHAP,
{ *; King-
12. 16.
* Chap. 15. 16. and 16.2 t Reb. 8 houſe ward.
+ Heb. tumd.
+ Heb.
wdowhi
of life.