2 Samuel 19:35

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?

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
day	הַיּ֜וֹם hai.Yom	H3117	a day (as the warm hours) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
fourscore	שְׁמֹנִ֣ים she.mo.Nim	H8084	eighty · noun, common masculine plural absolute
years	שָׁנָה֩ sha.Nah	H8141	a year (as a revolution of time) · noun, common feminine singular absolute
old	בֶּן ben-	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine singular construct
discern	הַאֵדַ֣ע ha.'e.Da'	H3045	to know (properly · interrogative particle + verb, qal imperfect, 1st person common singular
good	ט֣וֹב Tov	H2896	good (as an adjective) in the widest sense · adjective, masculine singular absolute
evil	לְרָ֗ע le.Ra'	H7451	bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral) · preposition + adjective, masculine singular absolute
servant	עַבְדְּךָ֙ 'av.de.Kha	H5650	a servant · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
taste	יִטְעַ֤ם yit.'Am	H2938	to taste · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
what	אֲשֶׁ֤ר 'a.Sher	H834	who · relative particle
eat	אֹכַל֙ 'o.Khal	H398	to eat (literally or figuratively) · verb, qal imperfect, 1st person common singular
what	אֲשֶׁ֣ר 'a.Sher	H834	who · relative particle
drink	אֶשְׁתֶּ֔ה 'esh.Teh	H8354	to imbibe (literally or figuratively) · verb, qal imperfect, 1st person common singular
hear	אֶשְׁמַ֣ע 'esh.Ma'	H8085	to hear intelligently (often with implication of attent… · verb, qal imperfect, 1st person common singular
voice	בְּק֖וֹל be.Kol	H6963	a voice or sound · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
men	שָׁרִ֣ים sha.Rim	H7891	to sing · verb, qal active participle, masculine plural absolute
women	וְשָׁר֑וֹת ve.sha.Rot	H7891	to sing · conjunction + verb, qal active participle, feminine plural absolute
servant	עַבְדְּךָ֥ 'av.de.Kha	H5650	a servant · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
burden	לְמַשָּׂ֔א le.ma.Sa'	H4853	a burden · preposition + noun, common masculine singular absolute
lord	אֲדֹנִ֖י 'a.do.Ni	H113	sovereign · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
king	הַמֶּֽלֶךְ ha.Me.lekh	H4428	a king · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

2 Samuel 15:33 Unto whom David said, If thou passest on with me, then thou shalt be a burden unto me:
Ezra 2:65 Beside their servants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and there were among them two hundr…
Psalms 90:10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and s…
Hebrews 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and…
Exodus 2:8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother.
Exodus 12:4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls;…
2 Samuel 13:25 And the king said to Absalom, Nay, my son, let us not all now go, lest we be chargeable unto thee. And he pressed him: howbeit he would not…
Nehemiah 7:67 Beside their manservants and their maidservants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and they had two hundred…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Samuel 19:31-39

David had already graced the triumphs of his restoration with the generous remission of the injuries that had been done to him; we have him here gracing them with a no less generous reward of the kindnesses that had been shown to him. Barzillai, the Gileadite, who had a noble seat at Rogelim, not far from Mahanaim, was the man who, of all the nobility and gentry of that country, had been most kind to David in his distress. If Absalom had prevailed, it is likely he would have suffered for his loyalty; but now he and his shall be no losers by it. Here is, I. Barzillai's great respect to David, not only as a good man, but as his righteous sovereign: He provided him with much sustenance, for him…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Samuel 19:35

the voice of singing men and singing women--Bands of professional musicians form a prominent appendage to the courts of Oriental princes.

Adam Clarke on 2 Samuel 19:35

Can thy servant taste what I eat - Here is at once an affecting description of the infirmities of old age; and a correct account of the mode of living at an Eastern court in ancient times. Barzillai was fourscore years old; his ear was become dull of hearing, and his relish for his food was gone: he therefore appears to have been not only an old man, but an infirm old man. Besides delicate meats and drinks, we find that vocal music constituted a principal part of court entertainments: male and female singers made a necessary appendage to these banquets, as they do in most Eastern courts to the present day. As David was a most sublime poet, and emphatically styled the sweet singer of Israel,…

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John Gill on 2 Samuel 19:35

I am this day fourscore years old,.... Not that that day was precisely his birthday, but that he was about such an age, very little under or over; very probably he was full that age: and can I discern between good and evil? signifying, either that his intellectual powers were impaired, and could not distinguish what was right and wrong, and so could be of no service to David in his privy council, or any court of judicature, he was fit for no post or office under him; or that his natural senses were not quick to distinguish between good and bad, particularly between good and bad food, which he could neither discern by smell nor taste, as follows: can thy servant taste what I eat or what I d…

Dictionary and topics

Banquets — among the Hebrews, were not only a means of social enjoyment, but were a part of the observance of religious festivity. At the three solemn festivals the family also had its domestic feast. (16:11)…
Barzillai — Of iron. (1.) A Meholathite, the father of Adriel (2 Sam. 21:8). (2.) A Gileadite of Rogelim who was distinguished for his loyalty to David. He liberally provided for the king’s followers (2 Sam.…
Meals — Are at the present day “eaten from a round table little higher than a stool, guests sitting cross-legged on mats or small carpets in a circle, and dipping their fingers into one large dish heaped…
Music — Jubal was the inventor of musical instruments (Gen. 4:21). The Hebrews were much given to the cultivation of music. Their whole history and literature afford abundant evidence of this. After the…
Barzillai · 1. A friend of David — 1. A friend of David
Contentment · .Barzillai, in refusing to go with David to — .Barzillai, in refusing to go with David to
Music · Divided into: Vocal — Divided into: Vocal
Old Age · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Taste · The sense of, lost — The sense of, lost

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

2 Samuel 19:35

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Samuel 19:31-39

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Samuel 19:35

Adam Clarke on 2 Samuel 19:35

John Gill on 2 Samuel 19:35

Dictionary and topics

2 Samuel 19:35

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Samuel 19:31-39

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Samuel 19:35

Adam Clarke on 2 Samuel 19:35

John Gill on 2 Samuel 19:35

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on 2 Samuel 19:31-39

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 2 Samuel 19:31-40

Rashi on 2 Samuel 19:35