2 Samuel 19:38

38 The king answered, "Chimham shall cross over with me, and I will do for him what is good in your sight; and whatever * you require of me, I will do for you."

2 Samuel 19:38 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 19:38

And the king answered, Chimham shall go over with me
He admitted of him instead of his father:

and I will do unto him that which shall seem good unto thee;
he puts it to Barzillai, and leaves it with him to ask what he would for his son, and he would grant it. We nowhere read what it was that Barzillai asked, or whether he asked anything; only this we read, that some hundreds of years afterward there was a place called the habitation of Chimham near Bethlehem, ( Jeremiah 41:17 ) ; which makes it probable that David gave him a paternal estate of his there, since Bethlehem was his city; and the Targum on that place is expressly for it; (See Gill on Jeremiah 41:17):

and whatsoever thou shalt require of me, [that] will I do for thee;
whatever suit he should make to him, or whatever favour he should ask of him hereafter, when returned to his own city, he would grant it to him, if it could be possibly done; such a sense should he always retain of his kindness to him.

2 Samuel 19:38 In-Context

36 "Your servant would merely cross over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king compensate me with this reward?
37 "Please let your servant return, that I may die in my own city near the grave of my father and my mother. However, here is your servant Chimham, let him cross over with my lord the king, and do for him what is good in your sight."
38 The king answered, "Chimham shall cross over with me, and I will do for him what is good in your sight; and whatever you require of me, I will do for you."
39 All the people crossed over the Jordan and the king crossed too. The king then kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned to his place.
40 Now the king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went on with him; and all the people of Judah and also half the people of Israel accompanied the king.

Footnotes 1

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