What is the meaning of 2 Samuel 17:27? When David came to Mahanaim “David went to Mahanaim” (2 Samuel 17:24). • David is on the run from Absalom (2 Samuel 15:14), yet God guides him to this fortified city east of the Jordan—a place Jacob once called “God’s camp” (Genesis 32:2). • Mahanaim had served as a royal stronghold before (2 Samuel 2:8-9). God again provides it as a refuge, reminding us that He secures His anointed even in crisis (Psalm 3, David’s own prayer during this flight). he was met by Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites • Shobi is the son of Nahash, king of Ammon. Decades earlier, Nahash showed kindness to David (2 Samuel 10:2), then Nahash’s other son Hanun insulted Israel and paid dearly for it (2 Samuel 10:4-14; 12:26-31). • Now Shobi steps forward in loyalty, proving that past hostility cannot block God’s plan to raise up unexpected allies (Proverbs 16:7). • An Ammonite prince siding with David underscores the king’s wider influence and foreshadows the promise that Gentiles would rally to God’s chosen ruler (Isaiah 11:10). Machir son of Ammiel from Lo-debar • Machir once sheltered the crippled prince Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9:4-5). He experienced David’s covenant kindness firsthand when the king brought Mephibosheth to his table (2 Samuel 9:7). • Now Machir reciprocates that kindness. “A friend loves at all times” (Proverbs 17:17) and “we love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19); Machir models the grateful loyalty God seeks. • His town, Lo-debar, was poor and obscure, yet generosity flows from it—proof that God uses humble places to refresh His servants (2 Corinthians 8:1-2). and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim • Barzillai is elderly and wealthy. He supplies David now (2 Samuel 17:28-29) and is honored later when the king returns (2 Samuel 19:31-39). • David’s dying charge to Solomon includes blessing Barzillai’s descendants (1 Kings 2:7), showing that God never forgets those who stand with His purposes (Hebrews 6:10). • Barzillai’s quiet generosity illustrates the promise, “The generous soul will prosper” (Proverbs 11:25) and invites us to support God’s work even when it costs us comfort. summary 2 Samuel 17:27 spotlights three very different men who converge at Mahanaim to aid David. Together they reveal God’s faithful provision, the reach of the king’s covenant kindness, and the way loyalty to God’s chosen ruler unites unlikely allies. In David’s darkest hour, the Lord raises up friends from foreign courts, humble towns, and prosperous estates—assuring us that He still marshals varied servants to sustain His kingdom purposes today. |
    |