Text -- 2 Samuel 23:1-27 (NET)

David’s Final Words

23:1 These are the final words of David: “The oracle of David son of Jesse, the oracle of the man raised up as the ruler chosen by the God of Jacob, Israel’s beloved singer of songs: 23:2 The Lord’s spirit spoke through me; his word was on my tongue. 23:3 The God of Israel spoke, the protector of Israel spoke to me. The one who rules fairly among men, the one who rules in the fear of God, 23:4 is like the light of morning when the sun comes up, a morning in which there are no clouds. He is like the brightness after rain that produces grass from the earth. 23:5 My dynasty is approved by God, for he has made a perpetual covenant with me, arranged in all its particulars and secured. He always delivers me, and brings all I desire to fruition. 23:6 But evil people are like thorns– all of them are tossed away, for they cannot be held in the hand. 23:7 The one who touches them must use an iron instrument or the wooden shaft of a spear. They are completely burned up right where they lie!”

David’s Warriors

23:8 These are the names of David’s warriors: Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was head of the officers. He killed eight hundred men with his spear in one battle. 23:9 Next in command was Eleazar son of Dodo, the son of Ahohi. He was one of the three warriors who were with David when they defied the Philistines who were assembled there for battle. When the men of Israel retreated, 23:10 he stood his ground and fought the Philistines until his hand grew so tired that it seemed stuck to his sword. The Lord gave a great victory on that day. When the army returned to him, the only thing left to do was to plunder the corpses. 23:11 Next in command was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines assembled at Lehi, where there happened to be an area of a field that was full of lentils, the army retreated before the Philistines. 23:12 But he made a stand in the middle of that area. He defended it and defeated the Philistines; the Lord gave them a great victory. 23:13 At the time of the harvest three of the thirty leaders went down to David at the cave of Adullam. A band of Philistines was camped in the valley of Rephaim. 23:14 David was in the stronghold at the time, while a Philistine garrison was in Bethlehem. 23:15 David was thirsty and said, “How I wish someone would give me some water to drink from the cistern in Bethlehem near the gate!” 23:16 So the three elite warriors broke through the Philistine forces and drew some water from the cistern in Bethlehem near the gate. They carried it back to David, but he refused to drink it. He poured it out as a drink offering to the Lord 23:17 and said, “O Lord, I will not do this! It is equivalent to the blood of the men who risked their lives by going.” So he refused to drink it. Such were the exploits of the three elite warriors. 23:18 Abishai son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, was head of the three. He killed three hundred men with his spear and gained fame among the three. 23:19 From the three he was given honor and he became their officer, even though he was not one of the three. 23:20 Benaiah son of Jehoida was a brave warrior from Kabzeel who performed great exploits. He struck down the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in a cistern on a snowy day. 23:21 He also killed an impressive-looking Egyptian. The Egyptian wielded a spear, while Benaiah attacked him with a club. He grabbed the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 23:22 Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoida, who gained fame among the three elite warriors. 23:23 He received honor from the thirty warriors, though he was not one of the three elite warriors. David put him in charge of his bodyguard. 23:24 Included with the thirty were the following: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem, 23:25 Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite, 23:26 Helez the Paltite, Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa, 23:27 Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite,

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Wesley: 2Sa 23:1

Not simply the last that he spoke, but the last which he spake by the spirit of God, assisting and directing him in an extraordinary manner. When we find death approaching, we should endeavour both to honour God, and to profit others with our last words. Let those who have had experience of God's goodness, and the pleasantness of the ways of wisdom, when they come to finish their course, leave a record of those experiences, and bear their testimony to the truth of the promise.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:1

Advanced from an obscure estate, to the kingdom. Whom, God singled out from all the families of Israel, and anointed to be king.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:1

He who was eminent among the people of God, for composing sweet and holy songs to the praise of God, and for the use of his church in after ages: these seem not to be the words of David, but of the sacred penman of this book.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:2

The following words, and consequently the other words and Psalms composed and uttered by me upon the like solemn occasions, are not to be looked upon as human inventions, but both the matter and the words of them are suggested by God's spirit, the great teacher of the church.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:3

He who is the strength, and defence, and protector of his people; which he manifests by directing kings and rulers so to manage their power as may most conduce to their comfort and benefit.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:3

Here are the two principal parts of a king's duty, answerable to the two tables of God's law, justice towards men, and piety towards God, both which he is to maintain and promote among his people.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:4

These words are a farther description of the king's duty, which is not only to rule with justice and piety, but also with sweetness, and gentleness, and condescension to the infirmities of his people; to render his government as acceptable to them, as is the sun - shine in a clear morning, or the tender grass which springs out of the earth by the warm beams of the sun after the rain.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:5

Although God knows, that neither I, nor my children have lived and ruled as we should have done, so justly, and in the fear of the Lord; and therefore have not enjoyed that uninterrupted prosperity which we might have enjoyed.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:5

Notwithstanding all our transgressions whereby we have broken covenant with God, yet God, to whom all my sins were known, was graciously pleased to make a sure covenant, to continue the kingdom to me, and to my seed for ever, 2Sa 7:16, until the coming of the Messiah who is to be my son and successor, and whose kingdom shall have no end.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:5

Ordained in all points by God's eternal counsel; and disposed by his wise and powerful providence which will over - rule all things, even the sins of my house so far, that although he punished them for their sins, yet he will not utterly root them out, nor break his covenant made with me and mine.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:5

Or, preserved, by God's power and faithfulness in the midst of all oppositions.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:5

Or, in this is, that is, it consists in, and depends upon this covenant.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:5

Both mine own eternal salvation, and the preservation of the kingdom to me and mine.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:5

Although God as yet hath not made my house or family to grow; that is, to increase, or to flourish with worldly glory as I expected; yet this is my comfort, that God will inviolably keep this covenant. But this refers also to the covenant of grace made with all believers. This is indeed an everlasting covenant, from everlasting, in the contrivance of it, and to everlasting, in the continuance and the consequence of it. It is ordered, well ordered in all things; admirably well, to advance the glory of God and the honour of the mediator, together with the holiness and happiness of believers. It is sure, and therefore sure, because well - ordered: the promised mercies are sure, on the performance of the conditions. It is all our salvation: nothing but this will save us, and this is sufficient. Therefore it should be all our desire. Let me have an interest in this covenant, and I have enough, I desire no more.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:6

Having in the foregoing verses described the nature, and stability of that kingdom which God had by a sure covenant settled upon him and his seed; and especially, upon the Messiah, who was to be one of his posterity; he now describes the nature and miserable condition, of all the enemies of this holy and blessed kingdom.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:6

Which men do not use to handle, but thrust them away. And so will God thrust away from himself, and from his people, and kingdom, all those who shall either secretly or openly set themselves against it.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:7

He must arm himself with some iron weapon, whereby he may cut them down; or, with the staff of a spear, or some such thing, whereby he may thrust them away from himself, that they do him no hurt.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:7

Or, if they do not cut them down or thrust them away they will burn and consume them.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:7

Or, in their place, where they grow or stand.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:8

But this catalogue, though placed here, was taken long before, as is manifest from hence, that Asahel and Uriah are named here. And whereas there are some difference between this list, and that, 1Ch. 11:10-47, most of them are easily reconciled by these two considerations; that nothing is more common than for one person to have divers names. That as some of the worthies died, and others came in their stead; this must needs cause some alteration in the latter catalogue, 1Ch. 11:10-47, from this which was the former. Learn hence, how much religion tends to inspire men with true courage. David both by his writings and example greatly promoted piety among the grandees of the kingdom. And when they became famous for piety, they became famous for bravery.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:8

This was his proper name.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:8

Which words are fitly supplied out of 1Ch 11:11, where they are expressed.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:8

In one battle, which though it be strange, yet cannot seem incredible, supposing him to be a person of extraordinary strength and activity, and his enemies to be discouraged, and fleeing away.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:9

That is, fled away, 1Ch 11:13, being dismayed at the approach of their enemies.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:11

Or barley, as it is 1Ch 11:13. For both might grow in the same field, in divers parts of it. And this fact is ascribed to Eleazar, 1Ch 11:12, but it is implied, that he had some partner or partners in it; for it is there said, 1Ch 11:14 they set themselves, &c. So Eleazar might fight in that part where the barley was and Shammah where the lentiles were.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:12

How great soever the bravery of the instruments is, the praise of the achievement is to be given to God. These fought, but God wrought the victory.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:15

Being hot and thirsty, he expresses how acceptable a draught of that water would be to him; but was far from desiring, or expecting that any of his men should hazard their lives to procure it.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:16

Lest by gratifying himself upon such terms, he should seem either to set too high a price upon the satisfaction of his appetite, or too low a price upon the lives of his soldiers.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:16

As a kind of drink offering, and acknowledgment of God's goodness in preserving the lives of his captains in so dangerous an enterprize; and to shew, that he esteemed it as a sacred thing, which it was not fit for him to drink.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:17

Jointly: then two of them are mentioned severally.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:19

He fell short of them in strength and valour.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:21

Where he put himself under a necessity, either of killing, or being killed.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:21

When lions are most fierce, both from the sharpness of their appetite in cold seasons, and from want of provisions.

Wesley: 2Sa 23:25

In 1Ch 11:27, Shammoth the Harorite. Concerning which, and other changes of the names, which will be observed, by comparing this catalogue with that, it will be sufficient to suggest, that the same names of persons, or places, are differently pronounced according to the different dialects of divers places or ages. That one man had often two names. That David had more worthies than those here mentioned; and as some of these were slain in the former part of David's reign, as Asahel was; so others came up in their stead; and some were added to this number, as appears from 1Ch. 11:10-47, where they are named, but not numbered, as they were here; and where there is a greater number than is here expressed.

JFB: 2Sa 23:1

Various opinions are entertained as to the precise meaning of this statement, which, it is obvious, proceeded from the compiler or collector of the sacred canon. Some think that, as there is no division of chapters in the Hebrew Scriptures, this introduction was intended to show that what follows is no part of the preceding song. Others regard this as the last of the king's poetical compositions; while still others consider it the last of his utterances as an inspired writer.

JFB: 2Sa 23:1

From an obscure family and condition to a throne.

JFB: 2Sa 23:1

Chosen to be king by the special appointment of that God, to whom, by virtue of an ancient covenant, the people of Israel owed all their peculiar destiny and distinguished privileges.

JFB: 2Sa 23:1

That is, delightful, highly esteemed.

JFB: 2Sa 23:2

Nothing can more clearly show that all that is excellent in spirit, beautiful in language, or grand in prophetic imagery, which the Psalms of David contain, were owing, not to his superiority in natural talents or acquired knowledge, but to the suggestion and dictates of God's Spirit.

JFB: 2Sa 23:3

This metaphor, which is commonly applied by the sacred writers to the Almighty, was very expressive to the minds of the Hebrew people. Their national fortresses, in which they sought security in war, were built on high and inaccessible rocks.

JFB: 2Sa 23:3

Either preceptively, giving the following counsels respecting the character of an upright ruler in Israel, or prophetically, concerning David and his royal dynasty, and the great Messiah, of whom many think this is a prophecy, rendering the words, "he that ruleth"--"there shall be a ruler over men."

JFB: 2Sa 23:4

Little patches of grass are seen rapidly springing up in Palestine after rain; and even where the ground has been long parched and bare, within a few days or hours after the enriching showers begin to fall, the face of the earth is so renewed that it is covered over with a pure fresh mantle of green.

JFB: 2Sa 23:5

"the light of the morning," that is, the beginning of David's kingdom, was unlike the clear brilliant dawn of an Eastern day but was overcast by many black and threatening clouds; neither he nor his family had been like the tender grass springing up from the ground and flourishing by the united influences of the sun and rain; but rather like the grass that withereth and is prematurely cut down. The meaning is: although David's house had not flourished in an uninterrupted course of worldly prosperity and greatness, according to his hopes; although great crimes and calamities had beclouded his family history; some of the most promising branches of the royal tree had been cut down in his lifetime and many of his successors should suffer in like manner for their personal sins; although many reverses and revolutions may overtake his race and his kingdom, yet it was to him a subject of the highest joy and thankfulness that God will inviolably maintain His covenant with his family, until the advent of his greatest Son, the Messiah, who was the special object of his desire, and the author of his salvation.

JFB: 2Sa 23:6

That is, the wicked enemies and persecutors of this kingdom of righteousness. They resemble those prickly, thorny plants which are twisted together, whose spires point in every direction, and which are so sharp and strong that they cannot be touched or approached without danger; but hard instruments and violent means must be taken to destroy or uproot them. So God will remove or destroy all who are opposed to this kingdom.

JFB: 2Sa 23:8

This verse should be translated thus: He who sits in the seat of the Tachmonite (that is, of Jashobeam the Hachmonite), who was chief among the captains, the same is Adino the Eznite; he lift up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time. The text is corrupt in this passage; the number eight hundred should be three hundred [DAVIDSON, Hermeneutics]. Under Joab he was chief or president of the council of war. The first or highest order was composed of him and his two colleagues, Eleazar and Shammah. Eleazar seems to have been left to fight the Philistines alone; and on his achieving the victory, they returned to the spoil. In like manner Shammah was left to stand alone in his glory, when the Lord, by him, wrought a great victory. It is not very easy to determine whether the exploits that are afterwards described were performed by the first or the second three.

JFB: 2Sa 23:15-16

An ancient cistern, with four or five holes in the solid rock, at about ten minutes distance to the north of the eastern corner of the hill of Beth-lehem, is pointed out by the natives as Bir-Daoud; that is, David's well. Dr. ROBINSON doubts the identity of the well; but others think that there are no good grounds for doing so. Certainly, considering this to be the ancient well, Beth-lehem must have once extended ten minutes further to the north, and must have lain in times of old, not as now, on the summit, but on the northern rise of the hill; for the well is by or (1Ch 11:7) at the gate. I find in the description of travellers, that the common opinion is, that David's captains had come from the southeast, in order to obtain, at the risk of their lives, the so-much-longed-for water; while it is supposed that David himself was then in the great cave that is not far to the southeast of Beth-lehem; which cave is generally held to have been that of Adullam. But (Jos 15:35) Adullam lay "in the valley"; that is, in the undulating plain at the western base of the mountains of Judea and consequently to the southwest of Beth-lehem. Be this as it may, David's men had in any case to break through the host of the Philistines, in order to reach the well; and the position of Bir-Daoud agrees well with this [VAN DE VELDE].|| 08673||1||21||0||@the first three==--The mighty men or champions in David's military staff were divided into three classes--the highest, Jashobeam, Eleazar, and Shammah; the second class, Abishai, Benaiah, and Asahel; and the third class, the thirty, of which Asahel was the chief. There are thirty-one mentioned in the list, including Asahel; and these added to the two superior orders make thirty-seven. Two of them, we know, were already dead; namely, Asahel [2Sa 3:30] and Uriah [2Sa 11:17]; and if the dead, at the drawing up of the list, amounted to seven, then we might suppose a legion of honor, consisting of the definite number thirty, where the vacancies, when they occurred, were replaced by fresh appointments.

Clarke: 2Sa 23:1

These be the last words of David - I suppose the last poetical composition is here intended. He might have spoken many words after these in prose, but none in verse. Other meanings are given; this I prefer

The words of this song contain a glorious prediction of the Messiah’ s kingdom and conquests, in highly poetic language

Clarke: 2Sa 23:1

The sweet psalmist of Israel - This character not only belonged to him as the finest poet in Israel, but as the finest and most Divine poet of the whole Christian world. The sweet psalmist of Israel has been the sweet psalmist of every part of the habitable world, where religion and piety have been held in reverence.

Clarke: 2Sa 23:2

The Spirit of the Lord spake by me - Hence the matter of his writing came by direct and immediate inspiration

Clarke: 2Sa 23:2

His word was in my tongue - Hence the words of this writing were as directly inspired as the matter.

Clarke: 2Sa 23:3

The Rock of Israel - The Fountain whence Israel was derived

Clarke: 2Sa 23:3

He that ruleth over men must be just - More literally, מושל באדם צדיק moshel baadam tsaddik , He that ruleth in man is the just one; or, The just one is the ruler among men

Clarke: 2Sa 23:3

Ruling in the fear of God - It is by God’ s fear that Jesus Christ rules the hearts of all his followers; and he who has not the fear of God before his eyes, can never be a Christian.

Clarke: 2Sa 23:4

He shall be as the light of the morning - This verse is very obscure, for it does not appear from it who the person is of whom the prophet speaks. As the Messiah seems to be the whole subject of these last words of David, he is probably the person intended. One of Dr. Kennicott’ s MSS. Supplies the word יהוה Yehovah ; and he therefore translates, As the light of the morning ariseth Jehovah (see below) He shall be the Sun of righteousness, bringing salvation in his rays, and shining - illuminating the children of men, with increasing splendor, as long as the sun and moon endure

Clarke: 2Sa 23:4

As the tender grass - The effects of this shining, and of the rays of his grace, shall be like the shining of the sun upon the young grass or corn, after a plentiful shower of rain.

Clarke: 2Sa 23:5

Although my house be not so with God - Instead of כן ken , so, read כן kun , established; and let the whole verse be considered as an interrogation, including a positive assertion; and the sense will be at once clear and consistent: "for is not my house (family) established with God; because he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all, and preserved? For this (He) is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it (or him) not to spring up."All is sure relative to my spiritual successor, though he do not as yet appear; the covenant is firm, and it will spring forth in due time. See the observations at the end of the chapter, 2Sa 23:39note).

Clarke: 2Sa 23:6

But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns - There is no word in the text for sons; it is simply Belial, the good-for-nothing man, and may here refer - first to Saul, and secondly to the enemies of our Lord

Clarke: 2Sa 23:6

As thorns thrust away - A metaphor taken from hedging; the workman thrusts the thorns aside either with his bill or hand, protected by his impenetrable mitten or glove, till, getting a fair blow at the roots, he cuts them all down. The man is fenced with iron, and the handle of his bill is like the staff of a spear. This is a good representation of the dubbing-bill, with which they slash the thorn hedge on each side before they level the tops by the pruning-shears. The handle is five or six feet long. This is a perfectly natural and intelligible image.

Clarke: 2Sa 23:8

These be the names of the mighty men - This chapter should be collated with the parallel place, 1 Chronicles 11:11-47; and see Kennicott’ s First Dissertation on the printed Hebrew text, pages 64-471

Clarke: 2Sa 23:8

The Tachmonite that sat in the seat - Literally and properly, Jashobeam the Hachmonite. See 1Ch 11:11

Clarke: 2Sa 23:8

The same was Adino the Eznite - This is a corruption for he lift up his spear. See 1Ch 11:11

Clarke: 2Sa 23:8

Eight hundred, whom he slew at one time - Three hundred is the reading in Chronicles, and seems to be the true one. The word חלל chalal , which we translate slain, should probably be translated soldiers, as in the Septuagint, στρατιωτας ; he withstood three hundred Soldiers at one time. See the note on David’ s lamentation over Saul and Jonathan, 2Sa 1:21 (note), and Kennicott’ s First Dissertation, p. 101. Dr. Kennicott observes: "This one verse contains three great corruptions in the Hebrew text

1.    The proper name of the hero Jashobeam is turned into two common words, rendered, that sat in the seat

2.    The words, he lift up his spear, הואעורר את חניתו hu orer eth chanitho , are turned into two proper names wholly inadmissible here: הוא עדינו העצני hu Adino haetsni , he was Adino the Eznite; it being nearly as absurd to say that Jashobeam the Hachmonite was the same with Adino the Eznite, as that David the Beth-lehemite was the same with Elijah the Tishbite

3.    The number eight hundred was probably at first three hundred, as in 1Ch 11:11.

See Kennicott, ubi supr.

Clarke: 2Sa 23:9

When they defied the Philistines that were there gathered - This is supposed to refer to the war in which David slew Goliath.

Clarke: 2Sa 23:11

A piece of ground full of lentiles - In 1Ch 11:13 it is a parcel of ground full of barley. There is probably a mistake of עדשים adashim , lentiles, for שעורים seorim , barley, or vice versa. Some think there were both lentiles and barley in the field, and that a marauding party of the Philistines came to destroy or carry them off, and these worthies defeated the whole, and saved the produce of the field. This is not unlikely.

Clarke: 2Sa 23:13

And three of the thirty - The word שלשים shalishim , which we translate thirty, probably signifies an office or particular description of men. Of these shalishim we have here thirty-seven, and it can scarcely be said with propriety that we have thirty-seven out of thirty; and besides, in the parallel place, 1 Chronicles 11:11-47, there are sixteen added. The captains over Pharaoh’ s chariots are termed שלשים shalishim , Exo 14:7

Clarke: 2Sa 23:13

The Philistines pitched in the valley of Rephaim - This is the same war which is spoken of 2Sa 5:17, etc.

Clarke: 2Sa 23:15

The water of the well of Bethlehem - This was David’ s city, and he knew the excellence of the water which was there; and being near the place, and parched with thirst, it was natural for him to wish for a draught of water out of that well. These three heroes having heard it, though they received no command from David, broke through a company of the Philistines, and brought away some of the water. When brought to David he refused to drink it: for as the men got it at the hazard of their lives, he considered it as their blood, and gave thereby a noble instance of self-denial. There is no evidence that David had requested them to bring it; they had gone for it of their own accord, and without the knowledge of David.

Clarke: 2Sa 23:16

Poured it out unto the Lord - To make libations, both of water and wine, was a frequent custom among the heathens. We have an almost similar account in Arrian’ s Life of Alexander: "When his army was greatly oppressed with heat and thirst, a soldier brought him a cup of water; he ordered it to be carried back, saying, I cannot bear to drink alone while so many are in want, and this cup is too small to be divided among the whole." Tunc poculo pleno sicut oblatum est reddito: Non solus, inquit, bibere sustineo, nec tam exiguum dividere omnibus possum . - Arrian, lib. vi

The example was noble in both cases, but David added piety to bravery; he poured it out unto the Lord.

Clarke: 2Sa 23:20

Two lion-like men of Moab - Some think that two real lions are meant; some that they were two savage gigantic men; others, that two fortresses are meant. The words שני אראל מואב sheney ariel Moab may signify, as the Targum has rendered it, ית תרין רברבי מואב yath terein rabrebey Moab , "The two princes of Moab."

Clarke: 2Sa 23:21

He slew an Egyptian - This man in 1Ch 11:23 is stated to have been five cubits high, about seven feet six inches

Clarke: 2Sa 23:21

He went down to him with a staff - I have known men who, with a staff only for their defense, could render the sword of the best practiced soldier of no use to him. I have seen even a parallel instance of a man with his staff being attacked by a soldier with his hanger; he soon beat the weapon out of the soldier’ s hand, and could easily have slain him with his own sword

We have a good elucidation of this in a duel between Dioxippus the Athenian and Horratas a Macedonian, before Alexander: "The Macedonian, proud of his military skill, treated the naked Athenian with contempt, and then challenged him to fight with him the ensuing day. The Macedonian came armed cap-a-pie to the place; on his left arm he had a brazen shield, and in the same hand a spear called sarissa; he had a javelin in his right hand, and a sword girded on his side; in short, he appeared armed as though he were going to contend with a host. Dioxippus came into the field with a chaplet on his head, a purple sash on his left arm, his body naked, smeared over with oil, and in his right hand a strong knotty club, ( dextra validum nodosumque stipitem praeferebat ). Horratas, supposing he could easily kill his antagonist while at a distance, threw his javelin, which Dioxippus, suddenly stooping, dexterously avoided, and, before Horratas could transfer the spear from his left to his right hand, sprang forward, and with one blow of his club, broke it in two. The Macedonian being deprived of both his spears, began to draw his sword; but before he could draw it out Dioxippus seized him, tripped up his heels, and threw him with great violence on the ground, ( pedibus repente subductis arietavit in terram ). He then put his foot on his neck, drew out his sword, and lifting up his club, was about to dash out the brains of the overthrown champion, had he not been prevented by the king."- Q. Curt. lib. ix., cap. 7

How similar are the two cases! He went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’ s hands, and slew him with his own spear. Benaiah appears to have been just such another clubsman as Dioxippus.

Clarke: 2Sa 23:23

David set him over his guard - The Vulgate renders this, Fecitque eun sibi David auricularium a secreto , "David made him his privy counsellor;"or, according to the Hebrew, He put him to his ears, i.e., confided his secrets to him. Some think he made him a spy over the rest. It is supposed that the meaning of the fable which attributes to Midas very long ears, is, that this king carried the system of espionage to a great length; that he had a multitude of spies in different places.

Clarke: 2Sa 23:24

Asahel - was one of the thirty - Asahel was one of those officers, or troops, called the shalishim . This Asahel, brother of Joab, was the same that was killed by Abner, 2Sa 2:23.

Clarke: 2Sa 23:25

Shammah the Harodite - There are several varieties in the names of the following shalishim ; which may be seen by comparing these verses with 1Ch 11:27.

Defender: 2Sa 23:1

This assertion seems to suggest that Psalm 18, which is substantially identical to 2 Samuel 22, was slightly modified by David shortly before his death. The revised version is incorporated here by the anonymous author of 2 Samuel. Since both versions are divinely inspired, there must be some reason for the inclusion of both the original and revised versions of Psalm 18 in the Biblical canon. See the notes appended to Psalm 18."

Defender: 2Sa 23:6

"Belial" means literally, "worthlessness" or "wickedness." The term "son of Belial" was an extreme epithet, later coming to mean "son of the wicked one" and finally being used as a name for a "son of Satan.""

Defender: 2Sa 23:8

This phrase is actually a proper name, "Josheb-basshebeth." See 1 Chronicles 11:11-47 for the parallel listing of David's mighty men.

Defender: 2Sa 23:8

1Ch 11:11 says that this man mentioned in the list of the mighty men (called Jashobeam in 1 Chronicles) slew three hundred men instead of eight hundred. The correct number is believed to be eight hundred, thus warranting Jashobeam's position as "chief among the captains." Abishai, in the second trio of mighty men, had slain three hundred. The number in 1Ch 11:11 probably represents a copyist's error, but it is also possible that he slew eight hundred once and three hundred on another occasion."

TSK: 2Sa 23:1

am 2989, bc 1015, An, Ex, Is, 476

the last : Gen 49:1; Deu 33:1; Josh. 23:1-24:32; Psa 72:20; 2Pe 1:13-15

raised : 2Sa 7:8, 2Sa 7:9; Psa 78:70

the anointed : 1Sa 2:10, 1Sa 16:12, 1Sa 16:13; Psa 2:6, Psa 89:20

sweet psalmist : 1Ch 16:4, 1Ch 16:5, 1Ch 16:7, 1Ch 16:9; Amo 6:5; Luk 20:42, Luk 24:44; Eph 5:19, Eph 5:20; Col 3:16; Jam 5:13

TSK: 2Sa 23:2

Mat 22:43; Mar 12:36; Act 2:25-31; Heb 3:7, Heb 3:8; 2Pe 1:21

TSK: 2Sa 23:3

God : Gen 33:20; Exo 3:15, Exo 19:5, Exo 19:6, Exo 20:2

the Rock : 2Sa 22:2, 2Sa 22:32; Deu 32:4, Deu 32:30, Deu 32:31; Psa 42:9

He that ruleth : or, Be thou ruler, etc. Psa 110:2

must be just : Exo 23:6-8; Deu 16:18-20; Psa 82:3, Psa 82:4; Pro 31:9; Isa 11:4, Isa 11:5, Isa 32:1; Jer 23:5; Zec 9:9; Heb 1:8

ruling : Exo 18:21; 2Ch 19:7-9; Neh 5:14

TSK: 2Sa 23:4

as the light : Jdg 5:31; Psa 89:36, Psa 110:3; Pro 4:18; Isa 60:1, Isa 60:3, Isa 60:18-20; Hos 6:5; Mal 4:2; Luk 1:78, Luk 1:79; Joh 1:7

morning : Hos 6:3

tender : Deu 32:2; Psa 72:6; Isa 4:2; Mic 5:7

TSK: 2Sa 23:5

Although : 2Sa 7:18, 2Sa 12:10, 2Sa 13:14, 2Sa 13:28, 2Sa 18:14; 1Ki 1:5, 1Ki 2:24, 1Ki 2:25, 1Ki 11:6-8, 1Ki 12:14

he hath made : 2Sa 7:14-16; 1Ch 17:11-14; Psa 89:3, Psa 89:28; Isa 9:6, Isa 9:7, Isa 55:3, Isa 61:8; Jer 32:40; Jer 33:25, Jer 33:26; Eze 37:26; Heb 13:20

and sure : 1Sa 2:35, 1Sa 25:28; 1Ki 11:38; Act 13:34; Heb 6:19

all my salvation : Psa 62:2, Psa 119:81

desire : Psa 27:4, Psa 63:1-3, Psa 73:25, Psa 73:26

to grow : Isa 4:2, Isa 7:14, Isa 9:6, Isa 9:7, Isa 11:1, Isa 27:6; Amo 9:11; 1Co 3:6, 1Co 3:7

TSK: 2Sa 23:6

the sons : 2Sa 20:1; Deu 13:13; 1Sa 2:12

thorns : Gen 3:18; Son 2:2; Isa 33:12; Eze 2:6

TSK: 2Sa 23:7

fenced : Heb. filled

and they shall : 2Sa 22:8-10; Isa 27:4; Mat 3:10-12, Mat 13:42; Luk 19:14, Luk 19:27; Joh 15:6; 2Th 1:8, 2Th 2:8; Heb 6:8

TSK: 2Sa 23:8

am 2949-2989, bc 1055-1015, An, Ex, Is, 436-476, The Tachmonite. or, Josheb-bassebet, the Tachmonite, head of the three. 1Ch 11:11, 1Ch 11:12, 1Ch 27:2, 1Ch 27:32; It is highly probable that in this version instead of yoshaiv bashshaiveth tachkemoni , we should read yoshavam ben chachmoni , ""Joshebeam, son of Hachmoni;’ and instead of hoo adino haetzni , hoo orair eth chanitho , ""he lift up his spear,""which are the readings in the parallel place in Chronicles, where it is also, ""three hundred,""instead of ""eight hundred."

whom he slew : Heb. slain

TSK: 2Sa 23:9

Eleazar : 1Ch 11:12-14, 1Ch 27:4, Dodai

defied : Num 23:7, Num 23:8; 1Sa 17:10, 1Sa 17:26, 1Sa 17:36, 1Sa 17:45, 1Sa 17:46

the men : Isa 63:3, Isa 63:5; Mar 14:50

TSK: 2Sa 23:10

the Lord : Jos 10:10, Jos 10:42, Jos 11:8; Jdg 15:14, Jdg 15:18; 1Sa 11:13, 1Sa 14:6, 1Sa 14:23, 1Sa 19:5; 2Ki 5:1; Psa 108:13, Psa 144:10; Rom 15:18; 2Co 4:5; Eph 6:10-18

and the people : Psa 68:12; Isa 53:12

TSK: 2Sa 23:11

Shammah : 1Ch 11:27, Shammoth the Harorite

the Philistines : 1Ch 11:13, 1Ch 11:14

into a troop : or, for foraging

TSK: 2Sa 23:12

the Lord : 2Sa 23:10; Psa 3:8, Psa 44:2; Pro 21:31

TSK: 2Sa 23:13

three : etc. or, the three captains over the thirty, 1Ch 11:15-19 Shalishim , ""captains,""should most probably be read, instead of shaloshim̀ thirty shalishim , as it is in 2Sa 23:8, and Exo 14:7; where LXX render τριστατας , which Jerome (on Ezek. 33) says ""among the Greeks is the name of the second rank after the royal dignity."

the cave : Jos 12:15, Jos 15:35; 1Sa 22:1; Mic 1:15

the valley : 2Sa 5:18, 2Sa 5:22; 1Ch 11:15, 1Ch 14:9; Isa 17:5

TSK: 2Sa 23:14

an hold : 1Sa 22:1, 1Sa 22:4, 1Sa 22:5, 1Sa 24:22; 1Ch 12:16

garrison : 1Sa 10:5, 1Sa 13:4, 1Sa 13:23, 1Sa 14:1, 1Sa 14:6

TSK: 2Sa 23:15

longed : Num 11:4, Num 11:5; Psa 42:1, Psa 42:2, Psa 63:1, Psa 119:81; Isa 41:17, Isa 44:3; Joh 4:10, Joh 4:14; Joh 7:37

Bethlehem : Bethlehem signifies the ""house of bread,""and the place was likewise noted for excellent water. There Christ was born, who is the ""bread of life,""and who also gives us the ""water of life.""""The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.""Joh 4:14

TSK: 2Sa 23:16

the three : 2Sa 23:9; 1Sa 19:5; Act 20:24; Rom 5:7; 2Co 5:14

poured it : Num 28:7; 1Sa 7:6; Lam 2:19; Phi 2:17

TSK: 2Sa 23:17

Be it far : 2Sa 20:20; Gen 44:17; 1Sa 2:30, 1Sa 26:11; 1Ki 21:3; 1Ch 11:19

the blood : Gen 9:4; Lev 17:10; Psa 72:14; Mat 26:28; Mar 14:24; Joh 6:52-54

jeopardy : Jdg 5:18; 1Co 15:30

TSK: 2Sa 23:18

Abishai : 2Sa 2:18, 2Sa 3:30, 2Sa 10:10, 2Sa 10:14, 2Sa 18:2, 2Sa 20:10; 1Sa 26:6-8; 1Ch 2:16, 1Ch 11:20, 1Ch 11:21

and slew them : Heb. slain

TSK: 2Sa 23:19

he attained : 2Sa 23:9, 2Sa 23:13, 2Sa 23:16; 1Ch 11:25; Mat 13:8, Mat 13:23; 1Co 15:41

TSK: 2Sa 23:20

Benaiah : 2Sa 8:18, 2Sa 20:23; 1Ki 1:8, 1Ki 1:26, 1Ki 1:38, 1Ki 2:29-35, 1Ki 2:46; 1Ch 18:17, 1Ch 27:5, 1Ch 27:6

Kabzeel : Jos 15:21

who had done many acts : Heb. great of acts

he slew : Exo 15:15

lionlike men : Heb. lions of God, 2Sa 1:23; 1Ch 11:22-24, 1Ch 12:8

slew a lion : Jdg 14:5, Jdg 14:6; 1Sa 17:34-37

TSK: 2Sa 23:21

a goodly man : Heb. a man of countenance, or sight, called, 1Ch 11:23, a man of great stature

slew him : 1Sa 17:51; Col 2:15

TSK: 2Sa 23:23

more honourable : or, honourable among the thirty, 1Ch 27:6

over his guard : or, over his council, Heb. at his command, 2Sa 8:8, 2Sa 20:23; 1Sa 22:14

TSK: 2Sa 23:24

Asahel : 2Sa 2:18; 1Ch 11:26, 1Ch 27:7

TSK: 2Sa 23:25

Shammah : 1Ch 11:27, 1Ch 11:28, Shammoth the Harorite

TSK: 2Sa 23:26

Paltite : 1Ch 11:27, 1Ch 27:10, Pelonite

Ira : 1Ch 11:28, 1Ch 27:9

Tekoite : 2Sa 14:2

TSK: 2Sa 23:27

Abiezer : 1Ch 11:28, Antothite, 1Ch 27:12, Anetothite

Mebunnai : 1Ch 11:19, Sibbecai

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: 2Sa 23:1

The last words of David - i. e., his last Psalm, his last "words of song"2Sa 22:1. The insertion of this Psalm, which is not in the Book of Psalms, was probably suggested by the insertion of the long Psalm in 2 Sam. 22.

David the son of Jesse said ... - The original word for "said"is used between 200 and 300 times in the phrase, "saith the Lord,"designating the word of God in the mouth of the prophet. It is only applied to the words of a man here, and in the strikingly similar passage Num 24:3-4, Num 24:15-16, and in Pro 30:1; and in all these places the words spoken are inspired words. The description of David is divided into four clauses, which correspond to and balance each other.

Barnes: 2Sa 23:4

Comparisons illustrating the prosperity of the righteous king.

Barnes: 2Sa 23:5

Although my house ... - The sense of this clause (according to the the King James Version) will be that David comparing the actual state of his family and kingdom during the later years of trouble and disaster with the prophetic description of the prosperity of the righteous king, and seeing how far it falls short, comforts himself by the terms of God’ s covenant 2Sa 7:12-16 and looks forward to Messiah’ s kingdom. The latter clause, "although he make it not to grow,"must then mean that, although at the present time the glory of his house was not made to grow, yet all his salvation and all his desire was made sure in the covenant which would be fulfilled in due time. But most modern commentators understand both clauses as follows: "Is not my house so with God that He has made with me an everlasting covenant,"etc.? "For all my salvation and all my desire, will He not cause it to spring up?"namely, in the kingdom of Solomon, and still more fully in the kingdom of Christ.

Barnes: 2Sa 23:8

The duplicate of this passage is in 1 Chr. 11, where it is in immediate connection with David’ s accession to the throne of Israel, and where the mighty men are named as those by whose aid David was made king. The document belongs to the early part of David’ s reign. The text of 2Sa 23:8-9 is perhaps to be corrected by comparison with 1Ch 11:11-12.

Chief among the captains - There is great doubt about the exact meaning of this phrase.

(1) the title is given to two other persons, namely, to Abishai in 2Sa 23:18; 1Ch 11:20, and to Amasa in 1Ch 12:18.

(2) the word translated "captain,"is of uncertain meaning, and the orthography repeatedly fluctuates throughout this and the duplicate passage in 1 Chr. 11, between "Shalish"a captain, and "Sheloshah"three.

(3) if, however, the text of Chronicles be taken as the guide, then the sense of "captain"will not come into play, but the word will be a numeral throughout, either "three"or "thirty,"and will describe David’ s band of thirty mighty men, with a certain triad or triads of heroes who were yet more illustrious than the thirty.

In the verse before us, therefore, for "chief among the captains,"we should render, "chief of the thirty."

Eight hundred - The parallel passage in 1 Chronicles has "three hundred,"as in 2Sa 23:18. Such variations in numerals are very frequent. Compare the numbers in Ezra 2 and Neh. 7.

Barnes: 2Sa 23:9

Gone away - Rather, went up to battle (2Sa 5:19; 2Ki 3:21, etc.) against them. These words and what follows as far as "troop"2Sa 23:11 have fallen out of the text in Chronicles. The effect of this is to omit EIeazar’ s feat, as here described, to attribute to him Shammah’ s victory, to misplace the flight of the Israelites, and to omit Shammah altogether from the list of David’ s mighty men.

Barnes: 2Sa 23:11

Hararite - Interpreted to mean "mountaineer,"one from the hill country of Judah or Ephraim.

Barnes: 2Sa 23:13

The feat at Bethlehem by three of the thirty was the occasion of their being formed into a distinct triad; Abishai 2Sa 23:18, Benaiah 2Sa 23:20, and a third not named, were probably the three.

In the harvest time - An error for "to the rock"(compare the marginal reference).

The troop of the Philistines - The word rendered "troop"occurs in this sense only here (and, according to some, in 2Sa 23:11), and perhaps in Psa 68:11. In 1 Chr. 11, as in 2Sa 23:16 the reading is "host"or "camp,"which may be the true reading here.

Pitched - The same Hebrew word as "encamped"in 1Ch 11:15.

Valley of Rephaim - Or Giants. See 2Sa 21:16 note.

Barnes: 2Sa 23:14

In an hold - In "the hold"1Ch 11:16 close to the cave of Adullam (marginal reference note). It shows the power and daring of the Philistines that they should hold a post so far in the country as Bethlehem.

Barnes: 2Sa 23:15

A cistern of deep, clear, cool water, is called by the monks, David’ s Well, about three-quarters of a mile to the north of Bethlehem. Possibly the old well has been filled up since the town was supplied with water by the aqueduct.

Barnes: 2Sa 23:16

Brake through the host - Their camp was pitched in the valley of Rephaim 2Sa 23:13; 1Ch 11:15. It follows from this that the way from Adullam to Bethlehem lay through or across the valley of Rephaim.

Poured it out unto the Lord - It was too costly for his own use, none but the Lord was worthy of it. For libations, see Jdg 6:20 note.

Barnes: 2Sa 23:17

Better as in 1Ch 11:19.

Barnes: 2Sa 23:18

Three - " The three"2Sa 23:22. It was Abishai’ s prowess on this occasion that raised him to be chief of this triad.

Barnes: 2Sa 23:19

i. e., "Was he not the most honorable of the three of the second order, howbeit, he attained not to the three,"the triad, namely, which consisted of Jashobeam, Eleazar, and Shammah. That two triads are mentioned is a simple fact, although only five names are given.

Barnes: 2Sa 23:20

Benaiah the son of Jehoiada - He commanded the Cherethites and Pelethites all through David’ s reign 2Sa 8:18; 2Sa 20:23, and took a prominent part in supporting Solomon against Adonijah when David was dying, and was rewarded by being made captain of the host in the room of Joab 1Ki 1:8, 1Ki 1:26, 1Ki 1:32-40; 1Ki 2:25-35; 1Ki 4:4. It is possible that Jehoiada his father is the same as Jehoiada 1Ch 12:27, leader of the Aaronites, since "Benaiah the son of Jehoiada"is called a "chief priest"1Ch 27:5.

Two lion-like men - The Hebrew word אריאל 'ărı̂y'êl , means literally "lion of God,"and is interpreted to mean "an eminent hero."Instances occur among Arabs and Persians of the surname "lion of God"being given to great warriors. Hence, it is supposed that the same custom prevailed among the Moabites. But the Vulgate has "two lions of Moab,"which seems to be borne out by the next sentence.

Slew a lion ... - Rather, THE lion, one of those described above as "a lion of God,"if the Vulgate Version is right. Apparently in a severe winter a lion had come up from its usual haunts to some village in search of food, and taken possession of the tank or cistern to the terror of the inhabitants, and Benaiah attacked it boldly and killed it.

Barnes: 2Sa 23:23

David set him over his guard - " Made him of his privy council,"would be a better rendering. See 1Sa 22:14 note. This position, distinct from his office as captain of the Cherethites and Pelethites, is clearly indicated 1Ch 27:34.

Barnes: 2Sa 23:24

etc. The early death of Asahel 2Sa 2:32 would make it very likely that his place in the 30 would be filled up, and so easily account for the number 31 in the list. Compare throughout the list in 1 Chr. 11.

Poole: 2Sa 23:1

The last words of David not simply the last that he spoke, but some of the last uttered in his last days upon the approach of his death; or the last which he spoke by the Spirit of God, assisting and directing him in an extraordinary manner.

Raised up on high advanced from an obscure family and estate to the kingdom.

The anointed of the God of Jacob whom, though despised by men, and rejected by his own brethren, God himself singled out from all his father’ s house, and out of all the families and tribes of Israel, and anointed to be king.

The sweet psalmist of Israel or, sweet , or delightful , or amiable in the songs of Israel : either, first, As the object of them; he whom the people of Israel mentioned in their songs with joy and praise, as when they sung, Saul hath slain his thousands , and David his ten thousands ; and many others which doubtless they made and sung concerning him, upon the occasion of his eminent victories, and the blessings of his wise and righteous government; some whereof we have in the Book of Psalms. Or, secondly, As the author of them, he who was eminent and famous among the people of God for the composing of sweet and holy songs to the praise of God, and for the use of his church in after-ages; for he did not only indite most of the Book of Psalms, by the direction of God’ s Spirit; but also invented the tunes, or appointed tunes to which they were to be sung, and the instruments of music which were used in and with those holy songs, 1Ch 25:1,6 Am 6:5 . If the expressions here used seem arrogant, and not fit to be said by David in his own praise, let it be considered, first, That holy men spake by inspiration from God; and therefore must follow his suggestions impartially, as indeed they do sometimes in the publishing their own praises; which yet is never done unnecessarily, and always moderately; and sometimes in the publishing of their own infirmities and shame, as they are moved thereunto, and as the edification of the church requires.

Secondly, That these seem not to be the words of David, but of the sacred penman of this book, to make for and gain the greater attention and respect unto David’ s following words.

Poole: 2Sa 23:2

The following words, and consequently the other words and Psalms composed and uttered by me upon the like solemn occasions, are not to be looked upon as my private fancies or human inventions, but both the matter and the words of them are suggested and governed by God’ s Spirit, which is the great Teacher of the church.

Poole: 2Sa 23:3

The Rock of Israel he who is the strength, and defence, and protector of his people; which he here manifests by obliging and directing kings and rulers so to manage their power and authority. as may most conduce to their comfort and benefit.

Spake to me by way of command; or, of me , by way of prediction and promise concerning me and my house, and the Messias who is to come out of my loins.

He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God: thus it is a precept or declaration of the duty of kings, and particularly of Solomon his son, (to whom as a dying man he gives this advice,) and of his successors the kings of God’ s Israel, for whose instruction he gives this rule. And so here are the two principal parts of a king’ s duty, answerable to the two tables of God’ s law, justice towards men, and piety towards God, both which he is to maintain and promote among his people; to which if you add benignity and clemency, whereby a king renders his government not frightful and burdensome, but acceptable and amiable to his people, which possibly may be meant by the following similitudes, here is a complete character of an excellent prince or governor. Others make it a prophecy of Christ; and then the words are or may be thus rendered, There shall be a Ruler over men , (or rather, among men , as the Hebrew word properly signifies, to wit, the Messias, who, though he be the eternal and invisible God, yet shall visibly appear and rule among men,) a just or righteous one , (a title oft given to Christ, as Isa 53:11 Jer 23:5,6 33:15 Zec 9:9 )

ruling in the fear of the Lord making it his great business to advance the service, and worship, and glory of the Lord; or, as it is in the Hebrew, ruling the fear of the Lord , i.e. governing and ordering the worship of God, which is oft called the fear of God . And so this clause is added to prevent or remove scandals and offences which might be taken at the Messias when he should come, because of his changing and abrogating the ceremonial law; and to insinuate that he should have no less power in the governing of God’ s house and worship than Moses had, and that he might make such laws as he thought meet. And if this be the meaning of the place, then as Jacob, being greatly afflicted with the troubles which he by the Spirit of prophecy foresaw were coming upon his posterity, comforts himself with the thoughts of that great and glorious salvation of God, which he also foresaw and waited for, Gen 49:18 ; so David, reflecting upon the great disorders, and miscarriages, and calamities which had already arisen in his house, and either wisely presaging or foreseeing by the Spirit of the Lord , 2Sa 23:2 , that the same sins and miseries should be fall his posterity and successors, he supports and comforts himself with this consideration, that one of them should be a most excellent person, just, and pious, and merciful, and an unspeakable blessing to David himself, and to all his family and people, and to the whole world, even the great Messias, who was undoubtedly revealed to and expected by David, as appears by many passages of the Psalms, and by other scriptures.

Poole: 2Sa 23:4

These words are either,

1. A further description of the king’ s duty, which is not only to rule with exact justice and piety, but also with sweetness, and gentleness, and condescension to the infirmities of his people; to render his government as pleasant and acceptable to them as is the sunshine in a clear morning, or the tender grass which springs out of the earth by the warm and refreshing beams of the sun after the rain, which hath a peculiar kind of sweetness and fragrancy in it. Or rather,

2. A prediction or declaration of the sweet and blessed effects of such a government, both to the governor himself; in that peace, and prosperity, and glory, and happiness which it brings to him, and to his people; to whom it is no less grateful, , and comfortable, and beneficial, than those great and public blessings of sunshine and rain, and the fruits which they produce; which is true of every good king or governor, but most eminently of the Messias.

Poole: 2Sa 23:5

Although my house be not so with God although God knows that neither I nor my children have lived and ruled as we should have done, so justly, and in the fear of the Lord; and therefore have not enjoyed that uninterrupted prosperity which we might have enjoyed; but our morning light, or the beginning of that kingdom promised to me and mine for ever, hath been overcast with many black and dismal clouds, and my children have not hitherto been like the tender grass springing out of the earth, and thriving by the influences of the sun and rain; but rather like the grass that withereth away, or is cut off before its due time.

Yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant: not-withstanding all our transgressions whereby we have broken covenant with God, and the confusions and civil wars. which have threatened our dissipation and utter destruction; yet I comfort myself with this, that God, to whom all my sins were foreknown before I committed them, was graciously pleased to make a sure covenant, to give and continue the kingdom to me and to my seed for ever, 2Sa 7:16 , until the coming of the Messias, who is to be my Son and successor, and whose kingdom shall have no end.

Ordered in all things ordained in all points by God’ s eternal and unchangeable counsel; and disposed by his wise and powerful providence, which doth and will overrule all things, even the sins and sufferings of my house, so far, that although he would punish them for their sins, yet he will not utterly root them out, nor break his covenant made with me and mine; as is said, Psa 89:31-34 . Sure, or preserved or observed, or kept , to wit, on God’ s part, or by God’ s power and faithfulness, in the midst of all the oppositions and uncertainties to which it seems to be exposed on our part. Compare Rom 3:3 2Ti 2:13 . For , or therefore , as the Hebrew particle chi oft signifies; therefore, i.e. because God hath made such a covenant. This is , or, he is , he who hath made this covenant; or, in this is , i.e. it consists in and depends upon this covenant.

All my salvation both my own eternal salvation, and the temporal salvation, or the preservation of the kingdom to me and mine.

All my desire or, every desirable thing ; the word desire being oft put for desired , or a desirable thing ; as Psa 21:2 78:29,30 Eze 24:16 . David being deeply sensible, and having had large experience, of the vanity and uncertainty of all earthly things, here declares that the covenant made by God with him and his in the Messias, is the only happiness which he prizeth and desireth, in which he doth fully acquiesce.

Although he make it not to grow i.e. my house, mentioned before. So the sense is, Although God as yet hath not made my house or family to grow, i.e. to increase, or to flourish with worldly glory and prosperity, as I expected; but hath for my sins cut off divers of my most eminent branches, and sorely afflicted my person and family; and although he may for the future deal in like manner with my sons and successors for the like miscarriages, which it is probable they may commit: yet this is my great support and comfort, that God will constantly and inviolably keep this covenant; and therefore, in the midst of all the shakings, and confusions, and interruptions which may happen in my house and kingdom, will preserve my line and family until the coming of the Messiah out of my loins, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; who, as he is the desire of all nations, Hag 2:7 , so in a special manner is my desire, and the author of all my salvation.

Poole: 2Sa 23:6

The sons of Belial or, the men of Belial, as it is expressed 2Sa 16:7 , and elsewhere. Having in the foregoing verses described the nature, and felicity, and stability of that kingdom which God himself had by a sure and everlasting covenant settled upon him and his seed; and especially, upon the Messiah, who was to be one of his posterity; he now describes the quality, the mischievous nature, the hazardous and miserable condition, of all the enemies of this holy and blessed kingdom, whom he justly calleth sons of Belial , because they rebelled against God’ s appointment, and against that king whom God had set over them; for which reason others are so called, 1Sa 10:27 2Ch 13:7 .

As thorns thrust away which men do not use to handle, as they do other trees, but thrust them away from themselves, by some instrument chosen for that purpose. And so will God remove or thrust away from himself, and from his people and kingdom, all those who shall either secretly or openly set themselves against it. And this may be here added, either,

1. By way of prescription to rulers, whom, as before he admonished to be just and kind to their people, 2Sa 23:3,4 ; so here he requires them to be severe in punishing and purging away wicked and incorrigible men from about his throne, and from among his people; the encouraging of the good, and the punishing of the bad, being the two chief works of every good magistrate, and the two pillars of all government. Or,

2. By way of caution; to show, that notwithstanding the holiness, and happiness, and sureness of this kingdom, yet there would be sons of Belial in it, who would endeavour to disturb and overthrow it, but to no purpose; for all their projects against it should be vain, and fall upon their own heads.

Poole: 2Sa 23:7

The staff of a spear so the meaning is, he must fill his hand, or arm himself with some iron weapon, whereby he may cut them down; or, with the staff of a spear , or some such like thing, whereby he may thrust them away from himself, that they do him no hurt. Or thus, he will be filled , or will fill himself , i. e. his hand, wherewith he attempted to touch and take them, with thorns, as

with iron and the staff of a spear i.e. he will be as surely and sorely wounded, as if one should run the iron head and part of the wood of a spear into his hand.

And they shall be utterly burned or, therefore ; because men cannot safely touch them, therefore they will burn them up. Or, or, i.e. if they do not cut them down with iron, or thrust them away with the staff of a spear, they will burn and consume them.

In the same place or, in their place , where they grow or stand; and they will not trouble not hazard themselves to remove them. Withal, it may imply that they shall be destroyed when and where they thought themselves most secure, even in their own place. And it may possibly intimate, that those children of Belial, the wicked and unbelieving Jews, who rejected and rebelled against the Messiah, David’ s successor, and their lawful King, should be destroyed in their great, and strong, and holy city Jerusalem, where the greatest part of that people were gathered together as fuel for the fire, and were destroyed together by the Romans under Titus, where also their wicked predecessors had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in former times.

Poole: 2Sa 23:8

Of the mighty men whom David had i. e. of his chief and most valiant commanders. And as it was noted upon 2Sa 21:1 , that the things related in that chapter were done before Absalom’ s and Sheba’ s rebellion, though they be mentioned after them; so that opinion is confirmed by this catalogue, which, though placed here, was taken long before, as is manifest from hence, that Asahel and Uriah are named here. And whereas there are some differences between this list and that 1Ch 11 , most of them are easily reconciled by these two considerations:

1. That nothing is more common than for one person to have divers names.

2. That as some of the worthies died, and others came in their steads; so this must needs cause some alteration in the latter catalogue, 1Ch 11 , from this, which was the former.

The Tachmonite , or, Hachmonite , called Jashobeam , 1Ch 11:11 , from his place; or, as here, Josheb-bassebet , i. e. as we render it,

that sat in the seat , i.e. was, under Joab, chief or president of the council of war, or lieutenant ( locum tenens ).

The same was Adino : this was his proper name.

The Eznite ; so called, either from his family, or from the place of his birth or education.

He lift up his spear which words are fitly supplied out of 1Ch 11:11 , where they are expressed. Or thus, he was above eight hundred , i.e. he conquered them. So there is only an ellipsis of the verb substantive, which is most frequent.

At one time in one battle, which though it be strange, yet cannot seem incredible, supposing him to be a person of extraordinary strength and activity, and his enemies to be weak, or discouraged, and fleeing away; and especially, God’ s singular blessing and assistance; all which may very reasonably be supposed.

Object. But this man is said to have slain only three hundred in 1Ch 11:11 .

Answ 1. Possibly he slew eight hundred at one time, and three hundred at another; whereof the former is related here, as being most considerable; and the latter in the Book of Chronicles, which supplies many passages omitted in the former writings.

2. He slew three hundred with his own hands; and the other five hundred, though killed by his men, are said to be slain by him, because he was the chief cause of all their deaths; for he, by his undaunted courage, killing three hundred, put the rest to flight, who were easily slain by his soldiers in the pursuit.

3. Some of the Hebrew writers affirm that these were two distinct persons, being called by differing names; the one the father, and the other the son, who succeeded his father, as in strength and valour, so also in his place of honour and trust.

Poole: 2Sa 23:9

The Ahohite of the children of Ahoah , 1Ch 8:4 .

One of the three i. e. one of the first three, 2Sa 23:19 .

Mighty men with David who were with David at this time, or who usually attended upon David.

When they defied the Philistines when he either in the name of all the Israelites, or with the countenance and help of some of them, challenged the Philistines to fight. Or, when some of , or among, the Philistines defied them , i. e. the Israelites, according to their manner, and the example of their great Goliath, 1Sa 17:25,36 . Or, in Harpam (for some make it a proper name of a place) among the Philistines . Gone away , i. e. fled away, 1Ch 11:13 , being dismayed at the approach of their enemies. Heb. ascended , i. e. vanished away like smoke, which ascends, and so disappears, as that verb is oft used.

Poole: 2Sa 23:10

He arose i. e. he undertook the work, as that word sometimes is used. Or, he stood (as it sometimes signifies) when the rest fled.

His hand clave unto the sword either through sweat or blood, or by a contraction of the sinews. Or thus, yet did his hand cleave to his sword , i.e. though he was weary, he did not desist, but continued fighting.

Only to spoil i.e. to pursue the enemy, whom he had discomfited, and to take their spoil.

Poole: 2Sa 23:11

Full of lentiles or barley , as it is 1Ch 11:13 ; for both might very well grow in the same field, in divers parts of it. And this fact is ascribed to Eleazar, 1Ch 11:12 , but so as it is implied that he had some partner or partners in it: for it is there said, 1Ch 11:14 , They set themselves , &c. So Eleazar might stand and fight in that part where the barley was, and Shammah there where the lentiles were.

Poole: 2Sa 23:12

Defended it that the Philistines could neither burn, nor tread it down and spoil it or carry it away.

Poole: 2Sa 23:13

Three of the thirty either,

1. The three already named, as is generally supposed, because it is said of them, in the close of this history, 1Ch 11:19 , These things did these three mightiest . But in the Hebrew it is only these three mighty men , as the same words are rendered here, 2Sa 23:17 . Or rather,

2. The following

three for it is expressly said, both here, 2Sa 23:18 , and 1Ch 11:20 , that

Abishai was chief and therefore one of the three; and this three are plainly distinguished from the first three, 2Sa 23:19 1Ch 11:25 .

Unto the cave of Adullam which was a strong place, where David had been before, 1Sa 22:1 , &c., and where he had now again fortified himself in the beginning of his reign, when the Philistines were too strong for him.

In the valley of Rephaim of which see above, 2Sa 5:18 .

Poole: 2Sa 23:15

Being hot and thirsty, he expresseth how acceptable a draught of that water would be to him, as is usual with men to do in such cases; but was far from desiring or expecting that any of his men should hazard their lives to procure it, as appears from 2Sa 23:17 .

Poole: 2Sa 23:16

The host of the Philistines was in the valley of Rephaim, 2Sa 23:13 , and in the way to Beth-lehem.

He would not drink thereof lest by gratifying himself upon such terms, he should seem either to set too high a price upon the satisfaction of his appetite, or too low a price upon the lives of his soldiers, or should encourage others to the like vain-glorious and foolish attempts.

Poured it out unto the Lord as a kind of drink-offering, and acknowledgment of God’ s goodness in preserving the lives of his captains in so dangerous an enterprise; and to show that he esteemed it as a sacred thing, which, considering all things, it was not fit for him to drink it.

Poole: 2Sa 23:17

Is not this the blood of the men i.e. the price of their blood or lives, which they rashly exposed to manifest hazard?

These things did these three mighty men either one of these three are here omitted, as one of the first three is not named, 1Ch 11 ; or Abishai, who follows next, was one of these three.

Poole: 2Sa 23:18

He fought with and killed three hundred men in one battle.

Had the name among the three i.e. was the most famous and eminent among them.

Poole: 2Sa 23:19

He fell short of them in strength and valour.

Poole: 2Sa 23:20

Of Kabzeel a place in Judah, Jos 15:21 .

Who had done many acts: this may belong either to Benaiah , or to his father, to note that Benaiah was a son becoming such a father.

Two lionlike men for courage and strength. Or, lions of God , i.e. great and strong lions. Or, two gigantic persons; and therefore both so called, as being either equal in might, or brethren by birth.

In the midst of a pit where he put himself under a necessity, either of killing, or being killed.

In time of snow when lions are most fierce, both from the sharpness of their appetite in cold seasons, and from want of provisions, cattle being then shut up, and fed at home.

Poole: 2Sa 23:21

A goodly man for stature, as it is expressed, 1Ch 11:23 .

With a staff without a sword, or any warlike weapon.

Poole: 2Sa 23:23

Heb. over (for el is sometimes put for al ) the men (which is oft understood, as hath been noted before) of his command . So his guard is called, because they were always at the king’ s hand, ready to hear and receive the king’ s commands, and to put them in execution. Over the Cherethites and Pelethites, as appears by comparing 2Sa 8:18 20:23 , who were faithful and obedient to him, when others revolted from him, 2Sa 15:18 .

Poole: 2Sa 23:24

One of the thirty Heb. with or among the thirty ; not only as one, but as the chief of them.

Poole: 2Sa 23:25

In 1Ch 11:27 ,

Shammoth the Harorite concerning which and such-like alterations, and other changes of the names, which will be observed by comparing this catalogue with that, it will be sufficient to suggest,

1. That the same names of persons or places are differently pronounced, according to the different dialects used by men of divers places or ages.

2. That one man had oft two names.

3. That David had more worthies than those here mentioned; and as some of these were slain in the former part of David’ s reign, as Asahel was; so others came up in their steads; and some were added to this number, as appears from 1Ch 11 , where they are named, but not numbered, as they were here; and where there is a greater number than is here expressed.

PBC: 2Sa 23:6

"Belial"

This word Belial, according to others, signifies one that is unprofitable. And this is the account the apostle gives of all men in general, Jews and Gentiles, that they are together become unprofitable.. {Ro 3:12} A wicked man, a son of Belial, is unprofitable to God, unprofitable to men, unprofitable to himself; and indeed every man is unprofitable unto God; for, can a man be profitable unto God? says Eliphaz, as he that is wise may be profitable to himself; {Job 22:2} no, he cannot. Even a wise and good man, with all his goodness, cannot be profitable unto God; for his goodness does not extend to him. David says, My goodness extendeth not to thee, {Ps 16:2} can be of no avail unto thee; for if a man’s way is righteous, what gain is it to the Lord? what does he receive at his hands? Nothing at all that can be really beneficial to him, so as to lay him under any obligation; for who hath first given to him, and it shalt be recompensed unto him again? {Ro 11:35} When a man has done all he can in a way of righteousness, he has done but what was his duty, and must sit down and call himself an unprofitable servant with respect to God. Now if good men cannot be profitable to God, certainly wicked men cannot. Good men may be profitable in glorifying God, and causing others to glorify him; or promote the interest of religion by their purses, or the gifts bestowed upon them, but still no man can be profitable unto God, to yield him such benefit as can add to his essential glory and happiness; for if any addition could be made to his happiness, he would not be a perfect being as he is. Now if good men, with all their goodness cannot be profitable unto God, surely wicked men cannot; they are sons of Belial, they are abominable in themselves, and to every good work reprobate: nor are they profitable unto men. One good man may be profitable to another, even to wicked men: "the righteousness of a man may profit the son of man," as Elihu owns; {Job 35:8} and that is the reason the apostle gives, why those who believe in Christ should be careful to maintain good works, because these thing’s are good and profitable to men.. {Tit 3:8} Though they are not profitable to God, they are profitable to men; they set good examples to them: besides there are many things in them that are really beneficial unto men. Saints are the salt, of the earth: and if there were no such persons, the earth would lose its savor, and be in a sad condition. Many temporal advantages wicked men enjoy, by means of good men; and saints, in various ways, are capable of serving one another in love: but a wicked man, a son of Belial, is good for nothing; he is unprofitable to the generation in which he lives. Evil communications corrupt good manners: or men of evil communications, that are bad in their lives and conversations, are hurtful among those with whom they live, and with whom they converse.

From Gill: THE CHARACTER AND END OF THE WICKED, CONSIDERED

Haydock: 2Sa 23:1

Last words, which he spoke by inspiration, (Menochius) or which may be considered as the conclusion of his Psalms, and inserted after the 71st, (Calmet) or as a preface or summary of those divine canticles; (Du Hamel) or they relate to the last ages, and to the Messias, (Chaldean) the end of the law. (Haydock) ---

Some think it has not been inserted among the Psalms, as not being written in verse: (Sanctius) but it is composed in the true spirit of the Hebrew poetry, though very obscure. ---

Christ, who should be born of him; or David himself was appointed to be "the king" of God's people. Septuagint, "he whom God raised up, the Christ of," &c. Hebrew, "sovereign anointed of," &c. ---

Psalmist. The Holy Spirit directs David to speak in his own praise. His Psalms were always most highly esteemed in Israel. (Calmet) ---

Said. This preamble may remind us of a similar one of Balaam, Numbers xxiv. 3. The prophets generally declare who they are. (Haydock)

Haydock: 2Sa 23:2

Tongue. Nothing could more decisively prove the inspiration of the sacred books.

Haydock: 2Sa 23:3

Strong one. This is one of the most common titles of God, 1 Kings ii. 2. Hebrew, "the rock." ---

In the fear. Hebrew, "of the fear;" that is, of the just, who live in the fear of God. Such abstract expressions are frequent; so "the son of the captivity, of riches," &c., mean a captive or a rich man. (Calmet) ---

God spoke such words to David as tended to promote solid virtue and piety. (Haydock) ---

We may explain the ruler, &c., of the Messias, who shall diffuse grace and glory throughout the earth. Protestants, "He that ruleth over men, must be just, ruling in the fear of God." An excellent lesson for all in power. (Haydock)

Haydock: 2Sa 23:4

As the light, &c. So shall be the kingdom of Christ. (Challoner) ---

Hebrew, "Like the morning light, shall the sun arise." But is this sense? Is not the sun the light of the morning? The oldest Hebrew manuscript in England has the word Jehova before Sun, which seems to have acknowledged by the Septuagint, though now unintelligible; and thus we are freed from this difficulty, and the passage is proved to be prophetical of the great sun of justice, Malachias iv. 2., and Isaias lx. 2. (Kennicott, Dis. i., p. 471.) ---

The Hebrew is extremely obscure. (Calmet) ---

Protestants, And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springeth out of the earth by clear shining after rain. (Haydock) ---

These comparisons may be applied to the Psalms and other inspired writings, which enlighten the eyes; (Psalm xviii. 9,) or to Christ, whose glory surpasses that of the sun, (Psalm lxxi. 5,) and whose graces produce the just, Isaias xlv. 8. (Menochius) ---

We might expect that David was going to compare the glory of his reign and of his family, with that of the rising sun, Judges v. 31. But he does not finish the comparison, being filled with a sense of his own misery. (Calmet)

Haydock: 2Sa 23:5

Neither is my house, &c. As if he should say: This everlasting covenant was not due to my house: but purely owing to his bounty, who is all my salvation, and my will; that is, who hath always saved me, and granted me what I desired of him; so that I and my house, through his blessing, have sprung up, and succeeded in all things. (Challoner) ---

He clearly distinguishes between the covenant made with him as to his earthy kingdom, and that which regards Christ. (Worthington) ---

Even the former should be of long duration, Psalm cxxxi. 11. (Haydock) ---

Up. Hebrew seems to contradict all that had gone before; "for it shall not flourish." (Calmet) ---

Protestants, "although he make it not to grow;" (Haydock) unless we read with an interrogation, "And shall not my family flourish?" which was a natural reverence to ver. 4. (Calmet) ---

God had blessed David with the dew of heaven, and with the fatness of the earth. (Menochius) ---

His glory and happiness should not be of short duration, like the brightest summer-day, or a transient flower. (Haydock)

Haydock: 2Sa 23:6

But. This word is neglected by the Septuagint, who enjoin this to the preceding verse. "Because the lawless man shall not flourish. They are all like thorns thrust out, for they shall not be handled," lest they prick. (Haydock)

Haydock: 2Sa 23:8

Jesbaham, the son of Hachamoni. For this was the name of this hero, as appears from 1 Chronicles xi. 11. (Challoner) ---

But then sitting, &c., should not be retained. (Haydock) ---

Most tender, &c. He appeared like one tender and weak, but was indeed most valiant and strong. It seems the Latin has here given the interpretation of the Hebrew name of the hero, to whom Jesbaham was like, instead of the name itself, which was Adino the Eznite, one much renowned of old for his valour. (Challoner) ---

The Vulgate has, contrary to custom, translated many of the proper names. (Calmet) ---

The French version would suppose that Adino, the Heznite, was the hero's name; and queen Elizabeth's version (1599) is, "He that sat in the seat of wisdom, being chief of the princes, was Adino, the Eznite." (Haydock) ---

But no such person is mentioned any where else, in the Bible; and these words have been corrupted, like many others in this chapter, as may be gathered from collating it with Chronicles, &c. Kennicott was encouraged to continue, if not to begin his labours, to shew the imperfection of the printed Hebrew, by comparing these passages, though he had formerly imagined that the text had been preserved in its original purity. See Dis. ii. p. 496. He shews the inaccuracy of queen Elizabeth's version, and observes that some have very abruptly inferred, that David was the first of his own mighty men, from the Vulgate, which is literally, "These are the names of the valiant men of David. Sitting in the chair, the most wise prince among the three. The same is like the most tender," &c. No name is here specified, (Haydock) though the catalogue be given expressly to honour their names. ---

In the chair. Hebrew Bashebeth, "seems to be carelessly transcribed in here from the line above," as Oregim was taken from the subsequent line, chap. xxi. 19. ---

Wisest. Hebrew, "the Hachmonite." ---

Three; it is in Hebrew, "the third;" and in Chronicles thirty, improperly. Protestants, "the Tachmonite, that sat in the seat, chief among the captains, (the same was Adino, the Eznite) against 800 whom he slew at one time," is therefore inaccurate. ---

Tachmonite has the th corrupted, from e, which stands for ben, " the son of Hachmoni;" though, as the father of Jashobeam was Zadiel, it would be better rendered the Hachmonite, being his family or local name. It is not always possible to know which is meant. The ellipsis in the Protestant version, and the confounding of Jashobeam with Adino, cannot be excused. Adinu seems to be (Haydock) corrupted from auror, (as ver. 18, and 1 Paralipomenon) "lifted up;" eatsnu, a word retained in the Arabic language, for "his spear;" (Vulgate) wood. Le Clerc reads eatsni, which he deems inexplicable, no less than Adinu: but the best copies have eatsnu; so that we need not reject it. ---

Killed, or "wounded," is the general interpretation of elol; but it signifies also, "a soldier." ---

Eight is three, in Paralipomenon. Similar mistakes have probably arisen from the use of numeral letters. See 4 Kings viii. 26. We read, that Abisai lifted up his spear against 300. This was, perhaps, an usual number for a regiment of three companies, 1 Kings xxix. 2. Both Jesbahan and Abisai ventured to contend, singly, with so superior a force; but the latter displayed rather less valour, so that he did not attain unto the glory of the former; which he ought to have done, if both had killed the same number. Kennicott would therefore translate, "These are the names of the mighty men, whom David had: Jashobeam, the Hachmonite, chief of the Three: He lifted up his spear against 300 soldiers, at one time." He observes that thirty-seven heroes are particularly specified: (ver. 39) Joab, (the captain-general) Jashobeam, Eleazar, Shammah, the first ternary) Abishai, Benaiah, and Asael; (the second ternary) after whom follow thirty, whose exploits are not recorded. If any should still maintain that this verse is correct, we must say (Haydock) that Adino is a different person from Jesbaham, (as the Vulgate reads it, 1 Paralipomenon) and that he killed 800; whereas the latter was only like him, in as much as he slew 300. (Menochius) ---

The marvellous is greatly diminished by substituting 300 instead of 800, and by allowing that the heroes contended with, though they might not kill, the whole company of 300 soldiers. See Kennicott. It seems most rational to admit some corrections, to which we are led by the Septuagint, "Jesbaath, (Vatican, Jesbosthe, the Chanaanite) the son of Thakemoni. He was the chief of the three. Adino, the Asonean, is useless, (Calmet) as a proper name: when corrected, it is rendered, (Haydock) "he drew," &c. Whence have they taken this, as it is not in Hebrew at present, unless they read, (Calmet) auror, elevavit, "he lifted up his spear." (Kennicott) ---

The number of 300 slain by one man, in one engagement, is also more credible than 800. (Calmet) ---

Josephus increases the number to 900; but then he supposes they were slain in various battles. "The king had thirty-eight, chiefly renowned for their achievements....The first, Issaimos, the son of Achamani, who rushing, not once, but frequently, into the midst of the enemy, did not cease from slaughtering till he had killed 900." We may observe that he increases the number of the mighty men. (Haydock) ---

Delany reduces it to thirty-six, though he afterwards reckons thirty-seven, erroneously making thirty-one commanders of the third order, when he ought to have allowed the odd one to be the captain-general, and placed him before the two ternaries. Lightfoot also reckons thirty-six, and mentions them in this remarkably false order: 1, Joab; 2, Adino, of Ezni, called Jashobeam, by office; 3, Eleazar. And in the second rank: 1, Abishai; 2, Shammah; 3, Benaiah. (Kennicott) ---

All these officers were styled, Shalischim. See Exodus xiv. 7. (Calmet) ---

A body of "Thirty" was, perhaps, originally formed by David; and, though he afterwards admitted a greater number, they all went by the first name. (Salien)

Haydock: 2Sa 23:9

Dodo. In Latin, Patrui ejus, which is the interpretation of the Hebrew name Dodo. The same occurs in ver. 24, (Challoner) and signifies, "of his paternal uncle." (Haydock) ---

Septuagint read Dudia, (Calmet) "of his father's brother." He, or his father, is styled Dudai, 1 Paralipomenon xxvii. 4. (Calmet) ---

Septuagint (Alexandrian) translates both Dodo and Dodi, "the son of his father's brother," the son of Sousei, or (Vatican) Doudei. Dodi seems to be the more accurate here, as he is thus more distinguished from Dodo, ver. 24., and Chronicles v. 26.[1 Paralipomenon xi. 26.?] ---

Defied. Hebrew is incorrect, and ought to be a proper name as is evident from the word there. Josephus calls it, Greek: arasamo, (perhaps originally, Greek: aphasdamo ) Chronicles, Pasdammim, or Ephesdammim, 1 Kings xvii. 1. It is hardly probable that the Hebrews should defy or upbraid the Philistines, and immediately run away. We should therefore translate with 1 Paralipomenon men. "He was with David at Pasdammim. And when the Philistines were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away, he arose," &c. (Kennicott)

Haydock: 2Sa 23:10

Sword; holding it, and exerting himself so long; (Sanctius) or on account of the blood, which glued, as it were, his hand to the sword. (Josephus) (Menochius) ---

This verse, and as far as troop in the following, is omitted in 1 Paralipomenon; so that Semma is not so much as mentioned, (Haydock) and of course the number thirty seven cannot be found. (Kennicott) ---

Perhaps Samaoth may be the same hero, 1 Paralipomenon ii. 17., and xxvii. 8. (Calmet)

Haydock: 2Sa 23:11

Troop. Hebrew Lachaya, has been much controverted: but it appears to be the name of Lechi, or Lehi, "the jaw-bone," (Josephus and Complutensian Septuagint) so memorable for the exploit of Samson. (Bochart, Anim. p. 1. B. ii. 15.) ---

Vulgate literally, in statione, "in a station." Some copies of the Septuagint, "against wild beasts;" "To hunt wild beasts," Syriac and Arabic. But it is most probably the name of a place. (Calmet) ---

Lentils. (1 Paralipomenon) Barley seems more correct, as the field could not be full of both at the same time; (Haydock) and barley is of more general utility. (Kennicott) ---

Yet some would assert, that there was barley in one part and lentils in the other. (Buxtorf, &c.)

Haydock: 2Sa 23:13

Before this. The exploits performed before the death of Goliath have been recorded. The following took place soon after the taking of Jerusalem. Hebrew simply, "And three of the Schalischim came to David at harvest-time, (Paralipomenon more correctly, to the rocks, ) and into the cave," &c. (Calmet) ---

Three is undoubtedly the proper word, though the printed Hebrew copies have thirty in the text; except the most ancient edition of Ximenes, 1515, which retains three, with all the versions, and some Hebrew manuscripts and as ver. 17. itself reads among would be better above; (ver. 23,) as the three officers aforesaid were not of the body of thirty, but of a still higher order. ---

Harvest. Hebrew el Katsir, is never used elsewhere in this sense; and the Septuagint have left the latter word as a proper name, "at Kasoar;" etsur seems to have been the original word, as in Paralipomenon, "to the rock." Such places had frequently caverns or strong holds, 1 Kings xxiv. 1, 4. ---

Camp. The Septuagint also seem to have read mene, as in Paralipomenon, instead of eith, which never occurs, for "a troop." (Kennicott) ---

This camp was distant from the station at Bethlehem, (Menochius) which was distant from Jerusalem "two hours travel." (Maundrell) ---

Giants, or Raphaim, 2 Kings xxi. 18. (Menochius)

Haydock: 2Sa 23:14

Garrison. Literally, "station," (Haydock) or advanced guard. ---

In. The b is omitted in Hebrew, as on many other occasions; (4 Kings xiv. 14.; Kennicott) owing perhaps to the following words beginning with the same letter. (Haydock)

Haydock: 2Sa 23:15

Gate. David had been educated in that town. (Menochius) ---

He expresses his wish to see his native place delivered from the hands of the enemy, more than for water; (Sanctius; Kennicott) or being very thirsty, he speaks his sentiments without designing that any should attempt to procure him the water. (Calmet) ---

The three valiant men considered his desire as a law. (Menochius) ---

They were not to be condemned of rashness, though it would have been such in ordinary men. (Salien) ---

David only intended to try the valour of his soldiers. When they brought the water he would not drink, judging that precious things should be offered to God. (Worthington)

Haydock: 2Sa 23:16

Camp, or station of soldiers, ver. 13, 14. ---

Offered it, as "a libation," according to the Hebrew and Septuagint. Vayasec is commonly used; but vinsoc, in Paralipomenon is the truer reading, as "it contains the three radical letters; and it were greatly to be wished that the verbs in every other place had also those radical letters restored, which have been omitted by the Masorets, and supplied by their punctuations." (Kennicott, Dis. i. p. 154.) ---

Lord, as a sacrifice, worthy of him, and to teach his followers to be temperate, (Menochius) and not to expose their lives unnecessarily. (Haydock) -- "He had formerly indulged himself in forbidden pleasures." (St. Gregory) ---

David thus asked pardon for having, undesignedly, hazarded the lives of his men, (Kennicott) and gave thanks for their safe return. (Josephus) ---

A libation of water was solemnly made, 1 Kings vii. 6. The pagans used water when they had no wine, as they never sat down to meat, or offered sacrifice, without making a libation. (Calmet) See Homer, Iliad H.; Virgil, Æneid viii. 279. Dixit & in mensa laticum libavit honorem. (Virgil, Æneid i. 740.)

Haydock: 2Sa 23:17

Drink. This word is acknowledged in 1 Paralipomenon and in all the ancient versions. (Kennicott) ---

Protestants supply, " Is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives?" Instead of Jehova, (Haydock) which ought to have m prefixed, we find maleim; (1 Paralipomenon) a word never used in such solemn appeals to the Lord. This seems owing to the superstition of the Jews, who would not pronounce the former name, perhaps in imitation of the heathens, who kept the names of their tutelar gods secret, lest the enemy might call them out, and thus obtain possession of their country. See Macrobius iii. 9. No mention is made of the Romans making use of this mode of evocation at the last siege of Jerusalem, as they were unacquainted with the true name of God. Virgil (ii. 351,) writes,--- Excessere omnes Adytis Arisque relictis,

Dii quibus imperium hoc steterat. ----- See Servius; Kennicott.

Haydock: 2Sa 23:18

Three. Septuagint (Alexandrian) and Josephus read "six hundred," (Haydock) against all the rest.

Haydock: 2Sa 23:19

Three. Hebrew haci, seems to be mistaken for bossnim, "above two;" as one of the Greek versions in the Hexapla renders it, with the Septuagint. "Of the three he was more honourable than two; therefore he was their captain, and yet to," &c. Thus we see a double ternary fully established, ver. 8. (Kennicott)

Haydock: 2Sa 23:20

Banaias. The v at the end of this man's name, is wanting in Paralipomenon. It serves to distinguish him more from one of the Thirty, who was the 11th captain in waiting on the king; (1 Paralipomenon xxvii. 14,) whereas this was the third, (1 Paralipomenon v.) and one of great renown, 3 Kings i. 32. ---

Lions. Hebrew ari, "a lion;" and el, "god," designate people "of extraordinary valour." (Kennicott) ---

Hence the Arabians give the title to Ali, the son-in-law of Mahammed. (Bochart, Anim. iii. 1. ---

These two were noblemen, (Chaldean) giants, (Josephus) or fortresses; (Vatable) namely, Areopolis, which is divided into two parts by the Arnon. (Calmet) ---

Some suppose that he slew three real lions. The last, being in such a confined situation, enhanced his merit. (Cajetan) (Menochius) ---

The Alexandrian copy of the Septuagint has a great omission of the words between slew, occasioned by the word recurring twice; as also ver. 21. Dr. Milles attributes the omission of the famous text 1 John v. 7, to a similar case; Greek: marturountis, being found in the subsequent verse. " Proclivi admodum errore, quod norunt, quibus cum veteribus membranis res est. " 2nd edition. ---

"A source of frequent mistakes, as all know who have consulted old manuscripts."

Haydock: 2Sa 23:21

Sight, for size. (Josephus) ---

Hebrew, "a man of great aspect," which 1 Paralipomenon properly explains "five cubits high." ---

Hand. Septuagint supply what seems to be omitted, "like a weaver's beam," (Kennicott) as it is found in Paralipomenon. ---

Rod, or rather "a staff," like David's, 1 Kings xvii. 43., and xl. 43. (Haydock) ---

Some men, with a stick or codgel, will not fear to encounter a man armed; (Calmet) as we see exemplified in Q. Curtius, (ix. 7,) where Dioxippus, the Athenian wrestler, overcame Horratas of Macedon, who had challenged him out in a fit of drunkenness. (Haydock)

Haydock: 2Sa 23:23

Who were. Hebrew, "he was honourable above the thirty." Septuagint erroneously read three; as he was only the second in this series, though superior to the body of thirty. See ver. 13. The versions seem here perplexed, for want of observing this distinction of ranks. ---

Council. Hebrew, "over his obedience," or "guard." (Josephus) (Chap. xx. 23.) ---

Septuagint, "over his own country," mosspethu, instead of the present el mishmahto, super auscultationem suam: or rather mossmorthu, custodiam suam. (Grotius; Kennicott) ---

Banaias held a very distinguished rank among the officers at court. He was like the king's eye and ear. (Haydock) ---

These titles were given to some by the eastern kings. (Apuleius, Mundo.; Brisson. Pers. i.) ---

Midas was said to have such great ears, only on account of his spies. (Conon. narrat, i.) (Calmet)

Haydock: 2Sa 23:24

Was one. Hebrew the preposition b is here used, which signifies "above;" as ver. 13. and 23. and as Junius renders it. (Haydock) ---

"Asael....was head of the thirty." (Arabic) ---

He could not be one of that body, as the number is complete without him, and he is necessary to fill up the second ternary. The Book of Chronicles does not point this out with so much precision as it had been already done. (Kennicott) ---

Asael was slain by Abner, chap. ii. 23. He was captain of the fourth band, 1 Paralipomenon xxvii. 7. ---

Elehanan, the first of the thirty. ---

Dodo. Literally, patrui ejus, "of his (Asael's) uncle," which might, perhaps, be as well translated by 1 Paralipomenon xi. 26. See chap. xxi. 19. The Septuagint give both, "Dodei, the son of his father's brother," as ver. 9; (Haydock) or "rather those two translations are by some transcriber, or editor, injudiciously thrown together." (Kennicott)

Haydock: 2Sa 23:25

Semma. The same with the third hero, though his country is differently written, ver. 11. (Calmet) ---

But this is very improbable, as the number of 37 would be thus destroyed. The former was an Hararite. The Septuagint style the present captain, Samoth, in 1 Paralipomenon; Vulgate Sammoth; and the Aldine copy has Semoth here. He was the fifth captain; (1 Paralipomenon xxvii. 8,) and the four subsequent ones relieved each other in waiting on the king. ---

Harodi, more correct than Arorite, 1 Paralipomenon, (Haydock) as the Septuagint also there terminate with di. ---

Elica is omitted, 1 Paralipomenon xi., (Kennicott) as he perhaps died soon; and Zabad succeeding to his honours, comes at the end of these 30 heroes, Ibid. ver. 30.[1 Paralipomenon xi. 41.?] (Junius)

Haydock: 2Sa 23:26

Phalti. Paralipomenon, Phalonite. (Haydock) ---

Nu has been mistaken for t. This is the seventh captain in waiting. Hebrew, "Heletz, the Pelonite." It will suffice here to express how Kennicott would write the names of the following mighty men; referring for more particulars to his learned Diss. on 1 Chronicles xi., and to the notes on that chapter, ver. 28, &c. In the body of 30, he places, 1. Elehanan, the son of Dodo, of Bethlehem; 2. Shamhoth, the Harodite; 3. Elika, the Harodite; (supplied by Zabad) 4. Heletz, the Pelonite; 5. Ira, the son of Ikkesh, the Tekoite; 6. Abiezer, the Anathothite; 7. Sibbecai, the Hushathite; (as chap. xxi 18., 1 Paralipomenon xx. 4., and xxvii. 11,) 8. Ilai, the Ahohite; 9. Maharai, the Netophathite; 10. Heled, the son of Baanah, the Netophathite; 11. Ithai, the son of Ribai, of Gibea, of the sons of Benjamin; 12. Benaiah, the Pirathonite; 13. Hurai, of the brooks of Gaash; 14. Abialbon, the Arbathite; 15. Azmaveth, the Bahurimite; 16. Elihaba, the Shaalbonite; 17. Gouni, (a word lost in Hebrew) of the sons of Hassum; 18. Jonathan, the son of Shamha, the Hararite; (see chap. xxi. 21,) 19. Ahiham, the son of Shacar, the hararite; 20. Eliphelet, the son of Abasbai, the Maacathite; 21. Eliam, the son of Ahithophel, the Gilonite; 22. Hetzrai, the Carmelite; 23. Naarai, the son of Azbai; 24. Joal, the brother of Nathan, of Tzobah; (see 1 Paralipomenon) 25. Bani, the Gadite; 26. Tzelek, the Ammonite; 27. Naharai, the Barothite, armour-bearer of Joab, the son of Zeruiah; 28. Ira, the Ithrite; 29. Gareb, the Ithrite; 30. Uriah, the Hethite. After these follow Zabad and 15 other brave men, though less renowned than the preceding, 1 Paralipomenon xi. 42. It is a pity that the Masorets have introduced a new mode of pronunciation, and that it has been adopted by the Protestants, so that it is almost impossible to recognize in their work the scriptural names of the most ancient versions of the Septuagint and Vulgate. (Haydock)

Haydock: 2Sa 23:27

Mobonnai. Septuagint have translated the Hebrew, "of the sons," mobni, (Kennicott) which is corrupted from sobci, or (Haydock) Sobbochai, who was a Husathite, 1 Paralipomenon xi. 29. (Calmet)

Gill: 2Sa 23:1

Now these be the last words of David,.... Which refer not to the psalm in the preceding chapter, but to what follows; not the last words he spoke, for he said many things afterwards; for the advice he gave to Solomon, and the instructions to him about building the temple, were delivered after this time; but these were the last after he had finished the book of Psalms; or the last that he spoke under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, or that he delivered out by way of prophecy; though the Jews ^f will not allow him to speak by the spirit of prophecy; they own he spoke by the Holy Spirit, which they distinguish from prophecy; but the Targum calls these words a prophecy, and takes them to be a prophecy of the Messiah, and of things to come, as undoubtedly they are, paraphrasing them thus;"these are the words of the prophecy of David, which he prophesied concerning the end of the world, concerning the days of consolation that should come;''this is observed to excite attention, the last words of dying men being usually regarded and remembered:

David the son of Jesse said; he began with his descent, which was comparatively mean, in order to illustrate the distinguishing goodness of God to him in his exaltation:

and the man who was raised up on high; from a low estate to an high one, from the sheepfold to the throne, to be king over all the tribes of Israel, and a conqueror, and head of the nations round about him:

the anointed of the God of Jacob; who was anointed king by Samuel by the order of the God of Jacob; and which was an instance of his being the God of Jacob or Israel, and of his care of them, and regard unto them, that he anointed such a man to be king over them, as well as it was an honour to David:

and the sweet psalmist of Israel; who composed most of the psalms and hymns of praise for the people of Israel; invented and set the tunes to them to which they were to be sung, and the instruments of music on which they were sung; and appointed singers to preside, and lead them in that part of divine worship, singing psalms and hymns; and very sweet were the psalms he composed as to the matter of them, and very sweet and delightful to the ear was the music in the manner of singing them: it may be rendered, who was "sweet" or "pleasant in the songs of Israel" ^g, his warlike exploits and victories being the subject of them, 1Sa 18:6,

said; as follows; for all that goes before are the words of the penman of this book, drawing the character of David; in which he was a type of Christ, a branch out of the root of Jesse, highly exalted, and chosen from among the people, anointed to be prophet, priest, and King; and who sweetly expounded the psalms concerning himself, and ordered them to be sung in the churches, and of which he is the subject, and may be said to be sweetly held forth in them, see Luk 24:44.

Gill: 2Sa 23:2

The Spirit of the Lord spake by me,.... The psalms and songs he composed were not the fruits of his own genius, but were written by him under the inspiration of the Spirit of God; by whom holy men of God, the penmen of the Scriptures, spoke, even as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, of whom David was one, being a prophet; see Act 1:16 Act 2:30; so the Targum here,"David spoke by the spirit of prophecy of the Lord:''or spake "in me" ^h; what he spoke was first internally impressed upon his mind by the Spirit of God, and then he expressed it with his tongue, as follows:

and his word was in my tongue; not only the matter of his psalms was indited by the Spirit of God, and suggested to his mind; but the very words in which they are delivered were given to him, and he was directed to make use of them, and did.

Gill: 2Sa 23:3

The God of Israel said,.... To David, or by him; he who was the covenant God of Israel literally considered, and is the covenant God and Father of the whole spiritual Israel, and who is owned, believed in, and worshipped by them:

the Rock of Israel spake to me; the same with the God of Israel in other words, who is the strength and security of Israel; or the second divine Person, the Son and Word of God, is meant, who is often called a rock in Scripture; and is the rock on which the Israel or church of God is built, and in whom it remains safe and firm, the gates of hell not being able to prevail against it; and so here is an instance and proof of a trinity of persons in the Godhead; the God of Israel, Jehovah the Father; the Rock of Israel, Jehovah the Son; and the Spirit of Jehovah, as in 2Sa 23:2, who is Jehovah the Spirit: now what was said by these three divine Persons to David, and by him, and concerning himself as a type of the Messiah, follows:

he that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God; which is a character every king among men ought to have, administering justice to their subjects; ruling not only according to the laws of the land, but according to the law of God; having his fear before their eyes, and acting with a view to his honour and glory, whose vicegerents they are, and to whom they are accountable; they should rule with gentleness and humanity, considering they are men, and not brutes, they rule over. Agamemnon in Homer is often called "king of men". This character, in all respects, was found in David, 2Sa 8:15; and may be here given as an instruction to his son and successor, Solomon; and is in all respects applicable to the Messiah, who is a "ruler" or King by the designation of his father; a ruler "over men", even over all men, yea, over the greatest of men, King of kings, and Lord of lords, and especially, and in an eminent sense, King of saints; and he is "just", a King that reigns in righteousness, righteous in all his ways and works, and particularly just as a King, as well as in all his other characters, see Jer 23:5; and upon whom, as man and Mediator, the Spirit of "the fear of the Lord" rests, and under the influence of which, as such, he has acted, Isa 11:1; so the Targum applies these words to the Messiah thus,"the true Judge said, he would appoint to me a King, who is the Messiah, who shall arise and rule in the fear of the Lord:''and they may be rendered, there shall be "a ruler over men, just, ruling in the fear of God"; or ruling, appointing, ordering, and directing the worship of God, and the ordinances of it under the Gospel dispensation, as Christ did, see Mat 28:18.

Gill: 2Sa 23:4

And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds,.... That is, such a ruler that rules in righteousness, and in the fear of God; he is the light and glory of his people, who guides and directs them, makes them cheerful and comfortable; his administrations are pleasant and delightful, and promise a growing and increasing happiness to them, like the morning light and rising sun; and there are no clouds, nor forebodings of dark times, affliction and distress, coming upon them, but all the reverse: and with Christ these metaphors well suit, who is the true light that shines, Joh 1:9; the morning star, Rev 22:16; the dayspring from on high, Luk 1:78; the sun of righteousness, Mal 4:2; and light of the world, Joh 8:2; his going forth or appearance in human nature, at his incarnation, was as the morning, Hos 6:3; the first discovery him to Adam, after sin had brought a night of darkness on the world, was as the dawn of the morning; and this light like that of the morning increased, fresh and clearer discoveries of him being made to the patriarchs afterwards; and though as yet the sun was not up, and it was not a morning without clouds, yet the discoveries then made brought joy with them, as to Abraham and others, and were a sure sign of the sun rising. When Christ appeared in the flesh, the sun of righteousness then arose, and scattered the darkness of the night, both in the Jewish and Gentile world; introduced the light of the Gospel to a greater degree than it was under the legal dispensation, and made the Gospel day; which was not only like the morning light, growing and increasing, but was as a morning without clouds, without the darkness of the ceremonial law, the shadows of which now disappeared; and without the storms and tempests of the moral law, its curses being bore and removed by Christ; and without the frowns of divine wrath, reconciliation and satisfaction being made by him: and this is all applicable particularly to the government of Christ, which is delightful and grateful to his people, serviceable and beneficial to them, under which they enjoy great peace and prosperity; and which will more and more increase, and stilt be more glorious and illustrious, see Psa 72:7. A learned writer ⁱ has observed, that in an ancient manuscript the word "Jehovah" is inserted and read thus,"and as the light of the morning shall arise Jehovah the sun,''which clearly points to Christ the sun of righteousness; and be it an interpolation, it gives the true sense of the words: a glorious, beautiful, and illustrious person is described in Ovid ^k by the same figure as here:

as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain; which springs up the faster, and is more flourishing after a shower of rain, and when upon that the sun breaks out and shines clearly: or "from clear shining from rain" ^l; that is, the springing of the tender grass out of the earth is owing partly to the rain which falls in the night, and partly to the sun rising in the morning, and the clear shine of it: this may denote the fruitful and flourishing estate which a good and righteous ruler over men is the happy instrument of bringing his people into; and may be applied both to the incarnation of Christ, when he grew up as a tender plant, or as the tender grass, mean in his original and descent, weak in himself as man; and yet this fruit of the earth was excellent and comely, beautiful and glorious, and the springing of it owing to the favour and good will of God, and his coming was as the latter and former rain to the earth, Hos 6:3; and to the government of Christ, and the benefits of it to his church and people; who flourish under it the light of his grace and favour, and through rains of Gospel doctrines they are blessed with: or "than clear shining, than rain"; Christ is more beneficial to his people, who are comparable to grass for their meanness, and weakness, and number, than the sun and rain are to the grass in the field.

Gill: 2Sa 23:5

Although my house be not so with God,.... So bright, and flourishing, and prosperous as the government of the just ruler before described; or is not "right" ^m with God, meaning his family, in which great sins were committed, and great disorders and confusions brought into it, as the cases of Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah showed; or "not firm" or "stable" ⁿ, through the rebellion of one, the insurrection of another, and the usurpation of a third; yet he believed it would be firm and stable in the Messiah that should spring from him, promised in the everlasting covenant; though the Jewish writers understand this of the firmness and stability of his kingdom and government: "but my house is not so", &c. like the morning light, which increases by little and little, and like the morning, which sometimes is not cloudy, and sometimes is; sometimes the sun shines clearly, and sometimes not; or like the tender grass, which is sometimes flourishing, and after withers; but so is not my kingdom, it is a perpetual one, given and secured by an everlasting covenant; and such certainly is or will be the kingdom of the Messiah:

yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure; or, "for ^o he hath made", &c. the covenant by which the kingdom was settled on David and his seed was a covenant that would continue for ever, and would be kept, "observed", and "preserved" ^p in all the articles of it, and so be sure to his seed, particularly to the Messiah that should spring from him, in whom it was fulfilled, Luk 1:32; and the covenant of grace made with David's antitype, with Christ the head of the church, and the representative of it, and so with all his people in him, is an everlasting one: it was made with Christ from everlasting, as appears from the everlasting love of God, the source and spring of it; the earliness of the divine counsels on which it is formed, and blessings and promises of it, with which it is filled, which were before the world was; and from Christ being set up as the Mediator of it from everlasting: and it will continue to everlasting; it is a covenant that cannot be broken, will never be removed, nor give way to or be succeeded by another: it is "ordered in all things": to promote and advance the glory of all the three Persons in the Godhead, Father, Son, and Spirit; to secure the persons of the saints, and to provide everything needful for them for time and eternity: and it is "sure"; it stands upon a sure basis, the unchangeable will and favour of God, and is in the hands of Christ, the same today, yesterday, and for ever; its mercies are the sure mercies of David, and its promises are yea and amen in Christ, and are sure to all the seed. Though things may not be with them God-ward, as they desire, and could be wished for; though they may be attended with many sins and infirmities, the temptations of Satan, divine desertions, and various afflictions, and be guilty of many backslidings, yet covenant interest always continues; and so, though in the kingdom and interest of Christ in the world, there are, and may be, many things disagreeable; it may be attended with persecutions, heresies, scandals, &c. yet it shall continue and increase, and spread, and be an everlasting kingdom:

for this is all my salvation: all depends upon this covenant; the safety of David's family, and the security of the kingdom in it, and to his seed, till the Messiah came, depended on the covenant made with him respecting that; and the spiritual and eternal salvation of the Lord's people depends upon the covenant of grace; which was contrived, formed, and settled in it, in which the Saviour is provided, and the persons to share in his salvation are taken into it and secured, with all blessings both of grace and glory:

and all my desire; to see it fulfilled; as it is the desire of good men to be led more and more into it, to see their interest in it, to have the blessings and promises of it applied unto them, and to be saved by it, and not by the covenant of works; and there is all that in it that a believer can desire to make him comfortable here, or happy hereafter; and it is what gives him delight and pleasure in all his troubles: it may be supplied he is, as well as "this is", and be applied to Christ, the ruler over men, described, 2Sa 23:3; with whom the covenant of grace is made, in whom is the salvation of men; he is the author and the only author of it; in whom it is complete and perfect; "all" salvation is in him, and which they can claim as theirs; to whom is "all their desire"; and in whom is "all their delight", as it may be rendered; on account of the glory of his person, the fulness of his grace, and his suitableness as a Saviour; whom they desire to know more of, and have more communion with:

although he made it not to grow; though there may not be at present any growth of outward prosperity, or of inward grace, or even of the produce of the earth, Hab 3:17; though the horn of David is not yet made to bud, or his family in growing and flourishing circumstances, or the Messiah, the man, the branch, does not yet shoot forth, though he certainly would; or, "for shall he not bud forth" he shall, Jer 23:5.

Gill: 2Sa 23:6

But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away,.... Not like the tender grass that springs up, and flourishes after rain, and the sunshine upon that; but like thorns, useless, hurtful, and pernicious, and fit only for burning: this is true of wicked men in general, that cast off the yoke of the Lord, and become unprofitable, as Belial signifies; and of wicked governors in particular, who, instead of being helpful, are harmful to a commonwealth; and instead of being the joy and comfort of their subjects, and of giving pleasure to them, and making them cheerful and prosperous, give pain and trouble, and cause grief and sorrow; and are, if possible, to be thrust away, and deposed from government:

because they cannot be taken with hands; thorns cannot be handled and gently dealt with, but some instrument must be used to put them away with force; so wicked men, and especially wicked rulers, are untractable, and not to be managed in a gentle way, and therefore violent ones must be taken.

Gill: 2Sa 23:7

But the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear,.... To remove these thorns, or sons of Belial, out of the way, or to defend himself against them; or weapons of war must be made use of to conquer and destroy them, according to the sense of Ben Gersom, and which De Dieu follows; a man that meddles with them must expect to be as much hurt and wounded by them, all over the body, as if not only the point or iron head of a spear, but the wood or handle of the spear, were thrust up in him; but the former sense seems best:

and they shall be utterly burnt with fire in the same place: where the thorns grew, or whither they are removed, or are sitting; where persons are sitting to warm themselves by them: and this may be understood of the destruction of wicked rulers, when their kingdom is taken from them, and they are consumed root and branch; and was true not only of Saul, and his posterity, as some apply it, and of Jeroboam, and those like to him, as the above Jewish writer; but of the wicked Jews, and their rulers, those sons of Belial, who rejected the yoke of Christ, and would not have him to rule over them; to whom the Lord sent the Roman armies fenced with swords and spears, and burnt their city, and destroyed them in the same place; and may take in antichrist, and antichristian states, those sons of Belial, of the wicked ανομος, and lawless one, the son of perdition, whose city, Rome, shall be burnt with fire; and even all wicked men, at the great day of judgment, to which the Targum refers these words; when they, whose end, like thorns, is to be burnt, will be cast into the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.

Gill: 2Sa 23:8

These be the names of the mighty men whom David had,.... Besides Joab his general, who is not mentioned; for these were all military men under him, which are distinguished into three classes; the first and highest consisted of three only, who were general officers; and the second also of three, who perhaps were colonels of regiments; and the third of thirty, who were captains of thousands and hundreds:

the Tachmonite that sat in the seat, the chief among the captains: not in the chief seat in the sanhedrim, and was the head of that, and so had the name of Tachmonite, from his wisdom, as the Jewish writers say; but in the council of war, where he presided under the general, or in his absence, and was, perhaps, lieutenant general, and so over all the captains; and therefore was neither David nor Joab, to whom some of the Rabbins apply these words, as observed by Kimchi; or rather he was the chief of the three to whom he belonged; his name, in 1Ch 11:11, is Jashobeam, an Hachmonite, or the son of an Hachmonite, the same as in 1Ch 27:2; and here it may be as well read Josheb-bashebeth the Tachmonite, the same name, with a little variation; which seem to be names given him, taken from his character and office; for his proper name was as follows:

the same was Adino the Eznite: so called either from the family he was of, or from the place of his birth; though a learned man thinks it should be read as in the following supplement ^q:

he lifted up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time; which, though a very extraordinary exploit, yet not more strange, or so strange as that of Shamgar's slaying six hundred men with an ox goad, Jdg 3:31, or as that of Samson's killing a thousand men with the jawbone of an ass, Jdg 15:15, in 1Ch 11:11, the number is only three hundred, which some attempt to reconcile by observing, that not the same person is meant in both places; here he is called Joshebbashebeth, there Jashobeam; here the Tachmonite, there the son of an Hachmonite; nor is he there called Adino the Eznite; but yet it seems plain that in both places the chief of the three worthies of David is meant, and so the same man: others observe, that he engaged with eight hundred, and slew three hundred of them, when the rest fled, and were pursued and killed by his men; and he routing them, and being the occasion of their being slain, the slaying of them all is ascribed to him; or he first slew three hundred, and five hundred more coming upon him, he slew them also: but what Kimchi offers seems to be best, that there were two battles, in which this officer was engaged; at one of them he slew eight hundred, and at the other three hundred; for so what is omitted in the books of Samuel, and of the Kings, is frequently supplied in the books of Chronicles, as what one evangelist in the New Testament omits, another records. The above learned writer ^r conjectures, that ש being the first letter of the words for three and eight, and the numeral letter being here reduced to its word at length, through a mistake in the copier, was written שמנה, "eight", instead of שלש, "three": the Septuagint version is,"he drew out his spear against eight hundred soldiers at once,''and says nothing of slaying them; and seems to be the true sense of the word, as the same learned writer ^s has abundantly shown.

Gill: 2Sa 23:9

And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite,.... Or the son of Ahohi, perhaps the same with Ahoah, a descendant of Benjamin, 1Ch 8:4; this Eleazar was the next to the Tachmonite, the second worthy of the first class:

one of the three mighty men with David; the second of the three valiant men that were with David in his wars, and fought with him, and for him:

when they defied the Philistines; clapped their hands at them, gloried over them, daring them to come and light them; so did David and his mighty men, as Goliath had defied them before:

that were there gathered together to battle; at Pasdammim, as appears from 1Ch 11:13,

and the men of Israel were gone away; fled when they saw the Philistines gather together to fight them, notwithstanding they had defied them; and so David, and his three mighty men, were left alone to combat with the Philistines.

Gill: 2Sa 23:10

He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary,.... He rose up when the Israelites fled, and stood his ground alone, and fought with the Philistines, and smote them with his sword, until his hand was weary with smiting:

and his hand clave unto the sword; which was contracted by holding it so long, and grasping it so hard, that it could not easily be got out of it; or through the quantity of blood which ran upon his hand, as it was shed, so Josephus ^t; and which being congealed, and dried, caused his hand to stick to the hilt of his sword, so that they were, as it were, glued together by it; or the sense may be only, that though weary, he did not drop his sword, but held it fast till he had destroyed the enemy:

and the Lord wrought a great victory that day; for to him it must be ascribed, and not to the strength and valour of the man:

and the people returned after him only to spoil; they that fled, when they saw what a victory was obtained by him, returned and came after him; not to help him in smiting, but to spoil those that were slain, and strip them of what they had.

Gill: 2Sa 23:11

And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite,.... One who was of the mountainous country, as the Targum, the hill country of Judea, of Hebron, or the parts adjacent; this was the third of the first three; there was one of this name among the thirty, 2Sa 23:33,

and the Philistines were gathered together into a troop; but so they were no doubt at first; R. Isaiah takes it to be the name of a place called Chiyah; as the Targum, Chayatha; and which Kimchi says was a village, an unwalled town; and Ben Melech observes, that it is said in the Arabic language, a collection of houses is called Alchai: it may be the same with Lehi, where Samson slew a thousand with the jawbone of an ass, Jdg 15:17, whence it had its name; and Josephus ^u says, the place where the Philistines were gathered together was called "the Jawbone": but perhaps the sense of Ben Gersom may be best of all, that they gathered together in this place for provision, for food and forage, to support the life of them and their cattle: since it follows:

where was a piece of ground full of lentiles; a sort of pulse, which was eaten in those countries, and the pottage of which was delicious food, see Gen 25:30,

and the people fled from the Philistines; as they did before under Eleazar, 2Sa 23:9.

Gill: 2Sa 23:12

But he stood in the midst of the ground,.... The field of lentiles:

and defended it; the field, so that the Philistines could not ravage it, and get food and forage from it:

and slew the Philistines; made a great slaughter among them, entirely routed them, so that they that escaped his sword were obliged to flee:

and the Lord wrought a great victory; to whom the glory of it belonged; a similar fact is ascribed to Eleazar before mentioned in 1Ch 11:13; and, indeed, it seems to be the same, and in which they were both concerned; for it is plain from the account that there were more than one engaged in this action, since it is there said, "and they set themselves in the midst of that parcel"; and though that parcel of ground is said there to be full of barley, it may easily be reconciled by observing, that one part of it might be sowed with barley, and the other part with lentiles; so the Targum in 1Ch 11:13; for it was half lentiles and half barley; and Eleazar might be placed to defend the one, and Shammah the other; from whence it appears it was about March when this action was, at the latter end of which barley harvest began.

Gill: 2Sa 23:13

And three of the thirty chiefs went down,.... Or three that were chief of the thirty, superior to them; which some understand of the three before mentioned, so Josephus ^w; and that having related some particular exploits of theirs, here observes one, in which they were all concerned; and others think the three next are meant, of whom Abishai was the chief, Benaiah the next, and the third Asahel; but the first sense is best:

and came to David in the harvest time, unto the cave of Adullam; not when he was there, upon his flight from Saul, 1Sa 22:1; but after he was king, when engaged in war with the Philistines; perhaps wheat harvest is here meant:

and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the valley of Rephaim; the army of the Philistines, as the Targum; of the valley of Rephaim; see Gill on Jos 15:8.

Gill: 2Sa 23:14

And David was then in an hold,.... In a strong hold; the strong hold of Zion, as Josephus ^x, or one on a rock near the cave of Adullam, see 1Ch 11:15,

and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem; which was about six miles from Jerusalem; the valley of Rephaim lay between that and Bethlehem; so far had they got into the land of Judea, and such footing in it, as to have a garrison so near its metropolis.

Gill: 2Sa 23:15

And David longed, and said,.... It being harvest time, the summer season, and hot weather, and he thirsty:

oh, that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem,

which is by the gate! which he was well acquainted with, being his native place; and which might make it the more desirable, as well as its waters might be peculiarly cool and refreshing, and very excellent, as Kimchi suggests. This well was about a mile from Bethlehem, now called David's well, as some travellers say ^y. It is said to be a very large well, with three mouths, and lies a little out of the road ^z; and that there is now near Rachel's grave a good rich cistern, which is deep and wide; wherefore the people that go to dip water are provided with small leathern buckets, and a line, as usual in those countries ^a; but Mr. Maundrell ^b says it is a well, or rather a cistern, supplied only with rain, without any excellency in its waters to make them desirable; but it seems, he adds, David's spirit had a further aim. Some think he meant by this to get Bethlehem out of the hands of the Philistines, and obtain the possession of it; others, as Jarchi, that he intended to ask some question of the sanhedrim that sat there; and others, that his desire was after the law of God, called waters, as in Isa 55:1; and some Christian writers, both ancient and modern ^c, are of opinion, that not literal but spiritual water was desired by him, and that he thirsted after the coming of the Messiah, to be born at Bethlehem, and the living water which he only can give, Joh 4:10.

Gill: 2Sa 23:16

And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines,.... Which lay in the valley of Rephaim, between the hold in which David was and the well of Bethlehem; these three men hearing David express himself in the above manner, though without any view that any should risk their lives to obtain it, only in a general way said, oh for a draught of the water of the well of Bethlehem! immediately set out, and made their way through the army of the Philistines to the well:

and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate,

and took it, and brought it to David; in a vessel which they probably carried with them for that purpose:

nevertheless he would not drink thereof; because, say they who take these words in a spiritual sense, it was not this water, but spiritual water, he desired: but the reason is given in 2Sa 23:17,

but poured it out unto the Lord; as a libation to him, it being rather blood than water, being fetched at the hazard of men's lives, and therefore more fit to be offered as a sacrifice to God than to be drank by him; and this he might do in thankfulness to God for preserving the lives of the men. Gersom thinks it was now the feast of tabernacles, which was the feast of ingathering the fruits of the earth, when great quantities of water were drawn and poured out at the altar, which was done to obtain the blessing of the former rain; See Gill on Joh 7:37 and See Gill on Joh 7:38.

Gill: 2Sa 23:17

And he said, be it far from me, O Lord, that one should do this,.... Drink of the water these men had brought him:

is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? who risked the shedding of their blood, and went in danger of their lives to get it:

therefore he would not drink it: some compare with this the story of Alexander ^d to whom a vessel of water was offered when in extreme thirst, which he refused, because he could not bear to drink it alone, and so small a quantity could not be divided among all about him; but the reasons are not the same:

these things did these three mighty men; which made them very famous.

Gill: 2Sa 23:18

And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief among the three,.... Another triumvirate, of which he was the head:

and he lifted up his spear against three hundred, and slew them; Josephus ^e says six hundred; this seems to confirm the reading of 2Sa 23:8, that the number eight hundred is right, for if it was only three hundred, Abishai would have been equal to one, even the first, of the former three; which yet is denied him in 2Sa 23:19,

and had the name among three; of which he was one; and he had the chief name among them, or was the most famous of them.

Gill: 2Sa 23:19

Was he not most honourable of three?.... He was; who, besides the exploit here mentioned, did many other things; he went down with David into Saul's camp, and took away his spear and cruse, which were at his bolster, 1Sa 26:6; he relieved David when in danger from Ishbibenob the giant, 2Sa 21:16; he beat the Edomites, and slew eighteen thousand of them in the valley of salt, 1Ch 18:12,

therefore he was their captain; of the other two, or was head over them, took rank before them:

howbeit he attained not unto the first three; for fortitude, courage, and warlike exploits, namely, to the Tachmonite, Eleazar, and Shammah.

Gill: 2Sa 23:20

And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel,.... A city in the tribe of Judah, Jos 15:21; the father of this man was a man of great vivacity, valour, and strength, so that it was like father like son. Procopius Gazaeus says Benaiah was David's brother's son, and a grandson of Jesse:

who had done many acts; which may refer either to the father of Benaiah or to Benaiah himself; and indeed the Syriac and Arabic versions refer the preceding character, "a valiant man", not to the father, but the son:

he slew two lionlike men of Moab; two princes of Moab, as the Targum, or two giants of Moab, as the Syriac and Arabic versions; men who were comparable to lions for their strength and courage; for this is not to be understood of two strong towers of Moab, as Ben Gersom, which were defended by valiant men like lions, or which had the form of lions engraved on them: nor of Moabitish altars, as Gussetius ^f, the altar of the Lord, being called by this name of Ariel, the word used; but of men of uncommon valour and fortitude:

he went down also, and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow; not Joab, 1Ki 2:34, as is the tradition ^g, but a real lion, the strongest among the beasts; and that in a pit where he could not keep his distance, and turn himself, and take all advantage, and from whence he could not make his escape; and which indeed might quicken his resolution, when he must fight or die; and on a snowy day, when lions are said to have the greatest strength, as in cold weather, or however are fiercer for want of food; and when Benaiah might be benumbed in his hands and feet with cold. Josephus ^h represents the case thus, that the lion fell into a pit, where was much snow, and was covered with it, and making a hideous roaring, Benaiah went down and slew him; but rather it was what others say, that this lion very much infested the places adjacent, and did much harm; and therefore, for the good of the country, and to rid them of it, took this opportunity, and slew it; which one would think was not one of the best reasons that might offer; it seems best therefore what Bochart ⁱ conjectures, that Benaiah went into a cave, for so the word used may signify, to shelter himself a while from the cold, when a lion, being in it for the same reason, attacked him, and he fought with it and slew it; or rather it may be an hollow place, a valley that lay between Acra and Zion, where Benaiah, hearing a lion roar, went down and slew it ^k.

Gill: 2Sa 23:21

And he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man,.... A person of good countenance and shape, very large and tall; in 1Ch 11:28, he is said to be a man of great stature, and five cubits high, and so wanted a cubit and a span of the height of Goliath, 1Sa 17:4,

and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; as large as Goliath's; for in 1Ch 11:23, it is said to be like a weaver's beam, as Goliath's was; see Gill on 1Sa 17:7,

and he went down to him with a staff; with a walking staff only, having no other weapon:

and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand; and therefore must be a man very nimble and dexterous, as well as bold and courageous:

and slew him with his own spear; as David cut off Goliath's head with his own sword. This is supposed ^l to be Shimei, the son of Gera, 1Ki 2:46.

Gill: 2Sa 23:22

These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada,.... Slew a lion, and two lion-like men of Moab, and an Egyptian of a gigantic stature, 2Sa 23:20,

and had the name among three mighty men; of which he was one, and Abishai another, the third Asahel, one of the thirty; or was over them, 2Sa 23:24, since thirty are reckoned without him. Abarbinel thinks that the third was Adina, the son of Shiza, the Reubenite, 1Ch 11:42; since thirty were with him, and he at the head of them.

Gill: 2Sa 23:23

He was more honourable than the thirty,.... Whose names are after recorded:

but he attained not to the first three; the first triumvirate, Jashobeam, Eleazar, and Shammah; he was not equal to them for fortitude, courage, and military exploits:

and David set him over his guard; his bodyguard, the Cherethites and Pelethites, 2Sa 8:18; who are called in the Hebrew text "his hearing" ^m, because they hearkened to his orders and commands, and obeyed them.

Gill: 2Sa 23:24

Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty,.... Or rather over the thirty ⁿ, who are next mentioned; since there are thirty reckoned besides him, and the Arabic version calls him the prince of the thirty; Joab is not named at all, because he was general of the whole army, and so not to be reckoned in any of the three classes:

Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem: a townsman of David.

Gill: 2Sa 23:25

Shammah the Harodite,.... Called Shammah the Harorite in 1Ch 11:27; by a change of the letters ר "R" and ד "D", which is frequent:

Elika the Harodite; or who was of Harod, as the Targum; these both were from one place: mention is made of the well of Harod, Jdg 7:1.

Gill: 2Sa 23:26

Helez the Paltite,.... Who was of a place called Pater, as the Targum; in 1Ch 11:27, he is called the Pelonite:

Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite; who was of the city of Tekoah, the native place of Amos the prophet, famous for oil, about twelve miles from Jerusalem; See Gill on Amo 1:1.

Gill: 2Sa 23:27

Abiezer the Anethothite,.... He was of Anathoth, in the tribe of Benjamin, Jos 21:18, the birthplace of Jeremiah the prophet, Jer 1:1,

Mebunnai the Hushathite; the same with Sibbecai, 1Ch 11:29; this man had two names, and was a descendant of Hushah, who came of Judah, 1Ch 4:4.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: 2Sa 23:1

¹ tn Heb “the anointed one of the God of Jacob.”

² tn Or “pleasant.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 23:3

¹ tn Heb “rock,” used as a metaphor of divine protection.

NET Notes: 2Sa 23:5

¹ tn Heb “For not thus [is] my house with God?”

² tn Heb “for all my deliverance and every desire, surely does he not make [it] grow?”

NET Notes: 2Sa 23:7

¹ tn Heb “and with fire they are completely burned up in [the place where they] remain.” The infinitive absolute is used before the finite verb to emphasize that they are completely consumed by the fire.

NET Notes: 2Sa 23:8

¹ tn The Hebrew word is sometimes rendered as “the three,” but BDB is probably correct in taking it to refer to military officers (BDB 1026 s.v. שְׁלִישִׁי). In that case the etymological connection of this word to the Hebrew numerical adjective for “three” can be explained as originating with a designation for the third warrior in a chariot.

² tc The translation follows some LXX mss (see 1 Chr 11:11 as well) in reading הוּא עוֹרֵר אֶת־חֲנִיתוֹ (hu’ ’orer ’et khanito, “he raised up his spear”) rather than the MT’s הוּא עֲדִינוֹ הָעֶצְנִי (hu’ ’adino ha’etsni [Kethib = הָעֶצְנוֹ, ha’etsno]; “Adino the Ezenite”). The emended text reads literally “he was wielding his spear against eight hundred, [who were] slain at one time.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 23:9

¹ tn Heb “after him.”

² tc This follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading דֹּדוֹ (dodo) rather than the Kethib of the MT דֹּדַי (dodai; cf. ASV, NIV, NLT). But see 1 Chr 27:4.

³ tn Heb “went up.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 23:10

¹ tn Heb “arose.”

² tn Heb “his hand.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 23:11

¹ tn Heb “after him.”

² tn The Hebrew text is difficult here. The MT reads לַחַיָּה (lachayyah), which implies a rare use of the word חַיָּה (chayyah). The word normally refers to an animal, but if the MT is accepted it would here have the sense of a troop or community of people. BDB 312 s.v. II. חַיָּה, for example, understands the similar reference in v. 13 to be to “a group of allied families, making a raid together.” But this works better in v. 13 than it does in v. 11, where the context seems to suggest a particular staging location for a military operation. (See 1 Chr 11:15.) It therefore seems best to understand the word in v. 11 as a place name with ה (he) directive. In that case the Masoretes mistook the word for the common term for an animal and then tried to make sense of it in this context.

NET Notes: 2Sa 23:12

¹ tn Heb “delivered.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 23:13

¹ tn The meaning of Hebrew אֶל־קָצִיר (’el qatsir) seems here to be “at the time of harvest,” although this is an unusual use of the phrase. As S. R. Driver points out, this preposition does not normally have the temporal sense of “in” or “during” (S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 366).

² tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading שְׁלֹשָׁה (shÿloshah, “three”) rather than the Kethib of the MT שְׁלֹשִׁים (shÿloshim, “thirty”). “Thirty” is due to dittography of the following word and makes no sense in the context.

³ tn Heb “went down…and approached.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 23:14

¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

NET Notes: 2Sa 23:17

¹ tn Heb “Far be it to me, O Lord, from doing this.”

² tn Heb “[Is it not] the blood of the men who were going with their lives?”

³ tn Heb “These things the three warriors did.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 23:18

¹ tc The translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew mss, the LXX, and Vulgate in reading הַשְּׁלֹשָׁה (hashÿlosa, “the three”) rather than the Kethib of the MT הַשָּׁלִשִׁי (hashalisi, “the third,” or “adjutant”). Two medieval Hebrew mss and the Syriac Peshitta have “thirty.”

² tn Heb “and he was wielding his spear against three hundred, [who were] slain, and to him there was a name among the three.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 23:19

¹ tn Or “more than.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 23:20

¹ tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading חַיִל (khayil, “valor”) rather than the Kethib of the MT, חַי (khay, “life”).

² tc Heb “the two of Ariel, Moab.” The precise meaning of אריאל is uncertain; some read “warrior.” The present translation assumes that the word is a proper name and that בני, “sons of,” has accidentally dropped from the text by homoioarcton (note the preceding שׁני).

NET Notes: 2Sa 23:21

¹ tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading אִישׁ (’ish, “man”) rather than the Kethib of the MT, אֲשֶׁר (’asher, “who”).

² tn Heb “and he went down to.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 23:23

¹ tn Or “more than.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 23:24

¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

Geneva Bible: 2Sa 23:1

Now these [be] the ^{( a )} last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man [who was] raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,

^{( a )} Which he spoke after he had written the psalms.

Geneva Bible: 2Sa 23:2

The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word [was] in my ^{( b )} tongue.

^{( b )} Meaning, he spoke nothing but by the motion of God's Spirit.

Geneva Bible: 2Sa 23:4

And [he shall be] as the light of the morning, [when] the sun riseth, [even] a morning without clouds; [as] the tender ^{( c )} grass [springing] out of the earth by clear shining after rain.

^{( c )} Which grows quickly, and fades soon.

Geneva Bible: 2Sa 23:5

Although my house [be] not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all [things], and sure: for [this is] all my salvation, and all [my] desire, although he make [it] not to ^{( d )} grow.

^{( d )} But that my kingdom may continue for ever according to his promise.

Geneva Bible: 2Sa 23:8

These [be] the names of the mighty men whom David had: The Tachmonite that sat in the ^{( e )} seat, chief among the captains; the same [was] Adino the Eznite: [he lift up his spear] against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time.

^{( e )} As one of the king's counsel.

Geneva Bible: 2Sa 23:9

And after him [was] Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, [one] of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines [that] were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were ^{( f )} gone away:

^{( f )} Meaning, fled from the battle.

Geneva Bible: 2Sa 23:10

He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his ^{( g )} hand clave unto the sword: and the LORD wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil.

^{( g )} By a cramp which came from weariness and fighting.

Geneva Bible: 2Sa 23:12

But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the LORD wrought a ^{( h )} great victory.

^{( h )} Which has no respect for many or few, when he will show his power.

Geneva Bible: 2Sa 23:15

And David ^{( i )} longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which [is] by the gate!

^{( i )} Being overcome with weariness and thirst.

Geneva Bible: 2Sa 23:16

And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that [was] by the gate, and took [it], and brought [it] to David: nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but ^{( k )} poured it out unto the LORD.

^{( k )} Bridling his affection, and also desiring God not to be offended for that rash enterprise.

Geneva Bible: 2Sa 23:21

And he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a ^{( l )} spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear.

^{( l )} Which was as big as a weavers beam, (1Ch 11:23).

Geneva Bible: 2Sa 23:23

He was more honourable than the ^{( m )} thirty, but he attained not to the [first] three. And David set him over his guard.

^{( m )} He was more valiant than the thirty that follow and not so valiant as the six before.

Geneva Bible: 2Sa 23:27

Abiezer the Anethothite, ^{( n )} Mebunnai the Hushathite,

^{( n )} Some of these had two names, (1Ch 11:29) and also many more are mentioned there.

Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: 2Sa 23:1-39

1 David, in his last words, professes his faith in God's promises to be beyond sense or experience.

6 The different state of the wicked.

8 A catalogue of David's mighty men.

Maclaren: 2Sa 23:1-7

2 Samuel 23:1-7

It was fitting that the last words of David' should be a prophecy of the true King, whom his own failures and sins, no less than his consecration and victories, had taught him to expect. His dying eyes see on the horizon of the far-off future the form of Him who is to be a just and perfect Ruler, before the brightness of whose presence and the refreshing of whose influence, verdure and beauty shall clothe the world. As the shades gather round the dying monarch, the radiant glory to come brightens. He departs in peace, having seen the salvation from afar, and stretched out longing hands of greeting toward it. Then his harp is silent, as if the rapture which thrilled the trembling strings had snapped them.

I. We Have First A Prelude Extending To The Middle Of 2 Samuel 22:3.

In it there is first a fourfold designation of the personality of the Psalmist-prophet, and then a fourfold designation of the divine oracle spoken through him. The word rendered in verse 1 saith' is really a noun, and usually employed with the Lord' following, as in the familiar phrase saith the Lord.' It is used, as here, with the genitive of the human recipient, in Balaam's prophecy, on which this is evidently modeled. It distinctly claims a divine source for the oracle following, and declares, at the outset, that these last words of David were really the faithful sayings of Jehovah. The human and divine elements are smelted together. Note the description of the human personality. First, the natural David the son of Jesse,' like Balaam the son of Beor' in the earlier oracle. The aged king looks back with adoring thankfulness to his early days and humble birth, as if he were saying, Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should proclaim the coming King.' Then follow three clauses descriptive of what the son of Jesse' had been made by the grace of God, in that he had been raised on high from his low condition of a shepherd boy, and anointed as ruler, not only by Samuel and the people, but by the God of their great ancestor, whose career had presented so many points of resemblance to his own, the God who still wrought among the nation which bore the patriarch's name, as He had wrought of old; and that, besides his royalty, he had been taught to sing the sweet songs which already were the heritage of the nation. This last designation shows what David counted God's chief gift to him,--not his crown, but his harp. It further shows that he regarded his psalms as divinely inspired, and it proves that already they had become the property of the nation. This first verse heightens the importance of the subsequent oracle by dwelling on the claims of the recipient of the revelation to be heard and heeded.

Similarly, the fourfold designation of the divine source has the same purpose, and corresponds with the four clauses of 2 Samuel 23:1, The Spirit of the Lord spake in [or "into"] me.' That gives the Psalmist's consciousness that in his prophecy he was but the recipient of a message. It wonderfully describes the penetrating power of that inward voice which clearly came to him from without, and as clearly spoke to him within. Words could not more plainly declare the prophetic consciousness of the distinction between himself and the Voice which he heard in the depths of his spirit. It spoke in him before he spoke his lyric prophecy. His word was upon my tongue.' There we have the utterance succeeding the inward voice, and the guarantee that the Psalmist's word was a true transcript of the inward voice. The God of Israel said,' and therefore Israel is concerned in the divine word, which is not of private reference, but meant for all. The Rock of Israel spake,' and therefore Israel may trust the Word, which rests on His immutable faithfulness and eternal being.

II. The Divine Oracle Must Be Worthy Of Such A Prelude.

Thus solemnly introduced and guaranteed must be worthy of such a prelude. Abruptly, and in clauses without verbs, the picture of the righteous Ruler is divinely flashed before the seer's inward eye. The broken construction may perhaps indicate that he is describing what he beholds in vision. There is no need for any supplement such as There shall be,' which, however true in meaning, mars the vividness of the presentation of the Ruler to the prophet's sight. David sees him painted on the else blank wall of the future. When and where the realization may be he knows not. What are the majestic outlines? A universal sovereign over collective humanity, righteous and God-fearing. In the same manner as he described the vision of the King, David goes on, as a man on some height telling what he saw to the people below, and paints the blessed issues of the King's coming. It had been night before He came,--the night of ignorance, sorrow, and sin,--but His coming is like one of these glorious Eastern sunrises without a cloud, when everything laughs in the early beams, and, with tropical swiftness, the tender herbage bursts from the ground, as born from the dazzling brightness and the fertilizing rain. So all things shall rejoice in the reign of the King, and humanity be productive, under His glad and quickening influences, of growths of beauty and fruitfulness impossible to it without these.

The abrupt form of the prophecy has led some interpreters to construe it as, When a king over men is righteous.., then it is as a morning,' etc. But surely such a platitude is not worthy of being David's last word, nor did it need divine inspiration to disclose to him that a just king is a great blessing. The only worthy meaning is that which sees here, in words so solemnly marked as a special revelation closing the life of David, the vision of the future and all the wonder that should be,' when a real Person should thus reign over men. The explanation that we have here simply the ideal of the collective Davidic monarchy is a lame attempt to escape from the recognition of prophecy properly so called. It is the work of poetry to paint ideals, of prophecy to foretell, with God's authority, their realization. The picture here is too radiant to be realized in any mere human king, and, as a matter of fact, never was so in any of David's successors, or in the whole of them put together. It either swings in vacuo, a dream unrealized, or it is a distinct prophecy from God of the reign of the coming Messiah, of whom David and all his sons, as anointed kings, were living prophecies. The Messianic idea' entered on a new stage of development with the monarchy, and that not as if the history stimulated men's imaginations, but that God used the history as a means of further revelation by His prophetic Spirit.

III. The Difficult 2 Samuel 23:5,

Whether its first and last clauses be taken interrogatively or negatively, in its central part bases the assurance of the coming of the king on God's covenant (2 Samuel 7.), which is glorified as being everlasting, provided with all requisites for its realization, and therefore sure,' or perhaps preserved,' as if guarded by God's inviolable sanctity and faithfulness. The fulfillment of the dying saint's hopes depends on God's truth. Whatever sense might say, or doubt whisper, he silences them by gazing on that great Word. So we all have to do. If we found our hopes and forecasts on it, we can go down to the grave calmly, though they be not fulfilled, sure that no good thing can fail us of all that He hath spoken.' Living or dying, faith and hope must stay themselves on God's word. Happy they whose closing eyes see the form of the King, and whose last thoughts are of God's faithful promise l Happy they whose forecasts of the future, nearer or more remote, are shaped by His word! Happy they who, in the triumphant energy of such a faith, can with dying lips proclaim that His promises overlap, and contain, all their salvation and all their desire!

If we read the first and last clauses negatively, with Revised Version and others, they, as it were, surround the kernel of clear-eyed faith, in the middle of the verse, with a husk, not of doubt, but of consciousness how far the present is from fulfilling the great promise. The poor dying king looks back on the scandals of his later reign, on his own sin, on his children's lust, rebellion, and tragic deaths, and feels how far from the ideal he and they have been. He sees little token of growth toward realization of that promise; but yet in spite of a stained past and a wintry present, he holds fast his confidence. That is the true temper of faith, which calls things that are not as though they were, and is hindered by no sense of unworthiness nor by any discouragements born of sense, from grasping with full assurance the promise of God. But the consensus of the most careful expositors inclines to take both clauses as questions, and then the meaning would be, Does not my house stand in such a relation to God that the righteous king will spring from it? It is, in this view, a triumphant question, expressing the strongest assurance, and the next clause would then lay bare the foundation of that relation of David's house as not its goodness, but God's covenant (for He hath made'). Similarly the last clause would be a triumphant question of certainty, asserting in the strongest manner that God would cause that future salvation for the world, which was wrapped up in the coming of the king, and in which the dying man was sure that he should somehow have a share, dead though he were, to blossom and grow, though he had to die as in the winter, before the buds began to swell. The assurance of immortality, and of a share in all the blessings to come, bursts from the lips that are so soon to be silent.

IV. But The Oracle Cannot End With Painting Only Blessings As Flowing From The King's Reign.

If he is to rule in righteousness and the fear of the Lord, then he must fight against evil. If his coming causes the tender grass to spring, it will quicken ugly growths too. The former representation is only half the truth; and the threatening of destruction for the evil is as much a part of the divine oracle as the other. Strictly, it is wickedness'--the abstract quality rather than the concrete persons who embody it--which is spoken of. May we recall the old distinction that God loves the sinner while He hates the sin? The picture is vivid. The wicked--and all the enemies of this King are wicked, in the prophet's view--are like some of these thorn-brakes, that cannot be laid hold of, even to root them out, but need to be attacked with sharp pruning-hooks on long shafts, or burned where they grow. There is a destructive side to the coming of the King, shadowed in every prophecy of him, and brought emphatically to prominence in his own descriptions of his reign and its final issues. It is a poor kindness to suppress that side of the truth. Thorns as well as tender grass spring up in the quickening beams; and the best commentary on the solemn words which close David's closing song is the saying of the King himself: In the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them.'

The Royal Jubilee

2 Samuel 23:3-4

Preached on the occasion of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.

One of the Psalms ascribed to David sounds like the resolves of a new monarch on his accession. In it the Psalmist draws the ideal of a king, and says such things as, I will behave myself wisely, in a perfect way. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes. I hate the work of them that turn aside. Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me.' That psalm we may regard as the first words of the king when, after long, weary years, the promise of Samuel's anointing was fulfilled, and he sat on the throne.

My text comes from what purports to be the last words of the same king. He looks back, and again the ideal of a monarch rises before him. The psalm, for it is a psalm, though it is not in the Psalter, is compressed to the verge of obscurity; and there may be many questions raised about its translation and its bearing. These do not need to occupy us now, but the words which I have selected for my text may, perhaps, best be represented to an English reader in some such sentence as this--If (or when) one rules over men justly, ruling in the fear of God, then it shah be as the light of the morning when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds.' With such a monarch all the interests of his people will prosper. His reign will be like the radiant dawn of a cloudless day, and his land like the spring pastures when the fresh, green grass is wooed out of the baked earth by the combined influence of rain and sunshine. David's little kingdom was surrounded by giant empires, in which brute force, wielded by despotic will, ground men down, or squandered their lives recklessly. But the King of Israel had learned, partly by the experience of his own reign, and partly by divine inspiration, that such rulers are not true types of a monarch after God's own heart. This ideal king is neither a warrior nor a despot. Two qualities mark him, Justice and Godliness. Pharaoh and his like, oppressors, were as the lightning which blasts and scorches. The true king was to be as the sunshine that vitalizes and gladdens. He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass, and as showers that water the earth.'

We do not need to ask the question here, though it might be very relevant on another occasion, whether this portraiture is a mere ideal, floating in vaeuo, or whether it is a direct prophecy of that expected Messianic king who was to realize the divine ideal of sovereignty. At all events we know that, in its highest and deepest significance, the picture of my text has lived and breathed human breath, in Jesus Christ, who both in His character and in His influence on the world, fulfilled the ideal that floated before the eyes of the aged king.

I do not need to follow the course of thought in this psalm any farther. You will have anticipated my motive for selecting this text now. It seems to me to gather up, in vivid and picturesque form, the thoughts and feelings which to-day are thrilling through an Empire, to which the most extended dominion of these warrior kings of old was but a speck. On such an occasion as this I need not make any apology, I am sure, for diverging from the ordinary topics of pulpit address, and associating ourselves with the many millions who to-day are giving thanks for Queen Victoria.

My text suggests two lines along which the course of our thoughts may run. The one is the personal character of this ideal monarch; the other is its effects on his subjects.

I. Now, With Regard To The Former, The Pulpit Is, In My Judgment,

Not the place either for the discussion of current events or the pronouncing of personal eulogium. But I shall not be wandering beyond my legitimate province, if I venture to try to gather into a few words the reasons, in the character and public life of our Queen, for the thankfulness of this day. Our text brings out, as I have said, two great qualities as those on which a throne is to be established, Justice and Godliness. Now, the ancient type of monarch was the fountain of justice, in a very direct sense; inasmuch as it was his office, not only to pronounce sentence on criminals, but to give decisions on disputed questions of right. These functions have long ceased to be exercised by our monarchs, but there is still room for both of those qualities--the Justice which holds an even balance between parties and strifes, the Righteousness which has supreme regard to the primary duties that press alike upon prince and pauper, and the Godliness which, as! believe, is the root from which all righteousness, as between man and man, and as between prince and subject, must ever flow. Morality is the garb of religion; religion is the root of morality. He, and only he, will hold an even balance and discharge his obligations to man, whose life is rooted in, and his acts under the continual influence of, the fear of God which has in it no torment, but is the parent of all things good.

We shall not be flatterers if we thankfully recognize in our Sovereign Lady the presence of both these qualities. I have spoken of the first inaugural words of the King of Israel, and the resolutions that he made. It is recorded that when, to the child of eleven years of age, the announcement was made that she stood near in the line of succession to the throne, the tremulous young lips answered, It is a great responsibility; but I will be good.' And all round the world to-day her subjects attest that the aged monarch has kept the little maiden's vow. Contrast that life with the lives of the other women who have sat on the throne of England. Think of the brilliant Queen, whose glories our greatest poets were not ashamed to sing, with the Tudor masterfulness in her, and not a little of the Tudor grossness and passion, and remember the blots that stained her glories. Think of her sister, the morbidly melancholy tool of priests, who goes down the ages branded with an epithet only too sadly earned. Think of another woman that ruled over England in name, the weak instrument of base intrigues. And then turn to this life which we are looking upon to-day. Think of the nameless scandals, the hideous immorality of the reigns that preceded hers, and you will not wonder that every decent man and every modest woman was thankful that, with the young girl, there came a breath of purer air into the foul atmosphere. I am old enough to remember hearing, as a boy, the talk of my elders as to the probabilities of insurrection if, instead of our Queen, there had come to the throne the brother of her two predecessors. The hopes of those early days have been more than fulfilled.

It is not for us to determine the religious character of others, and that is too sacred a region for us to enter; but this we may say, that in all these sixty years of diversified trial, there has been no act known to us outsiders inconsistent with the highest motive, the fear of the Lord; and some of us who have worshipped in the humble Highland church where she bas bowed have felt that on the throne of Britain sat a Christian.

Nor need we forget how, from that root of fear of God, there has come that wondrous patience and faithfulness to duty, the form of' Justice' which is possible for a constitutional monarch. We have little notion of how pressing and numerous and continual the royal duties must necessarily be. They have been discharged, even when the blow that struck all sunshine out of life left an irrepressible shrinking from pageantry and pomp. Joys come; joys go. Duties abide, and they have been done.

Nor can we forget, either, how the very difficult position of a constitutional monarch, with the semblance of power and the reality of narrow restrictions, has been filled. Our Sovereign has never set herself against the will of the people, expressed by its legitimate representatives, even when that will may have imposed upon her the sanction of changes which she did not approve. And that is much to say. We have seen young despots whose self-will has threatened to wreck a nation's prosperity.

Nor can we forget how all the immense influence of position and personality has been thrown on the side of purity and righteousness. Even we outsiders know how, more than once or twice, she has steadfastly set her face against the admission to her presence of men and women of evil repute, and has in effect repeated David's proclamation against vice and immorality at his accession: He that worketh wickedness shall not dwell within my house.'

Nor must we forget, either, the simplicity, the beauty, the tenderness of her wedded and family life, her love of rural quiet, and of wholesome communion with Nature, and her eagerness to take her people into her confidence, as set forth in the book which, whatever its literary merits, speaks of her earnest appreciation of Nature and her wish for the sympathy of her subjects.

Then came the bolt from the blue, that sudden crash that wrecked the happiness of a life. Many of us, I have no doubt, remember that dreary December Sunday morning when, while the nation was standing in expectation of another calamity from across the Atlantic, there flashed through the land the news of the Prince's death; thrilling all hearts, and bringing all nearer to her, the lonely widow, than they had ever been in her days of radiant happiness. How pathetically, silently, nobly, devoutly, that sorrow has been borne, it is not for us to speak. She has become one of the great company of sad and lonely hearts, and in her sadness has shown an eager desire to send messages of sympathy to all whom she could reach, who were in like darkness and sorrow.

Brethren, I have ventured to diverge so far from the ordinary run of pulpit ministrations because I feel that to-day all of us, whatever may be our political or ecclesiastical relationships and proclivities, are one in thanking God for the monarch whose life has been without a stain, and her reign without a blot.

II. The Effect Of Such A Reign On The Condition Of The Subject.

Now let me say a word as to the other line of thought which my text suggests, the effect of such a reign on the condition of the subject.

Now, of course, in the narrowly limited domain of that strange creation, a constitutional monarchy, there is far less opportunity for the Sovereign's direct influence on the Subject than there was in the ancient kingdoms of which David was thinking in his psalm. The marvelous progress of Britain during these sixty years is due, not to our Sovereign, but to a multitude of strenuous workers and earnest thinkers in a hundred different departments, as well as to the evolution of the gifts that come down to us from our ancient inheritance of freedom. But we shall much mistake if, for that reason, we set aside the monarch's character and influence as of no account in the progress.

A supposition, which is a violent one, may be made which will set this matter in clearer light. Suppose that during these sixty years we had had a king on the throne of England like some of the kings we have had. The sentiment of loyalty is not now of such a character as that it will survive a vicious sovereign. If we had had such a monarch as I have hinted at, the loyalty of the good would for all these years have been suffering a severe strain, and the forces that make for evil would have been disastrously strengthened. Dangers escaped are unnoticed, but one twelvemonth of the reign of a profligate would shake the foundations of the monarchy, and would open the floodgates of vice; and we should then know how much the nation owed to the Queen whose life was pure, and who cast all her influence on the side of things that are lovely and of good report.'

Take another supposition. Suppose that during these years of wonderful transition, when the whole aspect of English politics and society has been transformed, we had had a king like George III., who set his opinion against the nation's will constitutionally expressed. Then no man knows with what storm and tumult, with what strife and injury, the inevitable transition would have been effected. Be sure of this, that the wise self-effacement of our Sovereign during these critical years of change is largely the reason why they have been years of peace, in which the new has mingled itself with the old without revolution or disturbance. It is due to her in a very large degree that Freedom broadens slowly down From precedent to precedent.'

I need not dilate on the changed Britain that she looks out upon and rules to-day. I need not speak--there will be many voices to do that, in not altogether agreeable notes, for there will be a dash of too much self-complacency in them--about progress in material wealth, colonial expansion, the increase of education, the gentler manners, the new life that has been breathed over art and literature, the achievements in science and philosophy, the drawing together of classes, the bridging over of the great gulf between rich and poor by some incipient and tentative attempts at sympathy and brotherhood.

Nor need I dwell upon the ecclesiastical signs of the times, in which, mingled as they are, there is at least this one great good, that never since the early days have so large a proportion of Christian men been seeking after the things that make for peace,' and realizing the oneness of all believers who hold the Headship of Christ.

All this review falls more properly into other hands than mine. Only I would put in a caution--do not let us mingle self-conceit with our congratulations; and, above all, do not let us' rest and be thankful.' There is much to be done yet. Listening ears can catch on every side vague sounds that tell of unrest and of the stirrings into wakefulness of

The spirit of the years to come,Yearning to mix itself with life.'

I seem to hear all around me the rushing in the dark of a mighty current that is bearing down upon us. Great social questions are rapidly coming to the front --the questions of distribution of wealth, abolition of privilege, the relations of labor and capital, and many others are claimant to be dealt with at least, if not solved. There is much to be done before Jesus Christ is throned as King of England. War has to be frowned down; the brotherhood of man has to be realized, temperance has to be much more largely practiced than it is. I need not go over the catalogue of desiderata, of agenda--things that have to be done--in the near future. Only this I would say--Christian men and women are the last people who should be ready to rest and be thankful,' for the principles of the Gospel that we profess, which have never been applied to the life of nations as they ought to be, will solve the questions which make the despair of so many in this generation. We shall best express our thankfulness for these past sixty years by each of us taking our part in the great movement which, in the inevitable drift of things to democracy, is going to cast the kingdom old into another mould,' and which will, I pray, make our people more of what John Milton long ago called them, God's Englishmen.' We have taught the nations many things. Our Parliament is called the Mother of Parliaments. Ours is

The land where, girt with friends or foes,A man may say the thing he will.'

It has taught the nations a tempered freedom, and that a monarchy may be a true republic. May we rise to the height of our privileges and responsibilities, and teach our subject peoples, not only mechanics, science, law, free trade, but a loftier morality, and the name of Him by whom kings reign and princes decree justice!

We, members of the free Churches of England, come seldom under the notice of royalty, and have little acquaintance with courts, but we yield to none in our recognition of the virtues and in our sympathy with the sorrows of the Sovereign Lady, the good woman, who rules these lands, and we all heartily thank God for her to-day, and pray that for long years still to come the familiar letters V.R. may stand, as they have stood to two generations, as the symbol of womanly purity and of the faithful discharge of queenly duty.

Maclaren: 2Sa 23:15-17

2 Samuel 23:15-17

David's fortunes were at a low ebb. He was in hiding in his cave of Adullam, and a Philistine garrison held Bethlehem, his native place. He was little different from an outlaw at the head of a band of broken men,' but there were depths of chivalry and poetry in his heart. Sweltering in his cave in the fierce heat of harvest, he thought of his native Bethlehem; he remembered the old days when he had watered his flock at the well by its gate, or mingled with the people of the little town, in their evening assemblies round it. The memories of boyhood rose up radiant before him, and as he was immersed in the past, the grim present, the perils that threatened his life, the savage, gaunt rocks without a trace of greenness that girded him, the privations to which he was exposed, were all forgotten, and he longed for one more draught of the water that tasted so cool and sweet to memory. Three of his mighty men,' bound to him by loyal devotion and unselfish love, were ready to die to win for their chief a momentary gratification. So they slipped away from Adullam, brake through the host of the Philistines,' and brought back the longed-for draught. David's reception of the dearly-bought, sparkling gift was due to a noble impulse. The water seemed to him to be dyed with blood, and to be not water so much as lives of men.' It had become too precious to be used to satisfy his longing. It would be base self-indulgence to drink what had been won by such self-forgetting devotion. God only had the right to receive what men had risked their lives to obtain, and therefore he poured it out unto the Lord.'

The story gleams out of the fierce narratives in which it is embedded, like a flower blooming on some grim cliff. May we not learn lessons from it?

I. David's Longing.

David, a fugitive in the cave, haunted by the nostalgia' that made Bethlehem seem so fair and dear, may stand for us as an example of the longings and thirsts that sometimes force themselves into consciousness in every soul. Below the bustle and strife of daily life, occupied as it must be with material and often ignoble things, below the hardness into which the world has compressed men's surface nature, there lies a yearning for the cool water that rises hard by the gate of our native home. True, it is with many of us overlaid for the most part by coarser desires, and may be as unlike our usual dominant longings and aims, as David's tender outbreak of sentiment was to the prevailing tenor of his life, in those days when he was an outlaw and a freebooter. But the longing, though often stifled, is not wholly quenched. It is misinterpreted by the man who is conscious of it, and far too often he tries to slake the thirst by fiery and drugged liquors which but make it more intense. Happy are they who know what it is that their parched palates crave, and have learned, while yet the knowledge avails, to say, My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God'! Blessed are they who thirst after' the water of the well of Bethlehem, for they shall be filled!'

II. The Three Heroes' Devotion.

These three rough soldiers, lawless and fierce as they were, had been so mastered by their chief that they were ready to dare anything to pleasure him. Who would have looked for such delicacy of feeling and such enthusiastic self-surrender in such men?

They stand as grand instances of the height of devotion of which the rudest nature is capable, when once its love and loyalty to the Beloved are evoked.

How such deeds ennoble the lowest types of character, and make us think better of men, and more sadly of the contrast between their habitual characteristics and the possibilities that lie slumbering in their ignoble lives! There are sparks in the hard cold flint, if only they could be struck out. There is water in the rock, if only the right hand, armed with the wonder-working rod, smites it.

Let us not judge men too harshly by what they do and are, but let us try to bring their sleeping possibilities into conscious exercise.

Let us remember that love and self-sacrifice, which is the very outcome and natural voice of love, ennoble the most degraded.

But these heroic three may suggest to us a sadder thought. They were ready to die for David; would they have been as ready to die for God? These noble emotions of love, leading to glad flinging away of life to pleasure the beloved, are freely given to men, but too often withheld from God. We lavish on our beloved, or on our chosen leaders, a devotion that ought to shame us, when contrasted with the scantiness of our grudging devotion and self-surrender to Him. If we loved God a tenth part as ardently as we love our wives or husbands or parents or children, and were willing to do and bear as much for Him as we are willing to bear for them, how different our lives would be! We can love utterly, enthusiastically, self-forget-tingly, absorbed in the beloved, and counting all surrender of self to, and the sacrifice of life itself for, him or her a delight. Many of us do love men so. Do we love God so?

But these heroic three may suggest another thought. Their self-sacrificing love was illustrious; but there is a nobler, more wonderful, more soul-subduing instance of such love. They broke through the ranks of the Philistines to bring David a draught from the well of Bethlehem. Jesus has broken through the ranks of our enemies to bring us the water of which if a man drink, he shall live for ever.' If we would see the highest example of self-sacrificing love, we must turn to look, not on the instances of it that shine through the ages on the page of history, and make men thrill as they gaze, and think better of the human nature that can do such things, but on the Christ hanging on the Cross because He loved those who did not love Him, and giving His life a ransom for sinners.

III. David's Reception Of The Water.

The chivalrous devotion of the three touched an answering chord in their chivalrous chief. His heart filled at the thought of what they had risked, and revolted from employing what had been thus won for no higher use than to gratify a piece of sentiment in himself. The sparkling water was too sacred to be taken for any baser use than as a libation to Jehovah. And who can doubt that the three were more fully repaid for their devotion, as David poured it out unto the Lord, than if he had drunk it eagerly up? His feeling and his act indicate beautiful delicacy of instinct, and swiftness of perception of how to requite the devotion of the three.

We may separate into its two parts the generous impulse which sprang as one whole in David's breast. There was the shrinking from using the water to slake his thirst merely, and there was the resolve to pour it out as a libation to God. Both parts of that whole may yield us profitable thoughts.

To risk their lives for the water was noble in the three; to have quaffed it as if it had been drawn like any other water from a well, would have been ignoble in David. There are things that it may be noble to give and ignoble to accept. There are sacrifices which we are not entitled to allow others to make for our sakes. Gratification's which can only be procured at the hazard of men's lives are too dearly bought.

Would not a civilization, that draws much of its comforts and appliances from sweated industries,' and is languidly amused by seeing men and women performers peril their lives nightly, and lose them too, for its gratification, be the better for copying David's recoil from drinking the blood of men that went in jeopardy of their lives'? Is there not' blood' on many a woman's ball-dress, on many an article of luxury, on many an amusement?

There are sacrifices which we have no right to accept from others. The three had no right to risk life for such a purpose, and David would have been selfish if he had drunk the water. Do not such thoughts lead us by contrast to Him who has done what none other can do? None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give his life a ransom for him'; but Jesus can and Jesus does, and what it would be impossible, and wrong if it were possible, for one man to do for another, He has done for us all, and what it would be base for a man to accept from another if that other could give it, it is blessed and the beginning of all nobleness of character for us to accept from Him David would not drink because the cup seemed to him to be red with blood. Jesus offers to us a cup, not of cold water only but of' water and blood,' and bids us drink of it and remember Him.

The generous devotion of the three kindled answering emotions in David's breast. It would be a churlish soul that was not warmed into some faint replica of such self-sacrifice, and most of us would be ashamed of ourselves if we were unmoved by such love. But does the supreme example of it affect us as much as the lesser examples of it do? How many of us stand before it like the peaks of the Alps that front full south, and lift an unmelted breastplate of snow to the midday sun! How many of us have lived all our lives in presence of Jesus' infinite love and self-surrender for us each, and never have felt one transient touch of answering love!

The other part of David's impulse was to offer to God what was too precious for his own use. That is the fitting destination of our most precious and prized possessions. And whatever is thus offered becomes more precious by being offered. The altar sanctifies and enhances the worth of the gift. What we give to God is more our own than if we had kept it to ourselves, and develops richer capacities of ministering to our delight. It is so with our greatest surrender, the surrender of ourselves. When we give ourselves to Jesus, He renders us back to ourselves, far better worth having than before. We are never so much our own as when we are wholly Christ's. And the same thing is true as to all our riches of mind, heart, or worldly wealth. If we wish to taste their most delicate and refined sweetness, let us give them to Jesus, and the touch of His hand, as He accepts them and gives them back to us, will leave a lingering fragrance that nothing else can impart. Was not the water from the well of Bethlehem sweeter to David as he poured it out unto the Lord than if he had greedily gulped it down ?

THE END

1 Chronicles

MHCC: 2Sa 23:1-7

These words of David are very worthy of regard. Let those who have had long experience of God's goodness, and the pleasantness of heavenly wisdom, when they come to finish their course, bear their testimony to the truth of the promise. David avows his Divine inspiration, that the Spirit of God spake by him. He, and other holy men, spake and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. In many things he had his own neglect and wrong conduct to blame. But David comforted himself that the Lord had made with him an everlasting covenant. By this he principally intended the covenant of mercy and peace, which the Lord made with him as a sinner, who believed in the promised Saviour, who embraced the promised blessing, who yielded up himself to the Lord, to be his redeemed servant. Believers shall for ever enjoy covenant blessings; and God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, shall be for ever glorified in their salvation. Thus pardon, righteousness, grace, and eternal life, are secured as the gift of God through Jesus Christ. There is an infinite fulness of grace and all blessings treasured up in Christ, for those who seek his salvation. This covenant was all David's salvation, he so well knew the holy law of God and the extent of his own sinfulness, that he perceived what was needful for his own case in this salvation. It was therefore all his desire. In comparison, all earthly objects lost their attractions; he was willing to give them up, or to die and leave them, that he might enjoy full happiness, Psa 73:24-28. Still the power of evil, and the weakness of his faith, hope, and love, were his grief and burden. Doubtless he would have allowed that his own slackness and want of care were the cause; but the hope that he should soon be made perfect in glory, encouraged him in his dying moments.

MHCC: 2Sa 23:8-39

David once earnestly longed for the water at the well of Bethlehem. It seems to be an instance of weakness. He was thirsty; with the water of that well he had often refreshed himself when a youth, and it was without due thought that he desired it. Were his valiant men so forward to expose themselves, upon the least hint of their prince's mind, and so eager to please him, and shall not we long to approve ourselves to our Lord Jesus, by ready compliance with his will, as shown us by his word, Spirit, and providence? But David poured out the water as a drink-offering to the Lord. Thus he would cross his own foolish fancy, and punish himself for indulging it, and show that he had sober thoughts to correct his rash ones, and knew how to deny himself. Did David look upon that water as very precious which was got at the hazard of these men's blood, and shall not we much more value those benefits for purchasing which our blessed Saviour shed his blood? Let all beware of neglecting so great salvation.

Matthew Henry: 2Sa 23:1-7

We have here the last will and testament of king David, or a codicil annexed to it, after he had settled the crown upon Solomon and his treasures upon the temple which was to be built. The last words of great and good men are thought worthy to be in a special manner remarked and remembered. David would have those taken notice of, and added either to his Psalms (as they are here to that in the foregoing chapter) or to the chronicles of his reign. Those words especially in 2Sa 23:5, though recorded before, we may suppose he often repeated for his own consolation, even to his last breath, and therefore they are called his last words. When we find death approaching we should endeavor both to honour God and to edify those about us with our last words. Let those that have had long experience of God's goodness and the pleasantness of wisdom, when they come to finish their course, leave a record of that experience and bear their testimony to the truth of the promise. We have upon record the last words of Jacob and Moses, and here of David, designed, as those, for a legacy to those that were left behind. We are here told,

I. Whose last will and testament this is. This is related either, or is usual, by the testator himself, or rather, by the historian, 2Sa 23:1. He is described, 1. By the meanness of his original: He was the son of Jesse. It is good for those who are advanced to be corner-stones and top-stones to be reminded, and often to remind themselves, of the rock out of which they were hewn. 2. The height of his elevation: He was raised up on high, as one favoured of God, and designed for something great, raised up as a prince, to sit higher than his neighbours, and as a prophet, to see further; for, (1.) He was the anointed of the God of Jacob, and so was serviceable to the people of God in their civil interests, the protection of their country and the administration of justice among them. (2.) He was the sweet psalmist of Israel, and so was serviceable to them in their religious exercises. he penned the psalms, set the tunes, appointed both the singers and the instruments of music, by which the devotions of good people were much excited and enlarged. Note, The singing of psalms is a sweet ordinance, very agreeable to those that delight in praising God. It is reckoned among the honours to which David was raised up that he was a psalmist: in that he was as truly great as in his being the anointed of the God of Jacob. Note, It is true preferment to be serviceable to the church in acts of devotion and instrumental to promote the blessed work of prayer and praise. Observe, Was David a prince? He was so for Jacob. Was he a psalmist? He was so for Israel. Note, the dispensation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal, and therefore, as every man has received the gift, so let him minister the same.

II. What the purport of it is. It is an account of his communion with God. Observe,

1. What God said to him both for his direction and for his encouragement as a king, and to be in like manner, of use to his successors. Pious persons take a pleasure in calling to mind what they have heard from God, in recollecting his word, and revolving it in their minds. Thus what God spoke once David heard twice, yea often. See here,

(1.) Who spoke: The Spirit of the Lord, the God of Israel, and the Rock of Israel, which some think is an intimation of the Trinity of persons in the Godhead - the Father the God of Israel, the Son the Rock of Israel, and the Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son, who spoke by the prophets, and particularly by David, and whose word was not only in his heart, but in his tongue for the benefit of others. David here avows his divine inspiration, that in his psalms, and in this composition, The Spirit of God spoke by him. He, and other holy men, spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. This puts an honour upon the book of Psalms, and recommends them to our use in our devotions, that they are words which the Holy Ghost teaches.

(2.) What was spoken. Here seems to be a distinction made between what the Spirit of God spoke by David, which includes all his psalms, and what the Rock of Israel spoke to David, which concerned himself and his family. Let ministers observe that those by whom God speaks to others are concerned to hear and heed what he speaks to themselves. Those whose office it is to teach others their duty must be sure to learn and do their own. Now that which is here said (2Sa 23:3, 2Sa 23:4) may be considered, [1.] With application to David, and his royal family. And so here is, First, The duty of magistrates enjoined them. When a king was spoken to from God he was not to be complimented with the height of his dignity and the extent of his power, but to be told his duty. "Must is for the king,"we say. Here is a must for the king: He must be just, ruling in the fear of God; and so must all inferior magistrates in their places. Let rulers remember that they rule over men - not over beasts which they may enslave and abuse at pleasure, but over reasonable creatures and of the same rank with themselves. They rule over men that have their follies and infirmities, and therefore must be borne with. They rule over men, but under God, and for him; and therefore, 1. They must be just, both to those over whom they rule, in allowing them their rights and properties, and between those over whom they rule, using their power to right the injured against the injurious; see Deu 1:16, Deu 1:17. It is not enough that they do no wrong, but they must not suffer wrong to be done. 2. They must rule in the fear of God, that is, they must themselves be possessed with a fear of God, by which they will be effectually restrained from all acts of injustice and oppression. Nehemiah was so (Neh 5:15, So did not I, because of the fear of God ), and Joseph, Gen 43:18. They must also endeavor to promote the fear of God (that is, the practice of religion) among those over whom they rule. The magistrate is to be the keeper of both tables, and to protect both godliness and honesty. Secondly, Prosperity promised them if they do, this duty. He that rules in the fear of God shall be as the light of the morning, 2Sa 23:4. Light is sweet and pleasant, and he that does his duty shall have the comfort of it; his rejoicing will be the testimony of his conscience. Light is bright, and a good prince is illustrious; his justice and piety will be his honour. Light is a blessing, nor are there any greater and more extensive blessings to the public than princes that rule in the fear of God. As the light of the morning, which is most welcome after the darkness of the night (so was David's government after Saul's, Psa 75:3), which is increasing, shines more and more to the perfect day, such is the growing lustre of a good government. It is likewise compared to the tender grass, which the earth produces for the service of man; it brings with it a harvest of blessings. See Psa 72:6, Psa 72:16, which were also some of the last words of David, and seem to refer to those recorded here. [2.] With application to Christ, the Son of David, and then it must all be taken as a prophecy, and the original will bear it: There shall be a rule among men, or over men, that shall be just, and shall rule in the fear of God, that is, shall order the affairs of religion and divine worship according to his Father's will; and he shall be as the light to the morning, etc., for he is the light of the world, and as the tender grass, for he is the branch of the Lord, and the fruit of the earth, Isa 11:1-5; Isa 32:1, Isa 32:2; Psa 72:2. God, by the Spirit, gave David the foresight of this, to comfort him under the many calamities of his family and the melancholy prospects he had of the degeneracy of his seed.

2. What comfortable use he made of this which God spoke to him, and what were his devout meditations on it, by way of reply, 2Sa 23:5. It is not unlike his meditation on occasion of such a message, 2Sa 7:18, etc. That which goes before the Rock of Israel spoke to him; this the Spirit of God spoke by him, and it is a most excellent confession of his faith and hope in the everlasting covenant. Here is,

(1.) Trouble supposed: Although my house be not so with God, and although he make it not to grow. David's family was not so with God as is described (2Sa 23:3, 2Sa 23:4), and as he could wish, not so good, not so happy; it had not been so while he lived; he foresaw it would not be so when he was gone, that his house would be neither so pious nor so prosperous as one might have expected the offspring of such a father to be. [1.] Not so with God. Note, We and ours are that really which we are with God. This was what David's heart was upon concerning his children, that they might be right with God, faithful to him and zealous for him. But the children of godly parents are often neither so holy nor so happy as might be expected. We must be made to know that it is corruption, not grace, that runs in the blood, that the race is not to the swift, but that God gives his Spirit as a free-agent. [2.] Not made to grow, in number, in power; it is God that makes families to grow or not to grow, Psa 107:41. Good men have often the melancholy prospect of a declining family. David's house was typical of the church of Christ, which is his house, Heb 3:3. Suppose this be not so with God as we could wish, suppose it be diminished, distressed, disgraced, and weakened, by errors and corruptions, yea, almost extinct, yet God has made a covenant with the church's head, the Son of David, that he will preserve to him a seed, that the gates of hell shall never prevail against his house. This our Saviour comforted himself with in his sufferings, that the covenant with him stood firm, Isa 53:10-12. (2.) Comfort ensured: Yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant. Whatever trouble a child of God may have the prospect of, still he has some comfort or other to balance it with (2Co 4:8, 2Co 4:9), and there is none like this of the Psalmist, which may be understood, [1.] Of the covenant of royalty (in the type) which God made with David and his seed, touching the kingdom, Psa 132:11, Psa 132:12. But, [2.] It must look further, to the covenant of grace made with all believers, that God will be, in Christ, to them a God, which was signified by the covenant of royalty, and therefore the promises of the covenant are called the sure mercies of David, Isa 55:3. It is this only that is the everlasting covenant, and it cannot be imagined that David, who, in so many of his psalms, speaks so clearly concerning Christ and the grace of the gospel, should forget it in his last words. God has made a covenant of grace with us in Jesus Christ, and we are here told, First, That it is an everlasting covenant, from everlasting in the contrivance and counsel of it, and to everlasting in the continuance and consequences of it. Secondly, That it is ordered, well ordered in all things, admirably well, to advance the glory of God and the honour of the Mediator, together with the holiness and comfort of believers. It is herein well ordered, that whatever is required in the covenant is promised, and that every transgression in the covenant does not throw us out of covenant, and that it puts our salvation, not in our own keeping, but in the keeping of a Mediator. Thirdly, That it is sure, and therefore sure because well ordered; the general offer of it is sure; the promised mercies are sure on the performance of the conditions. The particular application of it to true believers is sure; it is sure to all the seed. Fourthly, That it is all our salvation. Nothing but this will save us, and this is sufficient: it is this only upon which our salvation depends. Fifthly, That therefore it must be all our desire. Let me have an interest in this covenant and the promises of it, and I have enough, I desire no more.

3. Here is the doom of the sons of Belial read, 2Sa 23:6, 2Sa 23:7. (1.) They shall be thrust away as thorns - rejected, abandoned. They are like thorns, not to be touched with hands, so passionate and furious that they cannot be managed or dealt with by a wise and faithful reproof, but must be restrained by law and the sword of justice (Psa 32:9); and therefore, like thorns, (2.) They shall, at length, be utterly burnt with fire in the same place, Heb 6:8. Now this is intended, [1.] As a direction to magistrates to use their power for the punishing and suppressing of wickedness. Let them thrust away the sons of Belial; see Psa 101:8. Or, [2.] As a caution to magistrates, and particularly to David's sons and successors, to see that they be not themselves sons of Belial (as too many of them were), for then neither the dignity of their place nor their relation to David would secure them from being thrust away by the righteous judgments of God. Though men could not deal with them, God would. Or, [3.] As a prediction of the ruin of all the implacable enemies of Christ's kingdom. There are enemies without, that openly oppose it and fight against it, and enemies within, that secretly betray it and are false to it; both are sons of Belial, children of the wicked one, of the serpent's seed; both are as thorns, grievous and vexatious: but both shall be so thrust away as that Christ will set up his kingdom in despite of their enmity, will go through them (Isa 27:4), and will, in due time, bless his church with such peace that there shall be no pricking brier nor grieving thorn. And those that will not repent, to give glory to God, shall, in the judgment-day (to which the Chaldee paraphrast refers this), be burnt with unquenchable fire. See Luk 19:27.

Matthew Henry: 2Sa 23:8-39

I. The catalogue which the historian has here left upon record of the great soldiers that were in David's time is intended, 1. For the honour of David, who trained them up in the arts of exercises of war, and set them an example of conduct and courage. It is the reputation as well as the advantage of a prince to be attended and served by such brave men as are here described. 2. For the honour of those worthies themselves, who were instrumental to bring David to the crown, settle and protect him in the throne, and enlarge his conquests. Note, Those that in public stations venture themselves, and lay out themselves, to serve the interests of their country, are worthy of double honour, both to be respected by those of their own age and to be remembered by posterity. 3. To excite those that come after to a generous emulation. 4. To show how much religion contributes to the inspiring of men with true courage. David, both by his psalms and by his offerings for the service of the temple, greatly promoted piety among the grandees of the kingdom (1Ch 29:6), and, when they became famous for piety, they became famous for bravery.

II. Now these mighty men are here divided into three ranks: -

1. The first three, who had done the greatest exploits and thereby gained the greatest reputation - Adino (2Sa 23:8), Eleazar (2Sa 23:9, 2Sa 23:10), and Shammah, 2Sa 23:11, 2Sa 23:12. I do not remember that we read of any of these, or of their actions, any where in all the story of David but here and in the parallel place, 1 Chr. 11. Many great and remarkable events are passed by in the annals, which relate rather the blemishes than the glories of David's reign, especially after his sin in the matter Uriah; so that we may conclude his reign to have been really more illustrious than it has appeared to us while reading the records of it. The exploits of this brave triumvirate are here recorded. They signalized themselves in the wars of Israel against their enemies, especially the Philistines. (1.) Adino slew 800 at once with his spear. (2.) Eleazar defied the Philistines, as they by Goliath, had defied Israel, but with better success and greater bravery; for when the men of Israel had gone away, he not only kept his ground, but arose, and smote the Philistines, on whom God struck a terror equal to the courage with which this great hero was inspired. His hand was weary, and yet it clave to his sword; as long as he had any strength remaining he held his weapon and followed his blow. Thus, in the service of God, we should keep up the willingness and resolution of the spirit, notwithstanding the weakness and weariness of the flesh - faint, yet pursuing (Jdg 8:4), the hand weary, yet not quitting the sword. Now that Eleazar had beaten the enemy, the men of Israel, who had gone away from the battle (2Sa 23:9), returned to spoil, 2Sa 23:10. It is common for those who quit the field, when any thing is to be done to hasten to it when any thing is to be gotten. (3.) Shammah met with a party of the enemy, that were foraging, and routed them, 2Sa 23:11, 2Sa 23:12. But observe, both concerning this exploit and the former, it is here said, The Lord wrought a great victory. Note, How great soever the bravery of the instruments is, the praise of the achievement must be given to God. These fought the battles, but God wrought the victory. Let not the strong man then glory in his strength, nor in any of his military operations, but let him that glories glory in the Lord.

2. The next three were distinguished from, and dignified above, the thirty, but attained not to the first three, 2Sa 23:23. All great men are not of the same size. Many a bright and benign star there is which is not of the first magnitude, and many a good ship not of the first rate. Of this second triumvirate two only are named, Abishai and Benaiah, whom we have often met with in the story of David, and who seem to have been not inferior in serviceableness, though they were in dignity, to the first three. Here is,

(1.) A brave action of these three in conjunction. They attended David in his troubles, when he absconded, in the cave of Adullam (2Sa 23:13), suffered with him, and therefore were afterwards preferred by him. When David and his brave men who attended him, who had acted so vigorously against the Philistines, were, by the iniquity of the times, in Saul's reign, driven to shelter themselves from his rage in caves and strong holds, no marvel that the Philistines pitched in the valley of Rephaim, and put a garrison even in Bethlehem itself, 2Sa 23:13, 2Sa 23:14. If the church's guides are so misled as to persecute some of her best friends and champions, the common enemy will, no doubt, get advantage by it. If David had had his liberty, Bethlehem would not have been now in the Philistines' hands. But, being so, we are here told, [1.] How earnestly David longed for the water of the well of Bethlehem. Some make it a public-spirited wish, and that he meant, "O that we could drive the garrison of the Philistines out of Bethlehem, and make that beloved city of mine our own again!"the well being put for the city, as the river often signifies the country it passes through. But if he meant so, those about him did not understand him; therefore it seems rather to be an instance of his weakness. It was harvest-time; the weather was hot; he was thirsty; perhaps good water was scarce, and therefore he earnestly wished, "O that I could but have one draught of the water of the well of Bethlehem!"With the water of that well he had often refreshed himself when he was a youth, and nothing now will serve him but that, though it is almost impossible to come at it. He strangely indulged a humour which he could give no reason for. Other water might quench his thirst as well, but he had a fancy for that above any. It is folly to entertain such fancies and greater folly to insist upon the gratification of them. We ought to check our appetites when they go out inordinately towards those things that really are more pleasant and grateful than other things ( Be not desirous of dainties ), much more when they are thus set upon such things as only please a humour. [2.] How bravely his three mighty men, Abishai, Benaiah, and another not named, ventured through the camp of the Philistines, upon the very mouth of danger, and fetched water from the well of Bethlehem, without David's knowledge, 2Sa 23:16. When he wished for it he was far from desiring that any of his men should venture their lives for it; but those three did, to show, First, How much they valued their prince, and with what pleasure they could run the greatest hardships in his service. David, though anointed king, was as yet an exile, a poor prince that had no external advantages to recommend him to the affection and esteem of his attendants, nor was he in any capacity to prefer or reward them; yet those three were thus zealous for his satisfaction, firmly believing the time of recompence would come. Let us be willing to venture in the cause of Christ, even when it is a suffering cause, as those who are assured that it will prevail and that we shall not lose by it at last. Were they so forward to expose themselves upon the least hint of their prince's mind and so ambitious to please him? And shall not we covet to approve ourselves to our Lord Jesus by a ready compliance with every intimation of his will given us by his word, Spirit and providence? Secondly, How little they feared the Philistines. They were glad of an occasion to defy them. Whether they broke through the host clandestinely, and with such art that the Philistines did not discover them, or openly, and with such terror in their looks that the Philistines durst not oppose them, is not certain; it should seem, they forced their way, sword in hand. But see, [3.] How self-denyingly David, when he had this far-fetched dear-bought water, poured it out before the Lord, 2Sa 23:17. First, Thus he would show the tender regard he had to the lives of his soldiers, and how far he was from being prodigal of their blood, Psa 72:14. In God's sight the death of his saints is precious. Secondly, Thus he would testify his sorrow for speaking that foolish word which occasioned those men to put their lives in their hands. Great men should take heed what they say, lest any bad use be made of it by those about them. Thirdly, Thus he would prevent the like rashness in any of his men for the future. Fourthly, Thus he would cross his own foolish fancy, and punish himself for entertaining and indulging it, and show that he had sober thoughts to correct his rash ones, and knew how to deny himself even in that which he was most fond of. Such generous mortifications become the wise, the great, and the good. Fifthly, Thus he would honour God and give glory to him. The water purchased at this rate he thought too precious for his own drinking and fit only to be poured out to God as a drink-offering. If it was the blood of these men, it was God's due, for the blood was always his. Sixthly, Bishop Patrick speaks of some who think that David hereby showed that it was not material water he longed for, but the Messiah, who had the water of life, who, he knew, should be born at Bethlehem, which the Philistines therefore should not be able to destroy. Seventhly, Did David look upon that water as very precious which was got at the hazard of these men's blood, and shall not we much more value those benefits for the purchasing of which our blessed Saviour shed his blood? Let us not undervalue the blood of the covenant, as those do that undervalue the blessings of the covenant.

(2.) The brave actions of two of them on other occasions. Abishai slew 300 men at once, 2Sa 23:18, 2Sa 23:19. Benaiah did many great things. [1.] He slew two Moabites that were lion-like men, so bold and strong, so fierce and furious. [2.] He slew an Egyptian, on what occasion it is not said; he was well armed but Benaiah attacked him with no other weapon than a walking staff, dexterously wrested his spear out of his hand, and slew him with it, 2Sa 23:21. For these and similar exploits David preferred him to be captain of the life-guard or standing forces, 2Sa 23:23.

3. Inferior to the second three, but of great note, were the thirty-one here mentioned by name, 2Sa 23:24, etc. Asahel is the first, who was slain by Abner in the beginning of David's reign, but lost not his place in this catalogue. Elhanan is the next, brother to Eleazar, one of the first three, 2Sa 23:9. The surnames here given them are taken, as it should seem, from the places of their birth or habitation, as many surnames with us originally were. From all parts of the nation, the most wise and valiant were picked up to serve the king. Several of those who are named we find captains of the twelve courses which David appointed, one for each month in the year, 1 Chr. 27. Those that did worthily were preferred according to their merits. One of them was the son of Ahithophel (2Sa 23:34), the son famous in the camp as the father at the council-board. But to find Uriah the Hittite bringing up the rear of these worthies, as it revives the remembrance of David's sin, so it aggravates it, that a man who deserved so well of his king and country should be so ill treated. Joab is not mentioned among all these, either, (1.) to be mentioned; the first, of the first three sat chief among the captains, but Joab was over them as general. Or, (2.) Because he was so bad that he did not deserve to be mentioned; for though he was confessedly a great soldier, and one that had so much religion in him as to dedicate of his spoils to the house of God (1Ch 26:28), yet he lost as much honour by slaying two of David's friends as ever he got by slaying his enemies.

Christ, the Son of David, has his worthies too, who like David's, are influenced by his example, fight his battles against the spiritual enemies of his kingdom, and in his strength are more than conquerors. Christ's apostles were his immediate attendants, did and suffered great things for him, and at length came to reign with him. They are mentioned with honour in the New Testament, as these in the Old, especially, Rev 21:14. Nay, all the good soldiers of Jesus Christ have their names better preserved than even these worthies have; for they are written in heaven. This honour have all his saints.

Keil-Delitzsch: 2Sa 23:1-7

The psalm of thanksgiving, in which David praised the Lord for all the deliverances and benefits that he had experienced throughout the whole of his life, is followed by the prophetic will and testament of the great king, unfolding the importance of his rule in relation to the sacred history of the future. And whilst the psalm may be regarded (2 Samuel 22) as a great hallelujah, with which David passed away from the stage of life, these "last words" contain the divine seal of all that he has sung and prophesied in several psalms concerning the eternal dominion of his seed, on the strength of the divine promise which he received through the prophet Nathan, that his throne should be established for ever (2 Samuel 7). These words are not merely a lyrical expansion of that promise, but a prophetic declaration uttered by David at the close of his life and by divine inspiration, concerning the true King of the kingdom of God. "The aged monarch, who was not generally endowed with the gift of prophecy, was moved by the Spirit of God at the close of his life, and beheld a just Ruler in the fear of God , under whose reign blessing and salvation sprang up for the righteous, and all the wicked were overcome. The pledge of this was the eternal covenant which God had concluded with him"(Tholuck: die Propheten and ihre Weissagungen , p. 166). The heading " these are the last words of David "serves to attach it to the preceding psalm of thanksgiving.

2Sa 23:1-2

1 Divine saying of David the son of Jesse,

Divine saying of the man, the highly exalted,

Of the anointed of the God of Jacob,

And of the lovely one in the songs of praise of Israel.

2 The Spirit of Jehovah speaks through me,

And His word is upon my tongue.

This introduction to the prophetic announcement rests, both as to form and substance, upon the last sayings of Balaam concerning the future history of Israel (Num 24:3, Num 24:15). This not only shows to what extent David had occupied himself with the utterances of the earlier men of God concerning Israel's future; but indicates, at the same time, that his own prophetic utterance was intended to be a further expansion of Balaam's prophecy concerning the Star out of Jacob and the Sceptre out of Israel. Like Balaam, he calls his prophecy a נאם , i.e., a divine saying or oracle, as a revelation which he had received directly from God (see at Num 24:3). But the recipient of this revelation was not, like Balaam the son of Beor, a man with closed eye, whose eyes had been opened by a vision of the Almighty, but " the man who was raised up on high "( על , adverbially "above," is, strictly speaking, a substantive, "height," used in an adverbial sense, as in Hos 11:7, and probably also 2Sa 7:16), i.e., whom God had lifted up out of humiliation to be the ruler of His people, yea, even to be the head of the nations (2Sa 22:44). Luther's rendering, "who is assured of the Messiah of the God of Jacob,"is based upon the Vulgate, "cui constitutum est de Christo Dei Jacob ," and cannot be grammatically sustained. David was exalted on the one hand as "the anointed of the God of Jacob," i.e., as the one whom the God of Israel had anointed king over His people, and on the other hand as "the lovely one in Israel's songs of praise,"i.e., the man whom God had enabled to sing lovely songs of praise in celebration of His grace and glory. זמיר = זמרה does not mean a song generally, but a song of praise in honour of God (see at Exo 15:2), like מזמור in the headings to the psalms. As David on the one hand had firmly established the kingdom of God in an earthly and political respect as the anointed of Jehovah, i.e., as king, so had he on the other, as the composer of Israel's songs of praise, promoted the spiritual edification of that kingdom. The idea of נאם is explained in 2Sa 23:2. The Spirit of Jehovah speaks through him; his words are the inspiration of God. The preterite דּבּר relates to the divine inspiration which preceded the utterance of the divine saying. בּ דּבּר , literally to speak into a person, as in Hos 1:2. The saying itself commences with 2Sa 23:3.

2Sa 22:3

3 The God of Israel saith,

The Rock of Israel speaketh to me:

A Ruler over men, just,

A Ruler in the fear of God.

4 And as light of the morning, when the sun rises,

As morning without clouds:

From shining out of rain (springeth) green out of the earth.

5 For is not my house thus with God?

For He hath made me an everlasting covenant,

Provided with all, and attested;

For all my salvation and all good pleasure,

Should He then not cause it to grow?

As the prophets generally preface their saying with "thus saith the Lord,"so David commences his prophetic saying with "the God of Israel saith," for the purpose of describing it most emphatically as the word of God. He designates God " the God "and " The Rock "(as in 2Sa 22:3) of Israel, to indicate that the contents of his prophecy relate to the salvation of the people of Israel, and are guaranteed by the unchangeableness of God. The saying which follows bears the impress of a divine oracle even in its enigmatical brevity. The verbs are wanting in the different sentences of 2Sa 23:3 and 2Sa 23:4. "A ruler over men," sc., "will arise,"or there will be. בּאדם does not mean "among men,"but " over men; "for בּ is to be taken as with the verb משׁל , as denoting the object ruled over (cf. Gen 3:16; Gen 4:7, etc.). האדם does not mean certain men, but the human race, humanity. This ruler is " just "in the fullest sense of the word, as in the passages founded upon this, viz., Jer 23:5; Zec 9:9, and Psa 72:2. The justice of the ruler is founded in his " fear of God ." אלהים יראת is governed freely by מושׁל . (On the fact itself, see Isa 11:2-3.) The meaning is, "A ruler over the human race will arise, a just ruler, and will exercise his dominion in the spirit of the fear of God."

2Sa 23:4

2Sa 23:4 describes the blessing that will proceed from this ruler. The idea that 2Sa 23:4 should be connected with 2Sa 23:3 so as to form one period, in the sense of "when one rules justly over men (as I do), it is as when a morning becomes clear,"must be rejected, for the simple reason that it overlooks Nathan's promise (2 Samuel 7) altogether, and weakens the force of the saying so solemnly introduced as the word of God. The ruler over men whom David sees in spirit, is not any one who rules righteously over men; nor is the seed of David to be regarded as a collective expression indicating a merely ideal personality, but, according to the Chaldee rendering, the Messiah himself, the righteous Shoot whom the Lord would raise up to David (Jer 23:5), and who would execute righteousness and judgment upon earth (Jer 33:15). 2Sa 23:4 is to be taken by itself as containing an independent thought, and the connection between it and 2Sa 23:3 must be gathered from the words themselves: the appearance (the rise) of this Ruler will be "as light of the morning, when the sun rises." At the same time, the Messiah is not to be regarded as the subject to בּקר אור (the light of the morning), as though the ruler over men were compared with the morning light; but the subject compared to the morning light is intentionally left indefinite, according to the view adopted by Luther in his exposition, "In the time of the Messiah it will be like the light of the morning."We are precluded from regarding the Messiah as the subject, by the fact that the comparison is instituted not with the sun, but with the morning dawn at the rising of the sun, whose vivifying effects upon nature are described in the second clause of the verse. The words שׁמשׁ יזרח are to be taken relatively, as a more distinct definition of the morning light. The clause which follows, "morning without clouds," is parallel to the foregoing, and describes more fully the nature of the morning. The light of the rising sun on a cloudless morning is an image of the coming salvation. The rising sun awakens the germs of life in the bosom of nature, which had been slumbering through the darkness of the night. "The state of things before the coming of the ruler resembles the darkness of the night"(Hengstenberg). The verb is also wanting in the second hemistich. " From the shining from rain (is, comes) fresh green out of the earth ." נגהּ signifies the brightness of the rising sun; but, so far as the actual meaning is concerned, it relates to the salvation which attends the coming of the righteous ruler. ממּטר is either subordinate to מנּגהּ , or co-ordinate with it. In the former case, we should have to render the passage, "from the shining of the sun which proceeds out of rain,"or "from the shining after rain;"and the allusion would be to a cloudless morning, when the shining of the sun after a night's rain stimulates the growth of the plants. In the latter case, we should have to render it "from the shining (and) from the rain;"and the reference would be to a cloudless morning, on which the vegetation springs up from the ground through sunshine followed by rain. Grammatically considered, the first view (? the second) is the easier of the two; nevertheless we regard the other (? the first) as the only admissible one, inasmuch as rain is not to be expected when the sun has risen with a cloudless sky. The rays of the sun, as it rises after a night of rain, strengthen the fresh green of the plants. The rain is therefore a figurative representation of blessing generally (cf. Isa 44:3), and the green grass which springs up from the earth after the rain is an image of the blessings of the Messianic salvation (Isa 44:4; Isa 45:8).

In Psa 72:6, Solomon takes these words of David as the basis of his comparison of the effects resulting from the government of the true Prince of peace to the coming down of the rain upon the mown grass.

2Sa 23:5

In 2Sa 23:5, the prophecy concerning the coming of the just ruler is sustained by being raced back to the original promise in 2 Samuel 7, in which David had received a pledge of this. The first and last clauses of this verse can only be made to yield a meaning in harmony with the context, by being taken interrogatively: " for is not my house so with God? "The question is only indicated by the tone ( לא כּי = הלא כּי : 2Sa 19:23), as is frequently the case, even before clauses commencing with לּא (e.g., Hos 11:5; Mal 2:15 : cf. Ewald , §324, a.). לא־כן (not so) is explained by the following clause, though the כּי which follows is not to be taken in the sense of "that." Each of the two clauses contains a distinct thought. That of the first is, "Does not my house stand in such a relation to God, that the righteous ruler will spring from it?"This is then explained in the second: "for He hath made an everlasting covenant with me."David calls the promise in 2Sa 7:12., that God would establish his kingdom to his seed for ever, a covenant, because it involved a reciprocal relation-namely, that Jehovah would first of all found for David a permanent house, and then that the seed of David was to build the house of the Lord. This covenant is בכּל ערוּכה , " equipped (or provided ) with all "that could help to establish it. This relates more especially to the fact that all eventualities were foreseen, even the falling away of the bearers of the covenant of God, so that such an event as this would not annul the covenant (2Sa 7:14-15). וּשׁמוּרה , "and preserved," i.e., established by the assurance that even in that case the Lord would not withdraw His grace. David could found upon this the certainty, that God would cause all the salvation to spring forth which had been pledged to his house in the promise referred to. כּל־ישׁעי , "all my salvation," i.e., all the salvation promised to me and to my house. כּל־חפץ , not "all my desire,"but " all the good pleasure "of God, i.e., all the saving counsel of God expressed in that covenant. The כּי before לא is an energetic repetition of the כּי which introduces the explanatory thought, in the sense of a firm assurance: " for all my salvation and all good pleasure, yea, should He not cause it to spring forth? "

2Sa 23:6-7

6 But the worthless, as rejected thorns are they all;

For men do not take them in the hand.

7 And the man who touches them

Provides himself with iron and spear-shaft,

And they are utterly burned with fire where they dwell.

The development of salvation under the ruler in righteousness and the fear of God is accompanied by judgment upon the ungodly. The abstract בליּעל , worthlessness , is stronger than בליּעל אישׁ , the worthless man, and depicts the godless as personified worthlessness. מנד , in the Keri מנּד , the Hophal of נוּד or נדד , literally " scared "or hunted away. This epithet does not apply to the thorns, so well as to the ungodly who are compared to thorns. The reference is to thorns that men root out, not to those which they avoid on account of their prickles. כּלּהם , an antiquated form for כּלּם (see Ewald, §247, d .). To root them out, or clean the ground of them, men do not lay hold of them with the bare hand; but " whoever would touch them equips himself ( ימּלא , sc., ידו , to ' fill the hand ' with anything: 2Ki 9:24) with iron , i.e., with iron weapons, and spear-shaft "(vid., 1Sa 17:7). This expression also relates to the godless rather than to the thorns. They are consumed בּשּׁבת , "at the dwelling," i.e., as Kimchi explains, at the place of their dwelling, the place where they grow. For בּשּׁבת cannot mean "on the spot"in the sense of without delay. The burning of the thorns takes place at the final judgment upon the ungodly (Mat 13:30).

Keil-Delitzsch: 2Sa 23:8-39

The following list of David's heroes we also find in 1 Chron 11:10-47, and expanded at the end by sixteen names (1Ch 11:41-47), and attached in 1Ch 11:10 to the account of the conquest of the fortress of Zion by the introduction of a special heading. According to this heading, the heroes named assisted David greatly in his kingdom, along with all Israel, to make him king, from which it is evident that the chronicler intended by this heading to justify his appending the list to the account of the election of David as king over all the tribes of Israel (1Ch 11:1), and of the conquest of Zion, which followed immediately afterwards. In every other respect the two lists agree with one another, except that there are a considerable number of errors of the text, more especially in the names, which are frequently corrupt in both texts, to that the true reading cannot be determined with certainty. The heroes enumerated are divided into three classes. The first class consists of three, viz., Jashobeam , Eleazar , and Shammah , of whom certain brave deeds are related, by which they reached the first rank among David's heroes (2Sa 23:8-12). They were followed by Abishai and Benaiah , who were in the second class, and who had also distinguished themselves above the rest by their brave deeds, though they did not come up to the first three (2Sa 23:18-23). The others all belonged to the third class, which consisted of thirty-two men, of whom no particular heroic deeds are mentioned (vv. 24-39). Twelve of these, viz., the five belonging to the first two classes and seven of the third, were appointed by David commanders of the twelve detachments into which he divided the army, each detachment to serve for one month in the year (1 Chron 27). These heroes, among whom we do not find Joab the commander-in-chief of the whole of the forces, were the king's aides-de-camp, and are called in this respect השּׁלשׁי (2Sa 23:8), though the term השּׁלשׁים (the thirty , 2Sa 23:13, 2Sa 23:23, 2Sa 23:24) was also a very customary one, as their number amounted to thirty in a round sum. It is possible that at first they may have numbered exactly thirty; for, from the very nature of the case, we may be sure than in the many wars in which David was engaged, other heroes must have arisen at different times, who would be received into the corps already formed. This will explain the addition of sixteen names in the Chronicles, whether the chronicler made us of a different list from that employed by the author of the books before us, and one belonging to a later age, or whether the author of our books merely restricted himself to a description of the corps in its earlier condition.

2Sa 23:8-12

Heroes of the first class . - The short heading to our text, with which the list in the Chronicles also beings (1Ch 11:11), simply gives the name of these heroes. But instead of "the names of the mighty men,"we have in the Chronicles "the number of the mighty men."This variation is all the more striking, from the fact that in the Chronicles the total number is not given at the close of the list as it is in our text. At the same time, it can hardly be a copyist's error for מבחר ( selection ), as Bertheau supposes, but must be attributable to the fact that, according to 2Sa 23:13, 2Sa 23:23, and 2Sa 23:24, these heroes constituted a corps which was named from the number of which it originally consisted. The first, Jashobeam , is called "the chief of the thirty"in the Chronicles. Instead of ישׁבעם ( Jashobeam ), the reading in the Chronicles, we have here בּשּׁבת ישׁב ( Josheb-basshebeth ), unquestionably a spurious reading, which probably arose, according to Kennicott's conjecture, from the circumstance that the last two letters of ישׁבעם were written in one MS under בּשּׁבת in the line above (2Sa 23:7), and a copyist took בשׁבת from that line by mistake for עם . The correctness of the reading Jashobeam is established by 1Ch 27:2. The word תּחכּמני is also faulty, and should be corrected, according to the Chronicles, into בּן־חכמוני ( Ben-hachmoni ); for the statement that Jashobeam was a son (or descendant) of the family of Hachmon (1Ch 27:32) can easily be reconciled with that in 1Ch 27:2, to the effect that he was a son of Zabdiel. Instead of השּׁלשׁים ראשׁ ( head of the thirty ), the reading in the Chronicles, we have here השּׁלשׁי ראשׁ ( head of the three ). Bertheau would alter our text in accordance with the Chronicles, whilst Thenius proposes to bring the text of the Chronicles into accordance with ours. But although the many unquestionable corruptions in the verse before us may appear to favour Bertheau's assumption, we cannot regard either of the emendations as necessary, or even warrantable. The proposed alteration of השּׁלשׁי is decidedly precluded by the recurrence of השּׁלשׁי ראשׁ in 2Sa 23:18, and the alteration of השּׁלשׁים in the Chronicles by the repeated allusion to the שׁלשׁים , not only in 2Sa 23:15, 42; 2Sa 12:4, and 1Ch 27:6 of the Chronicles, but also in 2Sa 23:13, 2Sa 23:23, and 2Sa 23:24 of the chapter before us. The explanation given of שׁלשׁי and שׁלשׁים , as signifying chariot-warriors, is decidedly erroneous;

(Note: This explanation, which we find in Gesenius ( Thes . and Lex .) and Bertheau, rests upon no other authority than the testimony of Origen, to the effect that an obscure writer gives this interpretation of τριστάτης , the rendering of שׁלישׁ , an authority which is completely overthrown by the writer of the gloss in Octateuch. (Schleussner, Lex. in lxx t. v. p. 338), who gives this explanation of τριστάτας : τοὺς παρὰ χεῖρα τοῦ βασιλέως ἀριστερὰν τρίτης μοίρας ἄρχοντας . Suidas and Hesychius give the same explanation ( s. v. τριστάται ). Jerome also observes (ad Ezek 23): "It is the name of the second rank next to the king.")

for the singular השּׁלישׁ is used in all the passages in which the word occurs to signify the royal aide-de-camp (2Ki 7:2, 2Ki 7:17, 2Ki 7:19; 2Ki 9:25; 2Ki 15:25), and the plural שׁלישׁים the royal body-guard, not only in 2Ki 15:25, but even in 1Ki 9:22, and Exo 14:7; Exo 15:4, from which the meaning chariot-warriors has been derived. Consequently השּׁלשׁי ראשׁ is the head of the king's aides-de-camp, and the interchange of השּׁלשׁי with the השּׁלשׁים of the Chronicles may be explained on the simple ground that David's thirty heroes formed his whole body of adjutants. The singular שׁלשׁי is to be explained in the same manner as הכּרתי (see at 2Sa 8:18). Luther expresses the following opinion in his marginal gloss with regard to the words which follow ( העצנו עדינו הוּא עדינו ): "We believe the text to have been corrupted by a writer, probably from some book in an unknown character and bad writing, so that orer should be substituted for adino , and ha -eznib for eth hanitho : "that is to say, the reading in the Chronicles, "he swung his spear,"should be adopted (cf. 2Sa 23:18). This supposition is certainly to be preferred to the attempt made by Gesenius ( Lex .) and v. Dietrich ( s. v. עדין ) to find some sense in the words by assuming the existence of a verb עדּן and a noun עצן , a spear, since these words do not occur anywhere else in Hebrew; and in order to obtain any appropriate sense, it is still necessary to resort to alterations of the text. "He swung his spear over eight hundred slain at once." This is not to be understood as signifying that he killed eight hundred men at one blow, but that in a battle he threw his spear again and again at the foe, until eight hundred men had been slain. The Chronicles give three hundred instead of eight hundred; and as that number occurs again in 2Sa 23:18, in the case of Abishai, it probably found its way from that verse into this in the book of Chronicles.

2Sa 23:9-10

" After him (i.e., next to him in rank) was Eleazar the son of Dodai the Ahohite, among the three heroes with David when they defied the Philistines, who had assembled there, and the Israelites drew near."The Chethib דדי is to be read דּודי , Dodai , according to 1Ch 27:4, and the form דּודו ( Dodo ) in the parallel text (1Ch 11:12) is only a variation in the form of the name. Instead of בּן־אחחי ( the son of Ahohi ) we find העחחי ( the Ahohite ) in the Chronicles; but the בּן must not be struck out on that account as spurious, for "the son of an Ahohite"is the same as "the Ahohite."For גּבּרים בּשׁלשׁה we must read הגּבּרים בּשׁלשׁה , according to the Keri and the Chronicles. שׁלשׁה is not to be altered, since the numerals are sometimes attached to substantives in the absolute state (see Ges. §120, 1). " The three heroes "are Jashobeam, Eleazar, and Shammah (2Sa 23:11), who reached the first rank, according to 2Sa 23:19, among the heroes of David. Instead of בּפּלשׁתּים בּחרפם ( when they defied the Philistines ), we find in the Chronicles והפּלשׁתּים דּמּים בּפּס , "at Pas-dammim," i.e., most probably Ephes-dammim (1Sa 17:1), where the Philistines were encamped when Goliath defied the Israelites. Thenius, Bertheau, and Böttcher therefore propose to alter our text so as to make it correspond to that of the Chronicles, and adduce as the reason the fact that in other passages חרף is construed with the accusative, and that שׁם , which follows, presupposes the previous mention of the place referred to. But the reasons are neither of them decisive. חרף .evisiced is not construed with the accusative alone, but also with ל (2Ch 32:17), so that the construction with ב is quite a possible one, and is not at variance with the idea of the word. שׁם again may also be understood as referring to the place, not named, where the Philistines fought with the Israelites. The omission of אשׁר before נעספוּ is more difficult to explain; and והפּלשׁתּים , which we find in the Chronicles, has probably dropped out after בּפּלשׁתּים . The reading in the Chronicles דּמּים בּפּס ( בּאפס ) is probably only a more exact description of the locality, which is but obscurely indicated in our text by בּפּלשׁתּים בּחרפם ; for these words affirm that the battle took place where the Israelites had once been defied by the Philistines (1Sa 17:10), and where they repaid them for this defiance in a subsequent conflict. The Philistines are at any rate to be regarded as the subject to נעספוּ , and these words are a circumstantial clause: the Philistines had assembled together there to battle, and the Israelites had advanced to the attack. The heroic act of Eleazar is introduced with "he arose."He arose and smote the Philistines till his hand was weary and clave to his sword, i.e., was so cramped as to be stiffened to the sword. Through this Jehovah wrought a great salvation for Israel on that day, "and the people (the soldiers) turned after him only to plunder,"sc., because he had put the enemy to flight by himself. אחריו שׁוּב does not mean to turn back from flight after him, but is the opposite of מאחרי שׁוּב , to turn away from a person (1Sa 15:11, etc.), so that it signifies "to turn to a person and follow behind him."Three lines have dropped out from the parallel text of the Chronicles, in consequence of the eye of a copyist having wandered from נעספוּ פלשׁתּים in 2Sa 23:9 to פלשׁתּים ויּעספוּ in 2Sa 23:11.

2Sa 23:11-12

The third leading hero was Shammah , the son of Age the Hararite ( הררי is probably contracted from ההררי , 2Sa 23:33). He also made himself renowned by a great victory over the Philistines. The enemy had gathered together לחיּה , "as a troop," or in a crowd. This meaning of היּה (here and 2Sa 23:13, and possibly also in Psa 68:11) is thoroughly established by the Arabic (see Ges . Thes . p. 470). But it seems to have fallen into disuse afterwards, and in the Chronicles it is explained in 2Sa 23:13 by מלחמה , and in 2Sa 23:15 by מחנה . "On a portion of a field of lentils there,"sc., where the Philistines had gathered together, the people (of Israel) were smitten. Then Shammah stationed himself in the midst of the field, and יצּילה , "wrested it," from the foe, and smote the Philistines. Instead of עדשׁים , lentils , we find in the Chronicles שׁלעורים , barley, a very inconsiderable difference.

2Sa 23:13-15

To this deed there is appended a similar heroic feat performed by three of the thirty heroes whose names are not given. The Chethib שׁלשׁים is evidently a slip of the pen for שׁלשׁה ( Keri and Chronicles). The thirty chiefs are the heroes named afterwards. As שׁלשׁה has no article either in our text or the Chronicles, the three intended are not the three already mentioned (Jashobeam, Eleazar, and Shammah), but three others out of the number mentioned in 2Sa 23:24. These three came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam (see at 1Sa 22:1), when a troop of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim, and David was on the mountain fortress, and a Philistian post was then in Bethlehem. And David longed for water, and said, "Oh that one would bring me water to drink out of the well of Bethlehem at the gate!"The encampment of the Philistines in the valley of Rephaim, and the position of David on the mountain fortress ( בּמּצוּדה ), render it probable that the feat mentioned here took place in the war with the Philistines described in 2Sa 5:17. Robinson could not discover any well in Bethlehem, "especially none 'by the gate,' except one connected with the aqueduct on the south"( Palestine , vol. ii. p. 158). בּשּׁער need not be understood, however, as signifying that the well was in or under the gate; but the well referred to may have been at the gate outside the city. The well to which tradition has given the name of "David's well"( cisterna David ), is about a quarter of an hour's walk to the north-east of Bethlehem, and, according to Robinson 's description, is "merely a deep and wide cistern or cavern now dry, with three or four narrow openings cut in the rock."But Ritter ( Erdk . xvi. p. 286) describes it as "deep with clear cool water, into which there are three openings from above, which Tobler speaks of as bored;"and again as a cistern "built with peculiar beauty, from seventeen to twenty-one feet deep, whilst a house close by is pointed out to pilgrims as Jesse's house."

2Sa 23:16-17

The three heroes then broke through the camp of the Philistines at Bethlehem, i.e., the outpost that occupied the space before the gate, fetched water out of the well, and brought it to David. He would not drink it, however, but poured it out upon the ground to the Lord, as a drink-offering for Jehovah. "He poured it out upon the earth, rendering Him thanks for the return of the three brave men"(Clericus). And he said, "Far be it from me, O Jehovah, to do this! The blood of the men who went with their lives (i.e., at the risk of their lives),"sc., should I drink it? The verb אשׁתּה is wanting in our text, but is not to be inserted according to the Chronicles as though it had fallen out; the sentence is rather to be regarded as an aposiopesis . יהוה after לי חלילה is a vocative, and is not to be altered into מיהוה according to the מאלחי of the Chronicles. The fact that the vocative does not occur in other passages after לי חלילה proves nothing. It is equivalent to the oath יהוה חי (1Sa 14:45). The chronicler has endeavoured to simplify David's exclamation by completing the sentence. בּנפשׁותם , "for the price of their souls," i.e., at the risk of their lives. The water drawn and fetched at the risk of their lives is compared to the soul itself, and the soul is in the blood (Lev 17:11). Drinking this water, therefore, would be nothing else than drinking their blood.

2Sa 23:18-19

Heroes of the second class . - 2Sa 23:18, 2Sa 23:19. Abishai , Joab's brother (see 1Sa 26:6), was also chief of the body-guard, like Jashobeam (2Sa 23:8 : the Chethib השּׁלשׁי is correct; see at 2Sa 23:8). He swung his spear over three hundred slain. "He had a name among the three,"i.e., the three principal heroes, Jashobeam, Eleazar, and Shammah. The following words, מן־השּׁלשׁה , make no sense. השּׁלשׁה is an error in writing for השּׁלשׁים , as 2Sa 23:23 shows in both the texts (2Sa 23:25 of the Chronicles): an error the origin of which may easily be explained from the word שׁלשׁה , which stands immediately before. "He was certainly honoured before the thirty (heroes of David), and became their chief, but he did not come to the three,"i.e., he was not equal to Jashobeam, Eleazar, and Shammah. הכי has the force of an energetic assurance: "Is it so that," i.e., it is certainly so (as in 2Sa 9:1; Gen 27:36; Gen 29:15).

2Sa 23:20-23

Benaiah , the son of Jehoiada, "Jehoiada the priest"according to 1Ch 27:5, possibly the one who was "prince for Aaron,"i.e., of the family of Aaron, according to 1Ch 12:27, was captain of the Crethi and Plethi according to 2Sa 8:18 and 2Sa 20:23. He was the son of a brave man, rich in deeds ( חי is evidently an error for חיל in the Chronicles), of Kabzeel in the south of Judah (Jos 15:21). "He smote the two Ariels of Moab." The Arabs and Persians call every remarkably brave man Ariel, or lion of God (vid., Bochart, Hieroz . ii. pp. 7, 63). They were therefore two celebrated Moabitish heroes. The supposition that they were sons of the king of the Moabites is merely founded upon the conjecture of Thenius and Bertheau, that the word בּני (sons of) has dropped out before Ariel. "He also slew the lion in the well on the day of the snow,"i.e., a lion which had been driven into the neighbourhood of human habitations by a heavy fall of snow, and had taken refuge in a cistern. The Chethib האריה and בּאר are the earlier forms for the Keris substituted by the Masoretes הארי and הבּור , and consequently are not to be altered. He also slew an Egyptian of distinguished size. According to the Keri we should read מראה אישׁ (instead of מראה fo daetsni( א אשׁר ), "a man of appearance," i.e., a distinguished man, or a man of great size, ἄνδρα ὀρατόν (lxx); in the Chronicles it is simplified as מדּה אישׁ , a man of measure, i.e., of great height. This man was armed with a spear or javelin, whereas Benaiah was only armed with a stick; nevertheless the latter smote him, took away his spear, and slew him with his own weapon. According to the Chronicles the Egyptian was five cubits high, and his spear like a weaver's beam. Through these feats Benaiah acquired a name among the three, though he did not equal them (2Sa 23:22, 2Sa 23:23, as in 2Sa 23:18, 2Sa 23:19); and David made him a member of his privy council (see at 1Sa 22:14).

2Sa 23:24-25

Heroes of the third class . - 2Sa 23:24. " Asahel , the brother of Joab, among the thirty,"i.e., belonging to them. This definition also applies to the following names; we therefore find at the head of the list in the Chronicles, החילים וגבּורי , "and brave heroes (were)."The names which follow are for the most part not further known. Elhanan , the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, is a different man from the Bethlehemite of that name mentioned in 2Sa 21:19. Shammah the Harodite also must not be confounded with the Shammahs mentioned in 2Sa 23:11 and 2Sa 23:33. In the Chronicles we find Shammoth , a different form of the name; whilst ההרורי is an error in writing for החרדי , i.e., sprung from Harod (Jdg 7:1). This man is called Shamhut in 1Ch 27:8; he was the leader of the fifth division of David's army. Elika or Harod is omitted in the Chronicles; it was probably dropped out in consequence of the homoioteleuton החרדי .

2Sa 23:26

Helez the Paltite; i.e., sprung from Beth-pelet in the south of Judah (Jos 15:27). He was chief of the seventh division of the army (compare 1Ch 27:10 with 1Ch 11:27, though in both passages הפּלטי is misspelt הפּלני ). Ira the son of Ikkesh of Tekoah in the desert of Judah (2Sa 14:2), chief of the sixth division of the army (1Ch 27:9).

2Sa 23:27

Abiezer of Anathoth (Anata) in Benjamin (see at Jos 18:24), chief of the ninth division of the army (1Ch 27:12). Mebunnai is a mistake in spelling for Sibbechai the Hushathite (compare 2Sa 21:18 and 1Ch 11:29). According to 1Ch 27:11, he was chief of the eighth division of the army.

2Sa 23:28

Zalmon the Ahohite, i.e., sprung from the Benjaminite family of Ahoah, is not further known. Instead of Zalmon we find Ilai in the Chronicles (2Sa 23:29); but which of the two names is the correct one it is impossible to decide. Maharai of Netophah: according to Ezr 2:22 and Neh 7:26, Netophah was a place in the neighbourhood of Bethlehem, but it has not yet been discovered, as Beit Nattif , which might be thought of, is too far from Bethlehem (vid., Rob. Pal. ii. p. 344, and Tobler, Dritte Wanderung , pp. 117-8). According to 1Ch 27:13, Maharai belonged to the Judahite family of Serah, and was chief of the tenth division of the army.

2Sa 23:29

Cheleb , more correctly Cheled (1Ch 11:30; or Cheldai , 1Ch 27:15), also of Netophah, was chief of the twelfth division of the army. Ittai ( Ithai in the Chronicles), the son of Ribai of Gibeah of Benjamin, must be distinguished from Ittai the Gathite (2Sa 15:19). Like all that follow, with the exception of Uriah, he is not further known.

2Sa 23:30

Benaiah of Phir'aton in the tribe of Ephraim, a place which has been preserved in the village of Fer'ata , to the south-west of Nablus (see at Jdg 12:13). Hiddai (wrongly spelt Hudai in the Chronicles), out of the valleys of Gaash, in the tribe of Ephraim by the mountain of Gaash , the situation of which has not yet been discovered (see at Jos 24:30).

2Sa 23:31

Abi-Albon (written incorrectly Abiel in the Chronicles) the Arbathite, i.e., from the place called Beth-haarabah or Arabah (Jos 15:61 and Jos 18:18, Jos 18:22) in the desert of Judah, on the site of the present Kasr Hajla (see at Jos 15:6). Azmaveth of Bahurim: see at 2Sa 16:5.

2Sa 23:32-33

Eliahba of Shaalbon or Shaalbin , which may possibly have been preserved in the present Selbit (see at Jos 19:42). The next two names, יהונתן ישׁן בּני and ההררי שׁמּה ( Bneyashen Jehonathan and Shammah the Hararite ), are written thus in the Chronicles (2Sa 23:34), ההררי בּן־שׁגא יונתן הגּזוני השׁם בּני : " Bnehashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Sage the Hararite, "The text of the Chronicles is evidently the more correct of the two, as Bne Jashen Jehonathan does not make any sense. The only question is whether the form השׁם בּני is correct, or whether בּני has not arisen merely through a misspelling. As the name does not occur again, all that can be said is that Bne hashem must at any rate be written as one word, and therefore should be pointed differently. The place mentioned, Gizon , is unknown. שׁמּה for בּן־שׁגא probably arose from 2Sa 23:11. Ahiam the son of Sharar or Sacar (Chron.) the Ararite (in the Chronicles the Hararite).

2Sa 23:34

The names in 2Sa 23:34 , Eliphelet ben-Ahasbai ben-Hammaacathi , read thus in the Chronicles (2Sa 23:35, 2Sa 23:36): Eliphal ben-Ur; Hepher hammecerathi . We see from this that in ben-Ahasbai ben two names have been fused together; for the text as it lies before us is rendered suspicious partly by the fact that the names of both father and grandfather are given, which does not occur in connection with any other name in the whole list, and partly by the circumstance that בּן cannot properly be written with המּעכתי , which is a Gentile noun . Consequently the following is probably the correct way of restoring the text, המּעכתי חפר בּן־אוּר אליפלט , Eliphelet (a name which frequently occurs) the son of Ur; Hepher the Maachathite, i.e., of Maacah in the north-east of Gilead (see at 2Sa 10:6 and Deu 3:14). Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, the clever but treacherous counsellor of David (see at 2Sa 15:12). This name is quite corrupt in the Chronicles.

2Sa 23:35

Hezro the Carmelite, i.e., of Carmel in the mountains of Judah (1Sa 25:2). Paarai the Arbite, i.e., of Arab, also in the mountains of Judah (Jos 15:52). In the Chronicles we find Naarai ben-Ezbi: the latter is evidently an error in writing for ha-Arbi; but it is impossible to decide which of the two forms, Paarai and Naarai , is the correct one.

2Sa 23:36

Jigal the son of Nathan of Zoba (see at 2Sa 8:3): in the Chronicles, Joel the brother of Nathan. Bani the Gadite: in the Chronicles we have Mibhar the son of Hagri. In all probability the names inf the Chronicles are corrupt in this instance also.

2Sa 23:37

Zelek the Ammonite, Nacharai the Beerothite (of Beeroth: see at 2Sa 4:2), the armour-bearer of Joab. Instead of נשׂאי , the Keri and the Chronicles have נשׂא : the latter reading is favoured by the circumstance, that if more than one of the persons named had been Joab's armour-bearers, their names would most probably have been linked together by a copulative vav .

2Sa 23:38

Ira and Gareb , both of them Jithrites, i.e., sprung from a family in Kirjath-jearim (1Ch 2:53). Ira is of course a different man from the cohen of that name (2Sa 20:26).

2Sa 23:39

Uriah the Hittite is well known from 2Sa 11:3. "Thirty and seven in all." This number is correct, as there were three in the first class (2Sa 23:8-12), two in the second (2Sa 23:18-23), and thirty-two in the third (vv. 24-39), since 2Sa 23:34 contains three names according to the amended text.

Constable: 2Sa 21:1--24:25

VII. SUMMARY ILLUSTRATIONS chs. 21--24

The last major section of the Book of Samuel (2 Sam. 21-24) consists of six separate pericopes that together constitute a conclusion to the whole book (cf. Judg. 17-21). Each pericope emphasizes the theological message of the book.²⁹¹

". . . the final four chapters, far from being a clumsy appendix, offer a highly reflective, theological interpretation of David's whole career adumbrating the messianic hope."²⁹²

The structure of this section too is chiastic.

"A. The Lord's Wrath Against Israel (21:1-14)

B. David's Heroes (21:15-22)

C. David's Song of Praise (22:1-51)

C'. David's Last Words (23:1-7)

B'. David's Mighty Men (23:8-39)

A'. The Lord's Wrath Against Israel (24:1-25)"²⁹³

Constable: 2Sa 23:1-7

D. David's Last Testament 23:1-7

The combination of David's final song (ch. 22) followed by his last testament (23:1-7) recalls the similar combination of Moses' final song and his last testament (Deut. 32 and 33). This was David's final literary legacy to Israel.

"Whereas the psalm in the previous chapter celebrates the delivering acts of Yahweh by which the Davidic supremacy was established, this little poem is composed around the theme of the dynastic covenant through which the continued prosperity of the Davidic house was vouchsafed."³¹¹

This poem also has a chiastic structure focusing on the Lord speaking (vv. 3-4). His words describe the ideal king. They are messianic. However the passage also anticipates all of David's successors.

The same great spiritual themes come through here as in the previous chapter and in the whole historical account recorded in 1 and 2 Samuel. The ancients regarded the last words of any person as specially significant. The last words of Israel's great leaders were even more important. The last words of prophets were extremely important (cf. Gen. 49; Deut. 33; Acts 20:17-38; et al.). They often expressed lessons those who had walked with God for many years had learned.

The writer described David as simply the son of Jesse, a common Israelite, and as someone whom God had raised up in contrast to a self-made man (v. 1; cf. Dan. 4:29-33). He always viewed himself as one whom God had chosen and anointed for his role in life (v. 1). He was the Lord's anointed and the sweet psalmist. These four descriptions of David picture his leadership in relation to his family, his political administration, his military forces, and his spiritual influence.

David claimed that the words that he had spoke had been received from God (v. 2). He thus gave God the credit for his inspiration. He also recognized God as the real ruler of Israel (v. 3). Many ancient as well as modern interpreters of this book have understood David's description of Israel's ruler in verses 3 and 4 as a reference to Messiah. It probably also describes David and his royal descendants. The figure of the dawning sun pictures the righteous ruler as a source of promise, joy, and blessing to his people (v. 4). The figure of the sprouting grass describes him as a source of prosperity, new life, and fertility (v. 4). David viewed his dynasty as such because God had made an everlasting covenant (the Davidic Covenant) with him (v. 5). This resulted in order, security, deliverance, and fulfillment of desire (v. 5). David believed that the covenant would result in increased blessing for his house (v. 5). The worthless would suffer the reverse fate, however, and even be burned up as useless (cf. Matt. 13:30).³¹²

To summarize, David believed that the Lord sovereignly initiates blessing, and those who value it cause His blessings to increase on themselves and others.

Constable: 2Sa 23:8-39

E. Thirty-seven Mighty Men 23:8-39

One might conclude from 1 Samuel 22:2 that David's army, made up as it was of malcontents and distressed debtors, would not have been able to accomplish anything. This list testifies to God's blessing David and Israel militarily by enabling his warriors to accomplish supernatural feats and to become mighty men in war. Again, God's supernatural blessing is what this section illustrates.

Constable: 2Sa 23:8-23

1. Selected adventures of outstanding warriors 23:8-23

There were three warriors who received higher honor than all the rest (vv. 8-12): Josheb-basshebeth, Eleazar, and Shammah. What their relationship to The Thirty was is hard to determine.³¹³ Three men from The Thirty received special mention (vv. 13-17). Two others also received great esteem (vv. 18-23): Abisai, and Benaiah. This was evidently the same Benaiah who became the head of David's bodyguard (20:23), a position similar to the one that David had occupied in Saul's army (1 Sam. 22:14).

Josheb-basshebeth is an example of a spiritual warrior with exceptional strength (cf. Eph. 6:10). Eleazar demonstrated unusual stamina, persistence (cf. Isa. 40:31). Shammah's greatness lay in his supernatural steadfastness (cf. Eph. 6:14). The three warriors who took David's wish for water as their command and took a calculated risk (not wild recklessness) show remarkable sacrifice, dedication, and loyalty (cf. Matt. 6:33). These are all qualities necessary in and available to spiritual warriors of all ages by God's grace.

Perhaps the writer also mentioned the feats of Abishai and Benaiah because they feature in the preceding narrative. As Jesus had his circles of intimates (Peter, James, and John, the Twelve, and the Seventy), so did David.

Constable: 2Sa 23:24-39

2. A list of notable warriors among The Thirty 23:24-39

Thirty-two more soldiers obtained special distinction (vv. 24-39), including Uriah the Hittite (v. 39). The writer referred to them as "The Thirty." This designation seems to have been a title for their exclusive group (cf. v. 18). Since more than 30 names appear in this list of The Thirty it may be that when one died, someone else took his place. Asahel, the first name listed, and Uriah, the last, had, of course, already died by the end of David's reign.

The Thirty may have been "a kind of supreme army council which was largely responsible for framing the internal army regulations, deciding on promotions and appointments, and handling other military matters."³¹⁴

Compared with the list in 1 Chronicles 11 there are several variations in spelling, which occurs occasionally in the Hebrew Bible. Also some of the differences may be because some soldiers had replaced others. Perhaps in some cases the same man had two different names.³¹⁵

Note that each of these spiritual warriors received individual honor by God (cf. 1 Sam. 2:30). Each had a different background reflected in his identification in this list; his background did not determine his success. Each was a special blessing to David because David chose to follow the Lord faithfully.

The whole pericope (vv. 8-39) illustrates the fact that God enables those who follow His anointed faithfully and wholeheartedly to do great works of spiritual significance for Him.

Guzik: 2Sa 23:1-39

2 Samuel 23 - David's Last Psalm

A. David's last psalm.

1. (1-4) The character of God's perfect king.

Now these are the last words of David.

Thus says David the son of Jesse;

Thus says the man raised up on high,

The anointed of the God of Jacob,

And the sweet psalmist of Israel:

"The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me,

And His word was on my tongue.

The God of Israel said,

The Rock of Israel spoke to me:

'He who rules over men must be just,

Ruling in the fear of God.

And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises,

A morning without clouds,

Like the tender grass springing out of the earth,

By clear shining after rain.'

a. These are the last words of David: It isn't that these were the words David spoke from his deathbed, but they to express his heart and longing at the end of his life.

i. "I suppose the last poetical composition is here intended. He might have spoken many words after these in prose, but none in verse." (Clarke)

ii. This short psalm is a beautiful song of wisdom from David at the end of his life. "Wherein he doth, in few words but full of matter, acknowledge God's benefits, confess his sins, profess his faith, comfort himself in the covenant, and denounce destruction to unbelievers . . . How much in a little!" (Trapp)

iii. What a life his was - we have a capsule of David's life in the titles and descriptions of 2 Samuel 23:1:

· The son of Jesse: Jesse was a humble farmer and this title reminds us of David's humble beginning

· The man raised up on high: David allowed God to raise him up, so he could confidently rest in this title

· The anointed of the God of Jacob: David was anointed by God, not by himself or merely by man. He had a unique empowering and enabling from God

· The sweet psalmist of Israel: David had a beautiful gift of eloquence and expression before God. This title reminds of David's deep inner life with God

b. The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me: This indicates that at least at times, David was aware of the work of divine inspiration through him and expressed in his words.

c. He who rules over men must be just: As David looks back over his life and reign, he is struck by the great need for rulers to exercise justice. He knew this by seeing the goodness of justice provided and the curse of justice denied.

d. Ruling in the fear of God: This is the key to justice in the work of a leader. When leaders rule in the fear of God they recognize that a God of justice reviews their work and will require an accounting of how the ruler has led.

e. He shall be like the light of the morning: David reflects on how a wise ruler is blessed when he rules with justice. Though David's reign was not perfect it was blessed - and his reign is the most identified with the reign of the Messiah.

i. From one perspective David's reign was a disaster. He suffered from a dark scandal during his reign, he suffered under repeated family crisis, under an attempted insurrection from his own son, under another civil war, and from three years of famine.

ii. In contrast to David, his son Solomon's reign seemed perfect. Solomon enjoyed a reign of peace, great prosperity, prominence, and glory.

iii. Yet the Bible has nothing but praise for David and his reign, reflected in passages like Psalm 89:20; Isaiah 55:3-4; Romans 1:3; Revelation 22:16. In contrast, Solomon is barely mentioned in the rest of the Scriptures and when he is, it is almost in a backhanded way (Matthew 5:28-29 and Matthew 12:42).

iv. The difference between David and Solomon was found in their different relationships with God. David's passion in life was simply to be with God (Psalm 84:10), while Solomon's passion was personal improvement (1 Kings 3:4-15). We can also say that David endured to the end, loving and serving God in the final chapters of his life (2 Samuel 23:1-7), while Solomon forsook God in his later years (1 Kings 11:4-8).

2. (5-7) David's trust in God's covenant.

"Although my house is not so with God,

Yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant,

Ordered in all things and secure.

For this is all my salvation and all my desire;

Will He not make it increase?

But the sons of rebellion shall all be as thorns thrust away,

Because they cannot be taken with hands.

But the man who touches them

Must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear,

And they shall be utterly burned with fire in their place."

a. Although my house is not so with God: David looks at the complete blessedness of a just ruler's reign and he knows that his reign fell short of both perfect justice and complete blessedness.

b. Yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant: David knew that the everlasting covenant from God was not based on David's perfection as a ruler. It was based on God's gracious commitment to His everlasting covenant.

c. This is all my salvation and all my desire: David can only say this because the covenant was based on God's faithfulness and not David's. David knew that his own obedience was not enough to be a foundation for all his salvation and all his desire.

i. We can say that because of his sin and its consequences, David's light dimmed towards the end of his life, but it was by no means extinguished. He shined until the end. "In the Divine dealing with us, there is no mistake, no lapse. Nothing has been permitted which has not been made to serve the highest purpose. This is so even of our failures, if, like David, in true penitence we have forsaken them and confessed them. It is certainly so of all our sorrows and trials." (Morgan)

d. The sons of rebellion shall all be as thorns thrust away: The covenant was based on God's faithfulness, but David knew that obedience still mattered. God would still oppose the sons of rebellion and they would end in ruin. David knew he could trust the LORD to take care of his enemies and wicked men.

i. "This was the whole theme of David. The Lord is in control. Rest in Him. Don't fret yourself because of the evildoers that bring evil devices to pass. Rest in the Lord, trust also in Him. Delight thyself in the Lord! And all of the help, and the strength, the ministry of God's Spirit to our hearts, through the Psalms, the sweet psalmist of Israel. What a legacy he has left." (Smith)

ii. This remarkable relationship with God is the reason why David was Israel's greatest king, and the most prominent ancestor of Jesus Christ. The New Testament begins with these words: The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David (Matthew 1:1).

B. David's mighty men.

1. (8-12) The names and exploits of David's top three soldiers.

These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-Basshebeth the Tachmonite, chief among the captains. He was called Adino the Eznite, because he had killed eight hundred men at one time. And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated. He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to plunder. And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines had gathered together into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils. Then the people fled from the Philistines. But he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. And the LORD brought about a great victory.

a. These are the names of the mighty men: David was nothing without his mighty men, and they were nothing without him. He was their leader, but a leader is nothing without followers - and David had the mighty men to follow him. These men didn't necessarily start as mighty men; many were some of the distressed, indebted, and discontent people who followed David at Adullam Cave (1 Samuel 22:1-2).

i. "These men came to David when his fortunes were at the lowest ebb, and he himself was regarded as a rebel and an outlaw, and they remained faithful to him throughout their lives. Happy are they who can follow a good cause in its worst estate, for theirs is true glory." (Spurgeon)

ii. The day for mighty men and women - heroic men and women for God - has not ended. "The triumph of the church as a whole depends upon the personal victory of every Christian. In other words, your victory, your life, your personal testimony, are important to the cause of God today. What happens out in New Guinea, down in the Amazon jungle, over in disturbed Congo, is not unrelated to what happens in your own personal relationship with God and your personal battle against the forces of darkness. Victory for the church on the whole world-front depends upon victory in your life and in mine; 'home' and 'foreign' situations cannot be detached." (Redpath)

b. Adino the Eznite: This leader among David's mighty men was noted for having killed eight hundred men at one time.

i. "THREE hundred is the reading in Chronicles, and seems to be the true one." (Clarke)

c. Eleazar the son of Dodo: This leader of David's mighty men was famous for hanging with David in a famous battle and when his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. Through his tenacity the LORD brought about a great victory that day.

i. Spurgeon saw that Eleazar, in his solitary stand until victory, was a tremendous example for believers today. "Solitary prowess is expected of believers. I hope we may breed in this place a race of men and women who know the truth, and know also what the Lord claims at their hands, and are resolved, by the help of the Holy Spirit, to war a good warfare for their Lord whether others will stand at their side or no."

ii. "Remember Mr. Sankey's hymn, - 'Dare to be a Daniel! Dare to stand alone! Dare to have a purpose firm! Dare to make it known!' Dare to be an Eleazar, and go forth and smite the Philistines alone; you will soon find that there are others in the house who have concealed their sentiments, but when they see, you coming forward, they will be openly on the Lord's side. Many cowards are skulking about, try to shame them. Many are undecided, let them see a brave man, and he will be the standard-bearer around whom they will rally." (Spurgeon)

d. Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite: This leader among David's mighty men stationed himself in the middle of field when others fled and he held the ground single-handedly until the LORD brought about a great victory.

2. (13-17) A daring exploit from David's days at Adullam.

Then three of the thirty chief men went down at harvest time and came to David at the cave of Adullam. And the troop of Philistines encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. And David said with longing, "Oh, that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!" So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless he would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD. And he said, "Far be it from me, O LORD, that I should do this! Is this not the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?" Therefore he would not drink it. These things were done by the three mighty men.

a. Came to David at the cave of Adullam: David spent time in this cave when those who would become his mighty men first came to him in 1 Samuel 22:1-2. This passage describes something that happened either during that time or a later time of battle against the Philistines when David went back to the cave of Adullam.

b. David said with longing, "Oh, that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem": During this time David had a nostalgic longing for the taste of water from a well near his boyhood home.

c. The three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem: In response to David's longing - which wasn't a command or even a request, just a vocalized longing - these three mighty men immediately went to fulfill David's desire at great personal risk.

d. He would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD: David was so honored by the self-sacrifice of these three mighty men he felt that the water was too good for him - and worthy to be poured out in sacrifice to the LORD. He believed that the great sacrifice of these men could only be honored by giving the water to the LORD.

i. "Accounting it too dear a draught for himself, he poured it out unto the Lord, out of a religious respect." (Trapp)

3. (18-23) Two more notable men among the mighty men.

Now Abishai the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of another three. He lifted his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name among these three. Was he not the most honored of three? Therefore he became their captain. However, he did not attain to the first three. Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. And he killed an Egyptian, a spectacular man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand; so he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with his own spear. These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name among three mighty men. He was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him over his guard.

a. Abishai the brother of Joab: This leader among David's mighty men was famous for his battle against three hundred men. His leadership is also recorded in passages like 1 Samuel 26:6-9, 2 Samuel 3:30 and 2 Samuel 10:10-14.

b. Benaiah the son of Jehoiada: This leader among David's mighty men was famous for his battles against both men (two lion-like heroes of Moab . . . an Egyptian, a spectacular man) and beasts (a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day).

4. (24-39) A list of David's mighty men.

Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite, Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite, Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite, Heleb the son of Baanah (the Netophathite), Ittai the son of Ribai from Gibeah of the children of Benjamin, Benaiah a Pirathonite, Hiddai from the brooks of Gaash, Abi-Albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite (of the sons of Jashen), Jonathan, Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite, Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maachathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, Hezrai the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite, Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite, Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite (armorbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah), Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, and Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.

a. Eliam the son of Ahithophel: This man is notable among the mighty men because he was the father of Bathsheba (2 Samuel 3:11) and shows that Ahithophel was Bathsheba's grandfather.

b. Uriah the Hittite: He is notable among the mighty men because he was the husband of Bathsheba. When David heard of Bathsheba's relation to Uriah and Eliam and Ahithophel (2 Samuel 3:11) he should have put away every idea of adultery.

c. Thirty-seven in all: These remarkable men were the foundation of the greatness of David's reign. They did not come to David as great men but God used his leadership to transform them from men who were in distress, in debt and discontented, who met David back at Adullam Cave (1 Samuel 22:1-2).

i. "More than all his victories against outside foes, the influence of his life and character on the men nearest to him testify to his essential greatness." (Morgan)

© 2002 David Guzik - No distribution beyond personal use without permission

Commentary -- Other

Contradiction: 2Sa 23:8

8. Did the chief of the mighty men of David lift up his spear and killed 800 men (2 Samuel 23:8) or only 300 men (1 Chronicles 11:11)?

(Category:misunderstood the historical context or misunderstood the author's intent)

It is quite possible that both authors may have described two different incidents, though by the same man, or one author may have only mentioned in part what the other author mentions in full.

(Light of Life II 1992:187)

Critics Ask: 2Sa 23:11

2 SAMUEL 23:11 —Was this a field of barley or lentils?

PROBLEM: Here in 2 Samuel it is called a field of “lentils,” but in 1 Chronicles 11:13 it is called “barley.”

SOLUTION: There are two basic possibilities here. One, these could be different occasions when God gave Israel deliverance from the Philistines in the midst of a field. More likely, however, it may be a copyist mistake, since the Hebrew words for lentils and barley are similar enough to be mistaken, especially if there were some smudge or imperfection on the manuscript copy. Either possibility would take care of the difficulty.   

Introduction / Outline

JFB: 2 Samuel (Book Introduction)

THE FIRST AND SECOND BOOKS OF SAMUEL. The two were, by the ancient Jews, conjoined so as to make one book, and in that form could be called the Book of Samuel with more propriety than now, the second being wholly occupied with the relation of transactions that did not take place till after the death of that eminent judge. Accordingly, in the Septuagint and the Vulgate, it is called the First and Second Books of Kings. The early portion of the First Book, down to the end of the twenty-fourth chapter, was probably written by Samuel; while the rest of it and the whole of the Second, are commonly ascribed to Nathan and Gad, founding the opinion on 1Ch 29:29. Commentators, however, are divided about this, some supposing that the statements in 1Sa 2:26; 1Sa 3:1, indicate the hand of the judge himself, or a contemporary; while some think, from 1Sa 6:18; 1Sa 12:5; 1Sa 27:6, that its composition must be referred to a later age. It is probable, however, that these supposed marks of an after-period were interpolations of Ezra. This uncertainty, however, as to the authorship does not affect the inspired authority of the book, which is indisputable, being quoted in the New Testament (1Sa 13:14 in Act 13:22, and 2Sa 7:14 in Heb 1:5), as well as in many of the Psalms.

JFB: 2 Samuel (Outline)

• AN AMALEKITE BRINGS TIDINGS OF SAUL'S DEATH. (2Sa. 1:1-16)
• DAVID LAMENTS SAUL AND JONATHAN. (2Sa 1:17-27)
• DAVID, BY GOD'S DIRECTION, GOES UP TO HEBRON, AND IS MADE KING OVER JUDAH. (2Sa 2:1-7)
• SIX SONS BORN TO DAVID. (2Sa 3:1-5)
• ABNER REVOLTS TO DAVID. (2Sa 3:6-12)
• JOAB KILLS ABNER. (2Sa 3:22-30)
• BAANAH AND RECHAB SLAY ISH-BOSHETH, AND BRING HIS HEAD TO HEBRON. (2Sa 4:1-2)
• DAVID CAUSES THEM TO BE PUT TO DEATH. (2Sa 4:10-12)
• THE TRIBES ANOINT DAVID KING OVER ISRAEL. (2Sa 5:1-5)
• HE TAKES ZION FROM THE JEBUSITES. (2Sa 5:6-12)
• ELEVEN SONS BORN TO HIM. (2Sa 5:13-16)
• HE SMITES THE PHILISTINES. (2Sa 5:17-25)
• DAVID FETCHES THE ARK FROM KIRJATH-JEARIM ON A NEW CART. (2Sa 6:1-5)
• UZZAH SMITTEN. (2Sa 6:6-11)
• DAVID AFTERWARDS BRINGS THE ARK TO ZION. (2Sa 6:12-19)
• MICHAL'S BARRENNESS. (2Sa 6:20-23)
• NATHAN APPROVES THE PURPOSE OF DAVID TO BUILD GOD A HOUSE. (2Sa 7:1-3)
• DAVID'S PRAYER AND THANKSGIVING. (2Sa 7:18-29)
• DAVID SUBDUES THE PHILISTINES, AND MAKES THE MOABITES TRIBUTARY. (2Sa 8:1-2)
• HE SMITES HADADEZER AND THE SYRIANS. (2Sa 8:3-14)
• HIS REIGN. (2Sa 8:15-18)
• DAVID SENDS FOR MEPHIBOSHETH. (2Sa 9:1-12)
• DAVID'S MESSENGERS, SENT TO COMFORT HANUN, ARE DISGRACEFULLY TREATED. (2Sa 10:1-5)
• THE AMMONITES OVERCOME. (2Sa 10:6-14)
• THE SYRIANS DEFEATED. (2Sa 10:15-19)
• JOAB BESIEGES RABBAH. (2Sa 11:1)
• DAVID COMMITS ADULTERY WITH BATH-SHEBA. (2Sa 11:2-12)
• URIAH SLAIN. (2Sa 11:14-27)
• NATHAN'S PARABLE. (2Sa 12:1-6)
• HE APPLIES IT TO DAVID, WHO CONFESSES HIS SIN, AND IS PARDONED. (2Sa 12:7-23)
• SOLOMON IS BORN. (2Sa 12:24-25)
• RABBAH IS TAKEN. (2Sa 12:26-31)
• AMNON LOVES TAMAR. (2Sa 13:1-5)
• HE DEFILES HER. (2Sa. 13:6-27)
• AMNON IS SLAIN. (2Sa 13:28-36)
• ABSALOM FLEES TO TALMAI. (2Sa 13:37-39)
• JOAB BRINGS ABSALOM TO JERUSALEM. (2Sa 14:22-33)
• ABSALOM STEALS THE HEARTS OF ISRAEL. (2Sa 15:1-9)
• HE FORMS A CONSPIRACY. (2Sa 15:10-12)
• DAVID FLEES FROM JERUSALEM. (2Sa. 15:13-37)
• ZIBA, BY FALSE SUGGESTIONS, CLAIMS HIS MASTER'S INHERITANCE. (2Sa 16:1-4)
• SHIMEI CURSES DAVID. (2Sa 16:5-19)
• AHITHOPHEL'S COUNSEL. (2Sa 16:20-23)
• SECRET INTELLIGENCE SENT TO DAVID. (2Sa 17:15-22)
• AHITHOPHEL HANGS HIMSELF. (2Sa 17:23-29)
• DAVID REVIEWING THE ARMIES. (2Sa 18:1-4)
• GIVES THEM CHARGE OF ABSALOM. (2Sa 18:5-13)
• HE IS SLAIN BY JOAB. (2Sa. 18:14-32)
• JOAB CAUSES THE KING TO CEASE MOURNING. (2Sa 19:1-8)
• THE ISRAELITES BRING THE KING BACK. (2Sa. 19:9-43)
• SHEBA MAKES A PARTY IN ISRAEL. (2Sa 20:1-9)
• AMASA IS SLAIN. (2Sa 20:10-13)
• JOAB PURSUES SHEBA UNTO ABEL. (2Sa 20:14-15)
• A WISE WOMAN SAVES THE CITY BY SHEBA'S HEAD. (2Sa 20:16-22)
• DAVID'S GREAT OFFICERS. (2Sa 20:23-26)
• THE THREE YEARS' FAMINE FOR THE GIBEONITES CEASE BY HANGING SEVEN OF SAUL'S SONS. (2Sa 21:1-9)
• RIZPAH'S KINDNESS UNTO THE DEAD. (2Sa 21:10-11)
• DAVID BURIES THE BONES OF SAUL AND JONATHAN IN THEIR FATHER'S SEPULCHER. (2Sa 21:12-22)
• DAVID PROFESSES HIS FAITH IN GOD'S PROMISES. (2Sa 23:1-7)
• A CATALOGUE OF HIS MIGHTY MEN. (2Sa. 23:8-39)
• DAVID NUMBERS THE PEOPLE. (2Sa 24:1-9)
• HE, HAVING THREE PLAGUES PROPOUNDED BY GAD, REPENTS, AND CHOOSES THREE DAYS' PESTILENCE. (2Sa 24:10-14)
• HIS INTERCESSION TO GOD; THE PLAGUE CEASES. (2Sa 24:15-25)

TSK: 2 Samuel 23 (Chapter Introduction)

Overview

2Sa 23:1, David, in his last words, professes his faith in God’s promises to be beyond sense or experience; 2Sa 23:6, The different state of the wicked; 2Sa 23:8, A catalogue of David’s mighty men.

Poole: 2 Samuel 23 (Chapter Introduction)

SAMUEL CHAPTER 23

David’ s last words: a character of himself; of a good ruler, and his usefulness, 2Sa 23:1 . His faith on God’ s covenant with him, 2Sa 23:5 . Destruction to the wicked, 2Sa 23:6,7 . David’ s worthies and their valiant acts, 2Sa 23:8-39 .

MHCC: 2 Samuel (Book Introduction)

This book is the history of the reign of king David. It relates his victories, the growth of the prosperity of Israel, and his reformation of the state of religion. With these events are recorded the grievous sins he committed, and the family as well as public troubles with which he was punished. We here meet with many things worthy of imitation, and many that are written for our warning. The history of king David is given in Scripture with much faithfulness, and from it he appears, to those who fairly balance his many virtues and excellent qualities against his faults, to have been a great and good man.

MHCC: 2 Samuel 23 (Chapter Introduction)

(2Sa 23:1-7) David's last words.

(v. 8-39) David's mighty men.

Matthew Henry: 2 Samuel (Book Introduction)

An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Second Book of Samuel

This book is the history of the reign of king David. We had in the foregoing book an account of his designation to the government, and his struggles with Saul, which ended at length in the death of his persecutor. This book begins with his accession to the throne, and is entirely taken up with the affairs of the government during the forty years he reigned, and therefore is entitled by the Septuagint. The Third Book of the Kings. It gives us an account of David's triumphs and his troubles. I. His triumphs over the house of Saul (ch. 1-4), over the Jebusites and Philistines (ch. 5), at the bringing up of the ark (ch. 6 and 7), over the neighbouring nations that opposed him (ch. 8-10); and so far the history is agreeable to what we might expect from David's character and the choice made of him. But his cloud has a dark side. II. We have his troubles, the causes of them, his sin in the matter of Uriah (ch. 11 and 12), the troubles themselves from the sin of Amnon (ch. 13), the rebellion of Absalom (ch. 14-19) and of Sheba (ch. 20), and the plague in Israel for his numbering the people (ch. 24), besides the famine of the Gibeonites (ch. 21). His son we have (ch. 22), and his words and worthies (ch. 23). Many things in his history are very instructive; but for the hero who is the subject of it, though in many instances he appears here very great, and very good, and very much the favourite of heaven, yet it must be confessed that his honour shines brighter in his Psalms than in his Annals.

Matthew Henry: 2 Samuel 23 (Chapter Introduction)

The historian is now drawing towards a conclusion of David's reign, and therefore gives us an account here, I. Of some of his last words, which he spoke by inspiration, and which seem to have reference to his seed that was to be for evermore, spoken of in the close of the foregoing chapter (2Sa 23:1-7). II. Of the great men, especially the military men, that were employed under him, the first three (2Sa 23:8-17), two of the next three (2Sa 23:18-23), and then the thirty (v. 24-39).

Constable: 2 Samuel (Book Introduction)

Introduction

Second Samuel continues the history begun in 1 Samuel. Please see my comments regarding 2 Samuel's title, date, authorship, and scope in the introductory section of the 1 Samuel notes.

Message¹

First Samuel records David's preparation. Second Samuel records his service namely his reign. In our study of 1 Samuel I mentioned three aspects of his preparation: as shepherd, as courtier, and as "outlaw." In 2 Samuel we see those aspects of his preparation put to work. He became the shepherd of his people, the center of his court, and the strong ruler of his nation. He fulfilled the office of king successfully under God's leadership.

The message of 2 Samuel is that man's attitude toward God creates an opportunity for God, and God's attitude toward man creates an opportunity for man.

First, man's attitude toward God creates an opportunity for God.

We find this principle stated in 22:26-28. Compare Hannah's prayer of praise in 1 Sam. 2:1-10. God is to each person what that person is to God.

We find the principle illustrated in David's attitudes toward God. David had four convictions about God. We see these in his thanksgiving psalm in chapter 22, which is also Psalm 18. David evidently wrote it early in his life.

1. He believed God was Israel's supreme Ruler. He never doubted this or presumed to elevate himself to God's place as Head of the nation. This is clear in 22:2-16. Contrast David's view with Saul's. Some local church leaders follow Saul's example rather than David's.

2. He believed God was consistently and completely righteous (right) in His dealings. David confessed his sin when charged with it rather than trying to deny it. In 22:17-27 this comes through clearly. Contrast Saul.

3. He believed God was always merciful. He was willing to let God determine His punishment because he believed God would be merciful (cf. 22:28-46). Contrast Saul.

4. He believed God's will was always best. His greatest desire was for God's will in his own life and in Israel (cf. 22:47-51). Contrast Saul.

David's convictions created opportunities for God.

1. Because David really believed in God's sovereignty God could and did set David over the throne of Israel and direct him to govern God's people (cf. 22:2-3). Even today loyal employees are the ones that employers promote to positions of greater responsibility.

2. Because David acknowledged God's righteousness God was able to bless David for his righteousness (cf. 22:21-28).

3. Because David appreciated God's mercy God was able to be merciful with him (cf. 22:35-36).

4. Because David viewed God's will as superior God was able to bring His will for David and Israel to pass (cf. 22:51).

With these attitudes David became God's instrument through whom God accomplished His larger plans and purposes. Even though David sinned greatly, his deepest convictions lay in these truths. God based His dealings with David on David's deepest convictions. He was the man after God's own heart. God did not base His dealings with David primarily on David's momentary failings. This is a great encouragement. Your deep underlying attitude toward God provides a foundation on which God can build and use you in some way. Your presence here at DTS is encouraging to me. The direction you are heading is more important than how far you have advanced in Christian growth.

The other side of this coin is that God's attitude toward a person creates an opportunity for that person. John wrote, "We love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).

We find this principle stated in 23:1-5. David evidently wrote this chapter later in his life.

We find the principle illustrated in God's attitudes toward David. What were these?

1. God purposed for David to be king (cf. 23:1). This knowledge affected David's attitude toward God. He just needed to consent to God's purpose for him. God has purposed to bless you. This is the revelation of the whole Bible.

2. God's power would be adequate for David's needs (cf. 23:2). The power for all of David's life, including the inspiration for his words, came from God. David could simply cooperate with it. We too have the Spirit. We too need just to cooperate with God.

3. God's pattern for David's kingship was God's own rule (cf. 23:3-4). David could conform to God's example as Sovereign to fulfill his destiny. We have Jesus Christ's example as well as God's pattern.

4. God's persistence would result in the fulfillment of all His promises to David (cf. 23:5). This gave David confidence in God in the present. God has promised never to leave us (Matt. 28:20). He has proved Himself faithful.

In 1 Samuel we learned that God's ultimate victory does not depend on people's attitudes toward Him. His people can be loyal or rebellious, and this will not affect His ultimate victory.

In 2 Samuel we learn that our ultimate victory in life depends on our attitude toward God. Conformity to the will of God creates fitness for service. Conformity to the will of God depends wholly on our attitude toward God. It does not depend on our ability, or on our ability to persuade God to do something. It depends on our abandonment to Him, and on our willingness to let God persuade us to do something. It depends on our commitment to Him and our faithfulness to Him.

God does not measure us as other people do. We measure each other by external actions. God measures us by internal attitudes. What is your attitude toward God? Do you really want to please God, or do you obey God simply because of your background and environment? Would you live a filthy life if you could get away with it? What is your real attitude toward God? Do you really want to do right? David was a man after God's own heart because he really wanted what God wanted. What do you really want?

Be careful, because God will give you what you really want. Do you want to run your own life? God will let you do it, but He may let you run your life into a brick wall.

Constable: 2 Samuel (Outline)

Outline

(Continued from notes on 1 Samuel)

V. David's triumphs chs. 1-8

A. The beginning of David's kingdom 1:1-3:5

1. David's discovery of Saul and Jonathan's deaths ch. 1

2. David's move to Hebron 2:1-4a

3. David's overtures to Jabesh-gilead 2:4b-7

4. Ish-bosheth's coronation over Israel 2:8-11

5. The conflict between Abner and Joab 2:12-32

6. The strengthening of David's position 3:1-5

B. The unification of the kingdom 3:6-5:16

1. David's acceptance of Abner 3:6-39

2. David's punishment of Ish-bosheth's murderers ch. 4

3. David's acceptance by all Israel 5:1-12

4. David's additional children 5:13-16

C. The establishment of the kingdom 5:17-8:18

1. David's victories over the Philistines 5:17-25

2. David's moving of the ark to Jerusalem ch. 6

3. The giving of the Davidic Covenant ch. 7

4. The security of David's kingdom ch. 8

VI. David's troubles chs. 9-20

A. David's faithfulness ch. 9

B. God's faithfulness despite David's unfaithfulness chs. 10-12

1. The Ammonite rebellion ch. 10

2. David's unfaithfulness to God chs. 11-12

C. David's rejection and return chs. 13-20

1. Events leading up to Absalom's rebellion chs. 13-14

2. Absalom's attempt to usurp David's throne chs. 15-20

VII. Summary illustrations chs. 21-24

A. Famine from Saul's sin 21:1-14

1. Saul's broken treaty with the Gibeonites 21:1-6

2. David's justice and mercy 21:7-9

3. David's honoring of Saul and Jonathan 21:10-14

B. Four giant killers 21:15-22

C. David's praise of Yahweh ch. 22

D. David's last testament 23:1-7

E. Thirty-seven mighty men 23:8-39

1. Selected adventures of outstanding warriors 23:8-23

2. A list of notable warriors among The Thirty 23:24-39

F. Pestilence from David's sin ch. 24

1. David's sin of numbering the people 24:1-9

2. David's confession of his guilt 24:10-14

3. David's punishment 24:15-17

4. David's repentance 24:18-25

Constable: 2 Samuel

2 Samuel

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Copyright 2003 by Thomas L. Constable

Haydock: 2 Samuel (Book Introduction)

THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL;

otherwise called,

THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS.

INTRODUCTION.

This Book contains the transactions of David till the end of the pestilence, occasioned by his numbering the people, chap. xxiv. The last six chapters of the preceding book were probably written by Gad, who delivered God's orders to David, after he was deprived of the company of Samuel. Gad, Nathan, and other prophets, continued the sacred history, 1 Paralipomenon xxix. 29. After the unfortunate death of Saul, his general, Abner, instead of submitting quietly to the dominion of David, (Haydock) set the son of the deceased monarch upon the throne, at Mahanaim; and two years elapsed before the rival kings came to open war, chap. ii. 10. (Salien) --- David was 30 years old when he was anointed at Hebron, (chap. v. 4,) where he reigned seven years and a half over Juda. On the death of Isoboseth, he was anointed a third time, as king of all Israel, and reigned in that character 37 years. (Haydock) --- The partisans of Isoboseth might be excused in their adherence to him, as he was the son of the late king, and the election of David was not sufficiently notified to them. (Salien) --- We here behold the many virtues of David, and his repentance for some faults into which he had fallen. His predictions, and the names and exploits of many of his valiant men, are likewise recorded. (Worthington)

Gill: 2 Samuel (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO 2 SAMUEL

This book, in many copies of the Hebrew Bible, is carried on without any new title put unto it; the reason of it is, because, by some, this, with the preceding, has been reckoned but one book: hence the Jews say ^a, Samuel wrote his book, not his books; in others it is called Samuel Second; and by the Vulgate Latin the Second Book of Samuel, which we call the Second of Kings; though why his name should be put to it at all I see not, since it neither concerns him, nor could it be written by him, being an history of events after his death. The Greek version calls it the Second of Kings; and the Syriac version, the Second Book of the Kings of Israel; whereas there is but one king of Israel it makes mention of, and of whose actions only it is an history; and therefore with greater propriety it is called, as the Arabic version, the Book of David the Prophet, of whose reign, from the beginning to the end of it, it gives an account: wherefore Isidore ^b thinks it was written by David; and if so, it has this mark of simplicity and integrity, that the writer does not spare himself, nor conceal his own faults, and particularly that very capital one, the affair of Bathsheba, and also his numbering of the people; but it is most probable that it was written by Nathan and Gad ^c, see 1Ch 29:29; but whoever was the penman of it, there is no doubt to be made of its being written by inspiration, or that it is canonical; which has never been questioned, since there stands in it a famous prophecy concerning the building of the temple by a son of David, which had an exact accomplishment, 2Sa 7:12; as well as of the family of David, for a great while to come, which also was fulfilled, 2Sa 7:19; and an eminent passage concerning the Messiah, the son of David, and of his divine sonship, 2Sa 7:14; quoted by the Apostle Paul in proof of it, Heb 1:5. It contains an history of about forty years, for so long David reigned, seven years and six months in Hebron, over Judah, and thirty three years in Jerusalem, over all Israel and Judah; and this book relates his last words.

Gill: 2 Samuel 23 (Chapter Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO SECOND SAMUEL 23

In this chapter are recorded the last words of David under a divine inspiration, 2Sa 23:1; and an account is given of his great men, famous for warlike exploits, particularly of three mighty men who did very marvellous things, 2Sa 23:8; and of two others next unto them, which belonged to another class of three, 2Sa 23:18; and then of thirty one more, 2Sa 23:24; who are all mentioned by name.