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2 Samuel 23

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David's Final Prophetic Words 1–7

1
Now these be the 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, ​
2
The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. ​
3
The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. ​
4
And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. ​
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 grow. ​
6
But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands:
7
But the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear; and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place.

The Names of David's Mighty Men 8–12

8
These be the names of the mighty men whom David had: The Tachmonite that sat in the 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. ​
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 gone away: ​
10
He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the LORD wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil.
11
And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentiles: and the people fled from the Philistines. ​
12
But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the LORD wrought a great victory.

An Act of Valor and Sacrifice 13–17

13
And three of the thirty chief went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam: and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the valley of Rephaim. ​
14
And David was then in an hold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.
15
And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!
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 poured it out unto the LORD. ​
17
And he said, Be it far from me, O LORD, that I should do this: is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men. ​

Abishai and Benaiah: Leaders of the Thirty 18–23

18
And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief among three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred, and slew them, and had the name among three. ​
19
Was he not most honourable of three? therefore he was their captain: howbeit he attained not unto the first three.
20
And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, who had done many acts, he slew two lionlike men of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow: ​
21
And he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a 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.
22
These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had the name among three mighty men.
23
He was more honourable than the thirty, but he attained not to the first three. And David set him over his guard. ​

The Full List of the Thirty 24–39

24
Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, ​
25
Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,
26
Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,
27
Abiezer the Anethothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite,
28
Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,
29
Heleb the son of Baanah, a Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai out of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin,
30
Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash,
31
Abialbon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,
32
Eliahba the Shaalbonite, of the sons of Jashen, Jonathan,
33
Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite,
34
Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maachathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, ​
35
Hezrai the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,
36
Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite,
37
Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, armourbearer to Joab the son of Zeruiah,
38
Ira an Ithrite, Gareb an Ithrite,
39
Uriah the Hittite: thirty and seven in all. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for 2 Samuel 23

Verse 1

the sweet psalmist of Israel — Literally ‘pleasant in the songs of Israel’ (naim zemirot; zamir is a song to be accompanied by instruments). ‘Said’ is neum, an utterance, the word of Balaam’s oracle (Num 24:3) and of ‘The LORD said unto my Lord’ (Ps 110:1). He is ‘the anointed’ (mashiach) taken by the LORD from the sheepcote (7:8).

Verse 2

The Spirit of the LORD spake by me — David’s claim to inspiration is taken at his word in the New Testament: ‘David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord’ (Mark 12:36), and ‘holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost’ (2 Pet 1:21). ‘Word’ is millah, speech, and it is ‘in my tongue’.

Verse 3

the Rock of Israel spake to me — Tsur, the title of 22:3 and 22:32. The saying is a rule for every ruler: ‘He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God’. The same two qualities mark the judges Jethro advised Moses to appoint: ‘able men, such as fear God, men of truth’ (Ex 18:21).

Verse 4

a morning without clouds — Light, sun and rain together describe the effect of a just ruler. ‘By clear shining after rain’ renders nogah, brightness. Ps 72:6 says of the king, ‘He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass’, and Prov 4:18 says ‘the path of the just is as the shining light’. Mal 4:2 speaks of the ‘Sun of righteousness’ arising.

Verse 5

an everlasting covenant — Though ‘my house be not so with God’, the LORD has made a berith olam, ‘ordered in all things, and sure’, the promise of 7:16: ‘thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever’. ‘Grow’ is tsamach, the verb of the Branch: ‘will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David’ (Jer 33:15). Isa 55:3 names ‘the sure mercies of David’.

Verse 8

the mighty men — Gibborim, the warriors of David’s company. The roll runs in three ranks: the first three (vv.8–12), Abishai and Benaiah, who ‘attained not to the first three’ (vv.18–23), and the thirty (vv.24–39), ‘thirty and seven in all’. The first is Adino the Eznite, ‘chief among the captains’, who lifted his spear against eight hundred.

Verse 9

when they defied the Philistines — Charaph, to taunt or defy, the verb of Goliath’s challenge, ‘that he should defy the armies of the living God’ (1 Sam 17:26). Eleazar stays when ‘the men of Israel were gone away’. v.10 adds that he ‘smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the LORD wrought a great victory that day’.

Verse 11

a piece of ground full of lentiles — Adash, lentils, one of the provisions brought to David at Mahanaim (17:28). When ‘the people fled from the Philistines’, Shammah ‘stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines’ (v.12). As in v.10, the verse credits the result to the LORD: ‘the LORD wrought a great victory’.

Verse 13

the cave of Adullam — The place where David ‘escaped’ from Saul, and where his brethren and others gathered to him (1 Sam 22:1). The Philistines are in the valley of Rephaim, where they twice ‘spread themselves’ against him (5:18, 22). In v.14 David is ‘in an hold’ while ‘the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem’.

Verse 16

poured it out unto the LORD — The water David longed for (v.15) is carried through the Philistine camp and then not drunk. ‘Poured out’ is nasak, the verb of the drink offering, ‘cause the strong wine to be poured unto the LORD for a drink offering’ (Num 28:7). Here the offering is water.

Verse 17

the blood of the men — ‘Be it far from me’ is chalilah, a strong negative. The men went ‘in jeopardy of their lives’, literally with their nephesh. The Law gave blood to the altar because ‘the life of the flesh is in the blood’ (Lev 17:11), and David pours the water out ‘unto the LORD’ (v.16).

Verse 18

Abishai, the brother of Joab — A son of Zeruiah, who with Abigail was David’s sister (1 Chr 2:15–16), so Abishai and Joab were David’s nephews. Abishai ‘succoured’ David and killed a Philistine in battle (21:17). Here he is ‘chief among three’, and lifts his spear against three hundred.

Verse 20

slew two lionlike men of Moab — Ariel, ‘lion of God’, applied to Moab’s warriors. Benaiah is ‘the son of a valiant man’ (ish chayil) of Kabzeel, a city of Judah’s south (Josh 15:21). He also slew a lion ‘in the midst of a pit in time of snow’; in v.21 he kills an Egyptian by pulling the spear from his hand and using it.

Verse 23

David set him over his guard — Mishmaath, from the verb ‘to hear’; it names those who go at the king’s bidding, the word of 1 Sam 22:14, ‘goeth at thy bidding’. Benaiah is over the Cherethites and Pelethites (8:18; 20:23). Solomon later ‘put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room over the host’ (1 Kings 2:35).

Verse 24

Asahel the brother of Joab — The third son of Zeruiah (2:18; 1 Chr 2:16), ‘light of foot as a wild roe’, who was killed by Abner ‘under the fifth rib’ (2:23). Joab killed Abner for it (3:27). He is the first name among the thirty here, though his death is told in 2:23. Elhanan, the next name, is ‘of Bethlehem’, David’s own city.

Verse 34

Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite — Ahithophel was ‘David’s counsellor’ (15:12), and when he joined Absalom, David prayed, ‘turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness’ (15:31). Eliam is also the name of Bathsheba’s father: ‘Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?’ (11:3).

Verse 39

Uriah the Hittite — The husband of Bathsheba (11:3), whom David had placed where the fighting was fiercest (11:15). His name, Uriyyah, means ‘flame of Jah’ (the LORD). The list closes with him and the total, ‘thirty and seven in all’.