2 Samuel 23

Chapter context

What is happening in 2 Samuel 23?

Davidic covenantsin and judgmentmercykingship

2 Samuel 23 belongs to the late movement of the book, especially the section often described as Absalom, revolt, and the book’s closing appendix. Second Samuel narrates David’s consolidation of rule, the covenant promise to his house, his sin with Bathsheba, and the convulsions that follow within his family and kingdom. Read this chapter with the wider themes of Davidic covenant, sin and judgment, and mercy in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.

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. 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. 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. 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. 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, Nahari 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.

Study helps

Glossary

David Person v. 1, 8-9, 13-16, 23: Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam. 17:25 .
Jesse Person v. 1: Firm, or a gift, a son of Obed, the son of Boaz and Ruth ( Ruth 4:17 , 22; Matt. 1:5 , 6; Luke 3:32 ). He was the father of eight sons, the youngest of whom was David ( 1 Sam. 17:12 ).
Dodo Person v. 9, 24: Amatory; loving. (1. ) A descendant of Issachar ( Judg. 10:1 ). (2. ) An Ahohite, father of Eleazar, who was one of David’s three heroes ( 2 Sam. 23:9 ; 1 Chr. 11:12 ). He was the same with Dodai mentioned in 1 Chr. 27:4 .
Eleazar Person v. 9: God has helped. (1. ) The third son of Aaron ( Ex. 6:23 ). His wife, a daughter of Putiel, bore him Phinehas ( Ex. 6:25 ). After the death of Nadab and Abihu.
Ephes-dammim Place v. 9: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Khirbet Damun.
Agee Person v. 11: Fugitive, the father of Shammah, who was one of David’s mighty men ( 2 Sam. 23:11 ).
Lehi Place v. 11: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Khirbet es Siyyagh.
Adullam Place v. 13: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Khirbet esh Sheikh Madhkur.
Valley of Rephaim Place v. 13: Biblical valley. Modern identification: Valley of Rephaim.
Bethlehem Place v. 14-16, 24: House of bread. (1. ) A city in the “hill country” of Judah. It was originally called Ephrath ( Gen. 35:16 , 19; 48:7; Ruth 4:11 ). It was also called Beth-lehem Ephratah ( Micah 5:2 ), Beth-lehem-judah. Modern identification: Bethlehem.
Abishai Person v. 18: Father of (i. e., “desirous of”) a gift, the eldest son of Zeruiah, David’s sister. He was the brother of Joab and Asahel ( 2 Sam. 2:18 ; 1 Chr. 2:16 ).
Joab Person v. 18, 24, 37: Jehovah is his father. (1. ) One of the three sons of Zeruiah, David’s sister, and “captain of the host” during the whole of David’s reign ( 2 Sam. 2:13 ; 10:7 ; 11:1 ; 1 Kings 11:15 ).
Zeruiah Person v. 18, 37: Stricken of the Lord, David’s sister, and the mother of Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.
Benaiah Person v. 20, 22, 30: Built up by Jehovah. (1. ) The son of Jehoiada, chief priest ( 1 Chr. 27:5 ). He was set by David over his body-guard of Cherethites and Pelethites ( 2 Sam. 8:18 ; 1 Kings 1:32 ; 1 Chr. 18:17 ).
Jehoiada Person v. 20, 22: Jehovah-known. (1. ) The father of Benaiah, who was one of David’s chief warriors ( 2 Sam. 8:18 ; 20:23 ). (2. ) The high priest at the time of Athaliah’s usurpation of the throne of Judah.
Kabzeel Place v. 20: Gathering of God, a city in the extreme south of Judah, near to Idumaea ( Josh. 15:21 ), the birthplace of Benaiah, one of David’s chief warriors ( 2 Sam. 23:20 ; 1 Chr. 11:22 ). It was called also Jekabzeel. Modern identification: Khirbet Hora.
Moab Place v. 20: Biblical region. Modern identification: Kerak.
Asahel Person v. 24: Made by God, the youngest son of Zeruiah, David’s sister. He was celebrated for his swiftness of foot.
Elhanan Person v. 24: Whom God has graciously bestowed. (1. ) A warrior of the time of David famed for his exploits. In the Authorized Version.
Harod Place v. 25: Palpitation, a fountain near which Gideon and his army encamped on the morning of the day when they encountered and routed the Midianites (Judg. 7). It was south of the hill Moreh. Modern identification: Khirbet el Harazan.
Tekoa Place v. 26: Pitching of tents; fastening down, a town of Judah, about 12 miles south of Jerusalem, and visible from the city. Modern identification: Khirbet Teku’a.
Anathoth Place v. 27: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Ras el Kharruba.
Hushah Place v. 27: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Husan.
Netophah Place v. 28-29: Distillation; dropping, a town in Judah, in the neighbourhood, probably, of Bethlehem ( Neh. 7:26 ; 1 Chr. 2:54 ). Two of David’s guards were Netophathites ( 1 Chr. 27:13 , 15). Modern identification: Khirbet Badd Faluh.
Baanah Person v. 29: Son of affliction. (1. ) One of the two sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, a captain in Saul’s army. He and his brother Rechab assassinated Ishbosheth.
Benjamin Person v. 29: Son of my right hand. (1. ) The younger son of Jacob by Rachel ( Gen. 35:18 ). His birth took place at Ephrath, on the road between Bethel and Bethlehem, at a short distance from the latter place.
Gibeah Place v. 29: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel el Ful.
Gaash Place v. 30: A shaking, a hill, on the north side of which Joshua was buried ( Josh. 24:30 ; Judg. 2:9 ), in the territory of Ephraim. (See TIMNATH-SERAH. ). Modern identification: Khirbet Tibnah.
Pirathon Place v. 30: Prince, or summit, a place “in the land of Ephraim” ( Judg. 12:15 ), now Fer’on, some 10 miles south-west of Shechem. This was the home of Abdon the judge. Modern identification: Farata.
Arabah Place v. 31: A name given to Abi-albon, or, as elsewhere called, Abiel, one of David’s warriors ( 2 Sam. 23:31 ; 1 Chr. 11:32 ), probably as being an inhabitant of Arabah ( Josh. 15:61 ), a town in the wilderness of Judah.
Bahurim Place v. 31: Young men, a place east of Jerusalem ( 2 Sam. 3:16 ; 19:16 ), on the road to the Jordan valley. Modern identification: Ras Tumeim.
Jonathan Person v. 32: Whom Jehovah gave, the name of fifteen or more persons that are mentioned in Scripture. The chief of these are, (1. ) A Levite descended from Gershom ( Judg. 18:30 ). His history is recorded in 17:7-13 and 18:30.
Shaalbon Place v. 32: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Salbit.
Ahithophel Person v. 34: Brother of insipidity or impiety, a man greatly renowned for his sagacity among the Jews. At the time of Absalom’s revolt he deserted David ( Ps. 41:9 ; 55:12-14 ) and espoused the cause of Absalom ( 2 Sam. 15:12 ).
Eliam Person v. 34: God’s people. (1. ) The father of Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah ( 2 Sam. 11:3 ). In 1 Chr. 3:5 his name is Ammiel.
Giloh Place v. 34: Exile, a city in the south-west part of the hill-country of Judah ( Josh. 15:51 ). It was the native place or residence of the traitor Ahithophel “the Gilonite”. Modern identification: Khirbet Rabud.
Maacah Place v. 34: Biblical region. Modern identification: Tel Abel Beth Maacah.
Carmel Place v. 35: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Khirbet el Kirmil.
Igal Tribe v. 36: Avengers. (1. ) Num. 13:7 , one of the spies of the tribe of Issachar. (2. ) Son of Nathan of Zobah, and one of David’s warriors ( 2 Sam. 23:36 ). (3. ) 1 Chr. 3:22 .
Nathan Person v. 36: Given. (1. ) A prophet in the reigns of David and Solomon ( 2 Chr. 9:29 ). He is first spoken of in connection with the arrangements David made for the building of the temple.
Zobah Place v. 36: Biblical region. Modern identification: Brital.
Ammon Place v. 37: Biblical region. Modern identification: Amman.
Beeroth Place v. 37: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Khirbet el Burj.
Jattir Place v. 38: Pre-eminent, a city in the mountains of Judah ( Josh. 15:48 ; 21:14 ). Modern identification: Khirbet Attir.
Uriah Person v. 39: The Lord is my light. (1. ) A Hittite, the husband of Bathsheba, whom David first seduced, and then after Uriah’s death married. He was one of the band of David’s.