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2 Samuel 23:8-39
Legacy Standard Bible

David’s Mighty Men

8 (A)These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the [a]captains, he was called Adino the Eznite, because of eight hundred slain by him at one time; 9 and after him was Eleazar the son of (B)Dodo the (C)son of Ahohi, one of the three mighty men with David when they [b]reproached the Philistines who were gathered together there to battle and the men of Israel had gone up to retreat. 10 (D)He arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and [c]clung to the sword, and (E)Yahweh brought about a great salvation that day; and the people returned after him only to strip the slain.

11 Now after him was Shammah the son of Agee a (F)Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered [d]into a troop where there was a portion of the field full of lentils; and the people fled from before the Philistines. 12 But he took his stand in the midst of that portion and delivered it and struck down the Philistines. So (G)Yahweh brought about a great salvation.

13 Then three of the thirty chief men went down and came to David in the harvest time to the (H)cave of Adullam, while the troop of the Philistines was camping in (I)the valley of Rephaim. 14 And David was then (J)in the fortress, while the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 15 (K)Then David had a craving and said, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” 16 (L)So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and carried it and brought it to David. Nevertheless, he was not willing to drink it, but (M)poured it out to Yahweh; 17 and he said, “Be it far from me, O Yahweh, that I should do this. (N)Shall I drink the blood of the men who went [e]at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he was not willing to drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

18 (O)Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was (P)chief of the [f]thirty. And he swung his spear against three hundred [g]who were slain by him; and he had a name as well as the three. 19 Of the thirty he was most honored and became their commander; however, he did not attain to the three.

20 Then (Q)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of (R)Kabzeel, mighty in deeds, struck down the [h]two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. 21 He had also struck down an Egyptian, [i]an impressive man. Now in the Egyptian’s hand was a spear, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 22 These things (S)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and had a name as well as the three mighty men. 23 He was honored among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David appointed him over his guard.

24 (T)Asahel the brother of Joab was among the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 25 (U)Shammah the (V)Harodite, Elika the Harodite, 26 Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the (W)Tekoite, 27 Abiezer the (X)Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite, 28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the (Y)Netophathite, 29 (Z)Heleb the son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai of (AA)Gibeah of the sons of Benjamin, 30 Benaiah a (AB)Pirathonite, Hiddai of the brooks of (AC)Gaash, 31 Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the (AD)Barhumite, 32 Eliahba the (AE)Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, 33 (AF)Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Ararite, 34 Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of (AG)the Maacathite, (AH)Eliam the son of (AI)Ahithophel the Gilonite, 35 (AJ)Hezro the (AK)Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite, 36 Igal the son of Nathan of (AL)Zobah, Bani the Gadite, 37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the (AM)Beerothite, armor bearers of Joab the son of Zeruiah, 38 Ira the (AN)Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 39 (AO)Uriah the Hittite; thirty-seven in all.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 23:8 Or 3
  2. 2 Samuel 23:9 Or defied
  3. 2 Samuel 23:10 Lit his hand clung
  4. 2 Samuel 23:11 Possibly, at Lehi
  5. 2 Samuel 23:17 Lit with their souls
  6. 2 Samuel 23:18 As in two Heb mss and Syr; M.T. 3
  7. 2 Samuel 23:18 Lit slain ones
  8. 2 Samuel 23:20 Or two lion-like heroes
  9. 2 Samuel 23:21 Lit a man of appearance
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2 Samuel 23:8-39
New English Translation

David’s Warriors

8 These are the names of David’s warriors:

Josheb Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was head of the officers.[a] He killed 800 men with his spear in one battle.[b] 9 Next in command[c] was Eleazar son of Dodo,[d] 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,[e] 10 he stood his ground[f] and fought the Philistines until his hand grew so tired that it[g] 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.

11 Next in command[h] was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines assembled at Lehi,[i] where there happened to be an area of a field that was full of lentils, the army retreated before the Philistines. 12 But he made a stand in the middle of that area. He defended[j] it and defeated the Philistines; the Lord gave them a great victory.

13 At the time of[k] the harvest three[l] of the thirty leaders went down to[m] David at the cave of Adullam. A band of Philistines was camped in the valley of Rephaim. 14 David was in the stronghold at the time, while a Philistine garrison was in Bethlehem. 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!” 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 17 and said, “O Lord, I will not do this![n] It is equivalent to the blood of the men who risked their lives by going.”[o] So he refused to drink it. Such were the exploits of the three elite warriors.[p]

18 Abishai son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, was head of the three.[q] He killed 300 men with his spear and gained fame among the three.[r] 19 From[s] the three he was given honor and he became their officer, even though he was not one of the three.

20 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a brave warrior[t] from Kabzeel who performed great exploits. He struck down the two sons of Ariel of Moab.[u] He also went down and killed a lion in a cistern on a snowy day. 21 He also killed an impressive-looking Egyptian.[v] The Egyptian wielded a spear, while Benaiah attacked[w] him with a club. He grabbed the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 22 Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who gained fame among the three elite warriors. 23 He received honor from[x] the thirty warriors, though he was not one of the three elite warriors. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

24 Included with the thirty were the following: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem, 25 Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite, 26 Helez the Paltite, Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa, 27 Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite, 28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite, 29 Heled[y] son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin, 30 Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai from the wadis of Gaash, 31 Abi-Albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite, 32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan 33 son of[z] Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite, 34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the[aa] Maacathite, Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, 35 Hezrai[ab] the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite, 36 Igal son of Nathan from Zobah, Bani the Gadite, 37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite (the armor-bearer[ac] of Joab son of Zeruiah), 38 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 39 and Uriah the Hittite. Altogether there were thirty-seven.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 23:8 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. 2 Samuel 23:8 tc The translation follows some LXX mss (see 1 Chr 11:11 as well) in reading הוּא עוֹרֵר אֶת־חֲנִיתוֹ (huʾ ʿorer ʾet khanito, “he raised up his spear”) rather than the MT’s הוּא עֲדִינוֹ הָעֶצְנִי (huʾ ʿadino haʿetsni [Kethib = הָעֶצְנוֹ, haʿetsno]; “Adino the Ezenite”). The emended text reads literally “he was wielding his spear against eight hundred, [who were] slain at one time.”
  3. 2 Samuel 23:9 tn Heb “after him.”
  4. 2 Samuel 23:9 tc This follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading דֹּדוֹ (dodo) rather than the Kethib of the MT דֹּדַי (doday; cf. ASV, NIV, NLT). But see 1 Chr 27:4.
  5. 2 Samuel 23:9 tn Heb “went up.”
  6. 2 Samuel 23:10 tn Heb “arose.”
  7. 2 Samuel 23:10 tn Heb “his hand.”
  8. 2 Samuel 23:11 tn Heb “after him.”
  9. 2 Samuel 23:11 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.
  10. 2 Samuel 23:12 tn Heb “delivered.”
  11. 2 Samuel 23:13 tn The meaning of Hebrew אֶל־קָצִיר (ʾel 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).
  12. 2 Samuel 23:13 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading שְׁלֹשָׁה (sheloshah, “three”) rather than the Kethib of the MT שְׁלֹשִׁים (sheloshim, “thirty”). “Thirty” is due to dittography of the following word and makes no sense in the context.
  13. 2 Samuel 23:13 tn Heb “went down…and approached.”
  14. 2 Samuel 23:17 tn Heb “Far be it to me, O Lord, from doing this.”
  15. 2 Samuel 23:17 tn Heb “[Is it not] the blood of the men who were going with their lives?”
  16. 2 Samuel 23:17 tn Heb “These things the three warriors did.”
  17. 2 Samuel 23:18 tc The translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew mss, the LXX, and Vulgate in reading הַשְּׁלֹשָׁה (hashelosha, “the three”) rather than the Kethib of the MT הַשָּׁלִשִׁי (hashalishi, “the third,” or “adjutant”). Two medieval Hebrew mss and the Syriac Peshitta have “thirty.”
  18. 2 Samuel 23:18 tn Heb “and he was wielding his spear against three hundred, [who were] slain, and to him there was a name among the three.”
  19. 2 Samuel 23:19 tn Or “more than.”
  20. 2 Samuel 23:20 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”).
  21. 2 Samuel 23:20 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), so originally: שְׁנֵי בְנֵי אֲרִיאֵל (shene vene ʾariʾel).
  22. 2 Samuel 23:21 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading אִישׁ (ʾish, “man”) rather than the Kethib of the MT, אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher, “who”).
  23. 2 Samuel 23:21 tn Heb “and he went down to.”
  24. 2 Samuel 23:23 tn Or “more than.”
  25. 2 Samuel 23:29 tc The translation follows many medieval Hebrew mss in reading חֵלֶד (kheled; cf. NAB, NIV, NLT) rather than the MT חֵלֶב (khelev).
  26. 2 Samuel 23:33 tn The Hebrew text does not have “the son of.”
  27. 2 Samuel 23:34 tn Heb “the son of.”
  28. 2 Samuel 23:35 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading חֶצְרַי (khetsray; cf. KJV, NAB) rather than the Kethib of the MT, חֶצְרוֹ (khetsro).
  29. 2 Samuel 23:37 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading the singular rather than the plural of the Kethib of the MT.
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