2 Samuel 23

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2 Samuel 23

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.

Notes

Cross Reference

Commentary

Rashi

Verse 1

<html>These are Dovid's words. Dovid's last prophecy. What were the first words? The words of the song that were said above.¹ But all the songs and praises that he [Dovid] said are not called “words”.²The use of the word דִּבְרֵי here denotes prophecy, not songs and praises. Raised on high. Raised from Above.³The word עָל, is used to denote לְמַעְלָה, “Above.” Sweet songs for Yisroel. Yisroel does not sing any songs in the Beis Hamikdosh other then his [Dovid's] songs and hymns.</html>

Verse 2

<html>Speaks through me. He bestowed His holy spirit on me and spoke through me. Whenever [the verse refers] to prophecy, the word דִּבֵּר is appropriate as [we find] “Did [Adonoy] only speak to Moshe, He also spoke to us.”⁴Bamidbar 12:2. “I will speak through him.”⁵Ibid 12:6. The reason for it is because the spirit enters into the prophet and speaks through him.</html>

Verse 3

<html>The Rock of Yisroel spoke to me. The Rock of Yisroel spoke to and commanded me that I should be a ruler over men, over Yisroel who are called “men” as it is written, “You are men.” [He also told me] that I will be a righteous person, a ruler and a God fearing person. Our Rabbis interpreted [this verse] with a different explanation:⁶Moed Koton 16b. Dovid said [as follows:] “The God of Yisroel spoke to me, the Rock of Yisroel spoke to me, I am ruler over men. And who rules over me? The righteous man, because I [may] issue a decree and he [can] annul it.” But according to the flow of these verses it is the first explanation that is the simple interpretation of these verses.</html>

Verse 4

<html>As day breaks with the sun shining. He promised me that my glory will continuously grow like the light at day break which gets brighter and brighter. A cloudless morning. A light that does not dim. [Brighter] then the light that comes with the rain that nourishes the land. My morning is brighter then the light that comes with rain, which is a clear warmth [shining forth] rays of light. When the rain falls on vegetated earth and the sun shines on it and causes it to brighten. And this is how the verse is interpreted, More then the light that comes from rain [falling on] vegetated earth.</html>

Verse 5

<html>For is not my house with God. That I should have a cloudy morning. For an eternal convenant. [This refers to] the Torah that He placed for me, that He has arranged for all my household, and kept there. All my hopes and desires [are before God]. My needs are set before Him. This is a shortened verse.⁷The verse itself mentions Dovid’s hopes and desires but does specify anything further about them. Because [my kingdom] will never be outgrown. There will be no other king after my kingdom.⁸As God promised Dovid earlier in 7:13 that his kingdom will be eternal. Another interpretation: He has made an eternal convenant for my House, that my kingdom shall be everlasting and this convenant is known to all, it is mentioned by all the prophets.</html>

Verse 6

<html>Like an itinerant thorn. Cordon in O.F. When [this thorn is] young it is soft. It then travels to and fro and eventually hardens until it is [so sharp that it is] unable to be held in one's hand.</html>

Verse 7

<html>Any man wanting to touch them should don. He must cover his body with armor and arm himself with a weapon to cut it down They will be completely burnt totally consumed by fire. There is no solution other then burning [these thorns] and to sit and warm oneself by the fire. So too, for the wicked there is no solution other then burning in Gehennom. [While one] sits. [A reference to] God sitting on the throne of Judgement.</html>

Verse 8

<html>That were with Dovid, who sat in the council. Who sat in the Sanhedrin Court. That is [alluded to by the word] wisdom. “He was a leader in three [distinct areas],” He was first in beauty, wisdom and strength. He was the leader in these three categories as it is written “[A man] of understanding of attractive build and a strong soldier.”⁹Shmuel I, 16:18. Rashi is not quoting this verse in its exact order. Adino the Etzonite. When he was studying Torah he would fold and bind himself up like a worm¹⁰Rashi is explaining the name עֲדִינוֹ as reffering to the word מַעֲדַנּוֹת which means bindings. as [we find, this word in the verse] “The bonds of Pleiades.”¹¹Eyuv 38:31. And when he went out to war he was as hard as wood¹²Here Rashi is explaining the עֶצְנִי part of his name which contains within it the word עֵץ which means wood. and would kill eight hundred men in one battle.¹³Tanchuma Masoei.</html>

Verse 9

<html>The son of Dodo. This was his name. One of the three mighty men. Of the best of the mighty men.¹⁴There were more then just three men involved in fighting the Pelishtim. When they humiliated the Pelishtim. They made an agreement with each other to fight them and to vanquish them.</html>

Verse 10

<html>But only to strip [the corpses]. Yonoson translates: “To strip the dead.” There was no one to help him kill [the Pelishtim] but they were all stripping the corpses after [he had killed them].</html>

Verse 11

<html>From the mountain. From the mountain. For [war like] beast in the wild. [Gathering] to become troops like the beasts gather in the wild.</html>

Verse 13

<html>Of the thirty leaders. Yonoson translates: From the men who were leaders within the army.</html>

Verse 14

<html>And a contingent of Pesishtim was then in Beis Lechem. The [Pelishtim] army was camped in the Rephoim valley and they had sent a contingent to Beis Lechem.</html>

Verse 15

<html>Who will give me water to drink. Our Rabbis said,¹⁵Baba Kama 60b. See Rashi there. he [Dovid] needed to ask a [halachic] question from the Sanhedrin court that sat at the gate of Beis Lechem.¹⁶The “water” of our verse is referring to Torah which is compared to water. See Devorim Raboh 7:3.</html>

Verse 16

<html>He offered it as a libation to Adonoy. He said, “This is what I learned at Shmuel the Romosi's court: If anyone risks his life for words of Torah,¹⁷Rashi is continuing with the interpretation of the verse that the water is a reference to words of Torah. we should not recite the halachah in his name.” If so, what is meant by “And instead he offerred it as a libation to Adonoy”,¹⁸This sounds as if Dovid has accepted the halachic ruling. he [only] recited it in the name of the Gemorah.¹⁹The ruling is not to be said over in their name.</html>

Verse 17

<html>[Do I want] the blood of [these] men. Language denoting astonishment.</html>

Verse 19

<html>He did not reach the status of the first three. [Yonoson translates:] He did not reach [the status] of the [first] three men.²⁰i.e. Adino the Etzonite, Elozor, the son of Dodo and Shamoh, the son of Ogaih from the mountain who were enumerated earlier in verses 8, 9 and 11 respectively.</html>

Verse 20

<html>The two Moabite giants. [Yonoson translates:] “The two Moabite giants.” And our Rabbis said, There was no one like him not during the first [Beis] Mikdosh nor during the second [Beis] Mikdosh.²¹Berochos 18b. Rashi there explains that אֲרִיאֵל is a name used for the Beis Hamikdash. Moabite giants. Because Shlomo who built it came from Rus the Moabite.²²Rashi is explaining the connection that אֲרִיאֵל, a reference to the Beis Hamikdash, has to Moav.</html>

Verse 23

<html>Of the thirty. Of all thirty in this section. Yonoson translates: “mighty men”.²³This is how he translates the word שְׁלשִׁים.</html>

Verse 39

<html>Thirty-seven. They are not [all] mentioned here²⁴Rashi seems to hold that only thirty-three of the thirty-seven are accounted for, the three first warriors, Adino, Elozor and Ahamoh. Then the thirty that are enumerated starting from verse 24 but not including Asoel, see the Metsudos Dovid on that verse. and I say Yoav did not have to be mentioned because he was the general [commanding] the army and the rest that are missing it is possible that they are three or four sons of Yeshai.²⁵Having accounted for thirty-three out of thirty-seven, four are missing. Rashi seems to be offering two distinct possible answers, either the four are Yoav and three of Yeshai’s sons or Yoav is not being counted here as part of the group of thirty-seven and the four missing are all sons of Yeshai.</html>

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Table of Contents

2 Samuel 23

2 Samuel 23

Notes

Cross Reference

Commentary

Rashi

Verse 1

Verse 2

Verse 3

Verse 4

Verse 5

Verse 6

Verse 7

Verse 8

Verse 9

Verse 10

Verse 11

Verse 13

Verse 14

Verse 15

Verse 16

Verse 17

Verse 19

Verse 20

Verse 23

Verse 39