2 Samuel 23:19

19 He was most honored of the thirty, therefore he became their commander; however, he did not attain to the three

2 Samuel 23:19 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 23:19

Was he not most honourable of three?
&c.] 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, ( 1 Samuel 26:6-12 ) ; he relieved David when in danger from Ishbibenob the giant, ( 2 Samuel 21:16 2 Samuel 21:17 ) ; he beat the Edomites, and slew eighteen thousand of them in the valley of salt, ( 1 Chronicles 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.

2 Samuel 23:19 In-Context

17 and he said, "Be it far from me, O LORD , that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?" Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

18 Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty. And he swung his spear against three hundred and killed them, and had a name as well as the three.

19 He was most honored of the thirty, therefore he became their commander; however, he did not attain to the three

20 Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day.

21 He killed an Egyptian, an impressive man. Now the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, 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