2 Samuel 23:10

10 he/Eleazar stood in battle, when his fellows went aback, and smote the Philistines, till that his hand failed, and was stark with the sword. And the Lord made great health in that day; and the people that fled turned again, to draw away the spoils of [the] slain men. (Eleazar stood his ground in the battle, while his fellows fled, and he struck down the Philistines, until his hand failed, and was fixed, or frozen, to the sword. And the Lord gave great victory that day; and the people who had fled returned to take away the spoils from the dead.)

2 Samuel 23:10 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 23:10

He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary,
&c.] He rose up when the Israelites fled, and stood his ground alone, and fought with the Philistines, and smote them with his sword, until his hand was weary with smiting:

and his hand clave unto the sword;
which was contracted by holding it so long, and grasping it so hard, that it could not easily be got out of it; or through the quantity of blood which ran upon his hand, as it was shed, so Josephus ^F20; and which being congealed, and dried, caused his hand to stick to the hilt of his sword, so that they were, as it were, glued together by it; or the sense may be only, that though weary, he did not drop his sword, but held it fast till he had destroyed the enemy:

and the Lord wrought a great victory that day;
for to him it must be ascribed, and not to the strength and valour of the man:

and the people returned after him only to spoil;
they that fled, when they saw what a victory was obtained by him, returned and came after him; not to help him in smiting, but to spoil those that were slain, and strip them of what they had.

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FOOTNOTES:

F20 Antiqu. l. 7. c. 12. sect. 4.

2 Samuel 23:10 In-Context

8 These be the names of the strong men of David. David sitteth in the chair, the wisest prince among (the) three; he is as a most tender worm of a tree, that killed eight hundred with one fierceness. (These be the names of David's strong men. The Hachmonite sitteth in the chair, he is the wise leader of The Three/The first, Jashobeam, the son of Hachmoni, was the leader of The Three; he raised up his spear against eight hundred men, and killed all of them at one time.)

9 After him was Eleazar, the son of his father's brother, (the) Ahohite; (he was) among [the] three strong men, that were with David, when they said shame to the Philistines, and were gathered thither into battle. And when the men of Israel had gone up, (After him was Eleazar, the son of Dodo, the Ahohite; he was one of The Three, who were with David, when they said shame to, or taunted, the Philistines, and were gathered there in battle. And when the men of Israel had gone away,)

10 he/Eleazar stood in battle, when his fellows went aback, and smote the Philistines, till that his hand failed, and was stark with the sword. And the Lord made great health in that day; and the people that fled turned again, to draw away the spoils of [the] slain men. (Eleazar stood his ground in the battle, while his fellows fled, and he struck down the Philistines, until his hand failed, and was fixed, or frozen, to the sword. And the Lord gave great victory that day; and the people who had fled returned to take away the spoils from the dead.)

11 And after him was Shammah, the son of Agee, of Hararites. And Philistines were gathered in the station; and there was a field full of lentils, or vetches; and when the people of Israel [had] fled from the face of Philistines, (And the third member of The Three was Shammah, the son of Agee, of the Hararites. And when the Philistines were gathered at Lehi; and there was a field full of lentils; and the people of Israel had fled from before the Philistines,)

12 he stood in the midst of the field, and beheld it, for he defended the field; and he smote the Philistines, and the Lord made there [a] great health. (he stood there in the midst of the field, and held it, and he defended that field; and he struck down the Philistines, and the Lord gave a great victory there.)