2 Samuel 23:16

16 So the three warriors broke through the Philistine camp and drew water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it and poured it out to the LORD.

2 Samuel 23:16 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 23:16

And the three mighty men brake through the host of the
Philistines
Which lay in the valley of Rephaim, between the hold in which David was and the well of Bethlehem; these three men hearing David express himself in the above manner, though without any view that any should risk their lives to obtain it, only in a general way said, oh for a draught of the water of the well of Bethlehem! immediately set out, and made their way through the army of the Philistines to the well:

and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that [was] by the gate,
and took [it], and brought [it] to David;
in a vessel which they probably carried with them for that purpose:

nevertheless he would not drink thereof;
because, say they who take these words in a spiritual sense, it was not this water, but spiritual water, he desired: but the reason is given in ( 2 Samuel 23:17 ) :

but poured it out unto the Lord;
as a libation to him, it being rather blood than water, being fetched at the hazard of men's lives, and therefore more fit to be offered as a sacrifice to God than to be drank by him; and this he might do in thankfulness to God for preserving the lives of the men. Gersom thinks it was now the feast of tabernacles, which was the feast of ingathering the fruits of the earth, when great quantities of water were drawn and poured out at the altar, which was done to obtain the blessing of the former rain; (See Gill on John 7:37) and (See Gill on John 7:38).

2 Samuel 23:16 In-Context

14 At that time, David was in the fortress, and a Philistine fort was in Bethlehem

15 David had a craving and said, "If only someone could give me a drink of water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem."

16 So the three warriors broke through the Philistine camp and drew water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it and poured it out to the LORD.

17 "The LORD forbid that I should do that," he said. "Isn't this the blood of men who risked their lives?" So he refused to drink it. These were the kinds of things the three warriors did.

18 Now Zeruiah's son Abishai, the brother of Joab, was chief of the Thirty. He raised his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and made a name for himself along with the Three.