2 Samuel 23:1-9

1 Now these are the last words of David: David the son of Jesse saith, And the man who was raised up on high, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel saith,

2 The Spirit of Jehovah spoke by me, And his word was on my tongue.

3 The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me, The ruler among men shall be just, Ruling in the fear of God;

4 And [he shall be] as the light or the morning, [like] the rising of the sun, A morning without clouds; [When] from the sunshine, after rain, The green grass springeth from the earth

5 Although my house be not so before God, Yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, Ordered in every way and sure; For [this is] all my salvation, and every desire, Although he make [it] not to grow.

6 But [the sons] of Belial [are] all of them as thorns thrust away, Because they cannot be taken with hands;

7 And the man that will touch them provideth himself with iron and the staff of a spear; And they shall be utterly burned with fire in [their] place.

8 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Joseb-Bassebeth, Tachkemonite the chief of the captains: he was Adino the Eznite; he [fought] against eight hundred, slain [by him] at one time.

9 And after him, Eleazar the son of Dodo the son of an Ahohite: he was one of the three mighty men with David, when they had defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone up.

2 Samuel 23:1-9 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO SECOND SAMUEL 23

In this chapter are recorded the last words of David under a divine inspiration, 2Sa 23:1-7; and an account is given of his great men, famous for warlike exploits, particularly of three mighty men who did very marvellous things, 2Sa 23:8-17; and of two others next unto them, which belonged to another class of three, 2Sa 23:18-23; and then of thirty one more, 2Sa 23:24-39; who are all mentioned by name.

Footnotes

• [a]. See Gen. 22.16.
• [b]. Or 'over.'
• [c]. Or 'a just ruler over mankind ' 'the Adam:' see Gen. 1.27, 6.1.
• [d]. Or 'all good pleasure.'
• [e]. Or 'For all my salvation and all good pleasure, would he not make them to grow?'
• [f]. Lit. 'fills his hand.'
• [g]. Or 'he who sits in the (first) place.'
• [h]. Or 'the Hachmonite.'
• [i]. Or, as 1Chron. 11.11, 'he brandished his spear against.'
• [j]. Or 'son of Ahohi.'