2 Samuel 23:16 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
2 Samuel 23:16
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.
three · noun, common both genders singular construct
men
הַגִּבֹּרִ֜יםha.gi.bo.Rim
H1368
powerful · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
through
וַיִּבְקְעוּ֩vai.yiv.ke.'U
H1234
to cleave · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
host
בְּמַחֲנֵ֣הbe.ma.cha.Neh
H4264
an encampment (of travellers or troops) · preposition + noun, common feminine singular construct
Philistines
פְלִשְׁתִּ֗יםfe.lish.Tim
H6430
a Pelishtite or inhabitant of Pelesheth · noun, gentilic masculine plural absolute
drew
וַיִּֽשְׁאֲבוּvai.yish.'a.vu-
H7579
to bale up water · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
water
מַ֙יִם֙ma.yim
H4325
water · noun, common masculine plural absolute
well
בּוֹרbôwr
H953
a pit hole (especially one used as a cistern or a priso…
Beth-lehem
בֵּֽיתbeit-
H1035
Beth-Lechem · proper noun, a place name
gate
בַּשַּׁ֔עַרba.Sha.'ar
H8179
an opening · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
took
וַיִּשְׂא֖וּvai.yis.'U
H5375
to lift · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
brought
וַיָּבִ֣אוּvai.ya.Vi.'u
H935
to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
David
דָּוִ֑דda.Vid
H1732
David · proper noun, a man's name
would
אָבָה֙'a.Vah
H14
to breathe after · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
drink
לִשְׁתּוֹתָ֔םlish.to.Tam
H8354
to imbibe (literally or figuratively) · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
out
וַיַּסֵּ֥ךְvai.ya.Sekh
H5258
to pour out · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
LORD
לַֽיהוָֽהla.Yah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · preposition + proper noun, a title
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Genesis 35:14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he pour…
2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
Numbers 28:7 And the drink offering thereof shall be the fourth part of an hin for the one lamb: in the holy place shalt thou cause the strong wine to be…
1 Samuel 7:6 And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sin…
Lamentations 2:19 Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands…
Romans 5:7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
Philippians 2:17 Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.
1 Samuel 19:5 For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and did…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Adam Clarke on 2 Samuel 23:16
Poured it out unto the Lord - To make libations, both of water and wine, was a frequent custom among the heathens. We have an almost similar account in Arrian's Life of Alexander: "When his army was greatly oppressed with heat and thirst, a soldier brought him a cup of water; he ordered it to be carried back, saying, I cannot bear to drink alone while so many are in want, and this cup is too small to be divided among the whole." Tunc poculo pleno sicut oblatum est reddito: Non solus, inquit, bibere sustineo, nec tam exiguum dividere omnibus possum. - Arrian, lib. vi.
The example was noble in both cases, but David added piety to bravery; he poured it out unto the Lord.
John Gill on 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; b…
The following list of David's heroes we also find in 1 Chron 11:10-47, and expanded at the end by sixteen names (Ch1 11:41-47), and attached in Ch1 11:10 to the account of the conquest of the fortress of Zion by the introduction of a special heading. According to this heading, the heroes named assisted David greatly in his kingdom, along with all Israel, to make him king, from which it is evident that the chronicler intended by this heading to justify his appending the list to the account of the election of David as king over all the tribes of Israel (Ch1 11:1), and of the conquest of Zion, which followed immediately afterwards. In every other respect the two lists agree with one another, ex…
When long afterward David sat against the battle lines of enemies, he wished from desire to drink water from the cistern of Bethlehem. His chosen soldiers, breaking through the midst of the opposing forces, brought back unharmed the water the king had desired. But the man instructed by scourges immediately reproached himself for having desired water at the peril of his soldiers, and pouring it out, he offered it to the Lord, as it is written there: He poured it out to the Lord. For the water poured out was turned into a sacrifice to the Lord, because he slew the fault of concupiscence through the penance of his self-reproach. He therefore who once did not at all fear to covet another's wife, afterward was even afraid because he had coveted water. For since he remembered having perpetrated unlawful things, now stern against himself, he abstained even from lawful things. Thus, thus do we do penance, if we perfectly bewail what we have committed.
And that even the drinking of cold water with lust is reprehensible David, the wise man of God, shall prove unto thee, for when he lusted to drink water from the great cistern which was in Bethlehem, and those who did hear him obeyed and brought it to him, he suppressed his lust, and poured it out before the Lord, as if by means thereof he was pouring out his lust; now the nature of water is not such as to cause sin even if he had partaken thereof, for it is cool and pleasant, but he perceived within himself that he had asked for it with lust and he conquered his lust, and did not grant its request. And he did this also that he might vex those who had been ministers unto his lust, by turning back their kindness upon themselves, that he might teach every man not to be in subjection unto his lust, and that we should not make our faces joyful towards those who minister unto our lust.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Bethlehem — House of bread. (1.) A city in the “hill country” of Judah. It was originally called Ephrath (Gen. 35:16, 19; 48:7; Ruth 4:11). It was also called Beth-lehem Ephratah (Micah 5:2), Beth-lehem-judah (1…
David — Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam.…
Eleazar — God has helped. (1.) The third son of Aaron (Ex. 6:23). His wife, a daughter of Putiel, bore him Phinehas (Ex. 6:25). After the death of Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10:12; Num. 3:4) he was appointed to the…
Giants — (1.) Heb. nephilim, meaning “violent” or “causing to fall” (Gen. 6:4). These were the violent tyrants of those days, those who fell upon others. The word may also be derived from a root signifying…
Hareth — Thicket, a wood in the mountains of Judah where David hid when pursued by Saul (1 Sam. 22:5). It was possibly while he was here that the memorable incident narrated in 2 Sam. 23:14-17, 1 Chr.…
Jashobeam — Dweller among the people; or to whom the people turn, the Hachmonite (1 Chr. 11:11), one of David’s chief heroes who joined him at Ziklag (12:6). He was the first of the three who broke through the…
Rephaim, Valley of — (Josh. 15:8; 18:16, R.V.). When David became king over all Israel, the Philistines, judging that he would now become their uncompromising enemy, made a sudden attack upon Hebron, compelling David to…
Shammah — Desert. (1.) One of the “dukes” of Edom (Gen. 36:13, 17). (2.) One of the sons of Jesse (1 Sam. 16:9). He is also called Shimeah (2 Sam. 13:3) and Shimma (1 Chr. 2:13). (3.) One of David’s three…
Bethlehem · .Taken and held by the Philistines — .Taken and held by the Philistines
Citizens · .David’s — .David’s
Tyndale Open Study Notes on 2 Samuel 23:15-16
remarked longingly: This Hebrew verb elsewhere carries the idea of excessive desire (see Num 11:4, “began to crave”; Ps 106:14, “desires ran wild”). It is unclear whether David’s craving for water was excessive, but it certainly led to dangerous exploits. • well by the gate: David had memories from his younger days of growing up in Bethlehem. The location of the well is unknown.
Rashi on 2 Samuel 23:16
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.
Consecration · .David consecrates the water obtained by his valiant warriors — .David consecrates the water obtained by his valiant warriors
Loyalty · .David’s — .David’s
Philistines · General references — General references
Unselfishness · .David — .David
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
