Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(1 Kings 11:15) For it came to pass, when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the host had gone up to bury the slain, after he had killed every male in Edom,
Even though this was written at a much later chronological time, it fills in a little bit of detail about when David, with Joab and Abishai, killed the Edomites (2 Samuel 8:13, Psalm 60:1, 1 Chronicles 18:12). After his victory over the Edomites, David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of his army, had gone to bury the slain of Israel.
(16) (For six months Joab did remain there with all Israel, until he had cut off every male in Edom), (17) That Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him, to go into Egypt, Hadad yet a little child.
Joab and his army had been in Edom for six months until they killed every male in Edom. However, Hadad, a child of the royal family (1 Kings 11:14), fled into Egypt with his father's servants.
(18) And they arose out of Midian and came to Paran, and they took men with them out of Paran, and they came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house and appointed him victuals and gave him land.
Hadad and his father's servants went to Egypt through Midian and Paran, where they gathered an entourage, and then came to Pharaoh king of Egypt. Pharaoh gave Hadad provisions and a house and land.
(19) And Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh so that he gave him as wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen.
As he grew up, Hadad found great favor with Pharaoh, so much so that he gave Hadad the sister of his wife, Queen Tahpenes, to be his wife.
(20) Then the sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh’s household among the sons of Pharaoh.
Hadad's wife bore him a son, Genubath. It seems he grew up in Pharaoh's household among the sons of Pharaoh.
(2 Samuel 23:8) These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: the Tachmonite who sat in the seat, chief among the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite, who slew eight hundred at one time.
Here follows a list of the mighty men who fought under David, under his general, Joab. First was Adino the Eznite, a name that meant something to the effect of a sharp, strong spear, given because he had killed 800 men at one time with a spear. He was called a Tachmonite, which meant wise. He was called chief among the captains, but it seems there were three chief captains, of which he was one (2 Samuel 23:18, 1 Chronicles 12:18).
(9) And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines who were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel had gone away. (10) He arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword; and the Lord wrought a great victory that day, and the people returned after him only to spoil.
Next was Eleazar, one of three mighty men with David, who alone defied the Philistines who had gathered together to battle Israel when the men of Israel had fled. It seems he struck the Philistines until his hand was weary, but he clung to his sword, regardless, and the Lord gave them a great victory that day. The people returned only afterward to plunder.
(11) And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop where was a piece of ground full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines. (12) But he stood in the midst of the ground and defended it and killed the Philistines, and the Lord wrought a great victory.
Third there was Shammah who defended a piece of ground full of lentils against the Philistines. The people had fled, but he stood his ground, defending it, and killing the Philistines. The Lord wrought a great victory that time, as well.
(13) And three of the thirty chief went down and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam, and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the valley of Rephaim. (14) And David was then in a hold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.
This event that continues following occurred right after David had been anointed king over all of Israel, and the Philistines came up to seek David, and David heard and went down to the hold (2 Samuel 5:17). Three of David's thirty chief men went to him in the cave of Adullam where he had apparently gone; they were likely the three who were named above, Adino, Eleazar, and Shammah. The Philistines were then in Bethlehem.
(15) And David longed, and said, "Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate."
David longingly said he wished he could have a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem which was said to be about three-quarters of a mile to the north of Bethlehem.
(16) And the three mighty men broke 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 of it but poured it out to the Lord.
The three mighty men took it upon themselves to break through the army of the Philistines to go to the well of Bethlehem and bring water back to David. However, David did not drink it but poured it out before the Lord.
(17) And he said, "Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this. Is this not the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?" Therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men.
Evidently David had not expected anyone to actually go get him water from the well. He had just meant to express that it would have been welcome at that time. He felt he could not drink the water because it represented the blood of the men who had risked their lives just to bring him water. This was another one of the exploits of those three mighty men.
(18) And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief among three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred, killed them, and had the name among three. (19) Was he not most honorable of three? Therefore he was their captain, however, he did not attain to the first three.
Joab's brother Abishai, son of David's sister Zeruiah, was chief among what would appear to be the next group of three of David's mightiest men. He had killed three hundred men with his spear and had his name among three mighty men. He was the most honorable of the second set of three named mighty men, so he was their captain. However, it would seem he came in as David's fourth most mighty man.
(20) And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, who had done many acts; he killed two lionlike men of Moab; he went down also and killed a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow.
Benaiah appears to have been in the second group of three of the mightiest men of David. He had killed a lion and two lion-like men of Moab.
(21) And he killed an Egyptian, a goodly man; and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand. But he went down to him with a staff and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear.
The "goodly" Egyptian did not mean he was a good and moral man, but that he was of a goodly size and stature. He had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah wrenched the spear from his hand and killed him with his own spear.
(22) These things Benaiah, the son of Jehoida, did, and had a name among three mighty men. (23) He was more honorable than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David set him over his guard.
Because of the things he had done, Benaiah had a name among the second grouping of three mighty men, but he did not attain to the first three. However, he was more honorable than the next thirty named mighty men, so David set him over his guard, probably a bodyguard.
(24) Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, (25) Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,
The list of the next thirty mightiest men began with Asahel, Joab's brother, who was killed by Abner (2 Samuel 2:23). 31 men are actually named in these and the following verses. Because Asahel was killed so early, he was probably replaced by another but deserved his name among the thirty. Elhanan, a townsman of David, was also among the thirty. Shammah the Harodite does not appear to be the same Shammah who was in the first group of three mighty men. When he was mentioned in 1 Chronicles 11:27, he was called Shammoth. Another man of Harod, Elika, was named among the thirty.
Because Blogger only allows me twenty labels, I will continue this list of David's most mighty men in the next post:
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