Here are listed the names and some of the exploits of the leading men who followed David and stood with him during the difficult years of exile and during his reign.
The first “three mighty men” (vv. 8–12; 1 Chron. 11:10–14). Josheb-Basshebeth is named first; he was also known as Adino and Jashobeam (v. 8; 1 Chron. 11:11). He was chief of the captains in David’s army and was famous for killing eight hundred enemy soldiers “at one time.” First Chronicles 11: says he killed three hundred men. As we’ve already noted, the transmission of numbers from manuscript to manuscript by copyists sometimes led to these minor differences. Did the fear of the Lord drive all these men over a cliff, or did Jashobeam’s courage inspire others to enter the battle and he got the credit for the victory? How he accomplished this feat isn’t disclosed, but it’s unlikely that he killed them one at a time with his spear.
Eleazar (vv. 9–10) was from the tribe of Benjamin (1 Chron. 8:4) and fought beside David against the Philistines, probably at Pas Dammim (1 Sam. 17:1; 1 Chron. 11:12–13). While many of the Israelite soldiers were retreating, he remained in his place and fought until the sword was “welded” to his hand. The Lord honored the faith and courage of David and Eleazar and gave Israel a great victory, after which the other soldiers returned to the field to strip the dead and claim the spoils. Like David, Eleazar wasn’t selfish about sharing the spoils of battle because the victory had come from the Lord (1 Sam. 30:21–25).
The third “mighty man” was Shammah (vv. 11–12), who also was used of the Lord to bring victory at Pas Dammim (1 Chron. 11:13–14). But why risk your life to defend a field of lentils and barley? Because the land belonged to the Lord (Lev. 25:23) and was given to Israel to use for His glory (Lev. 18:24–30). Shammah didn’t want the Philistines to control what belonged to Jehovah, for the Jews were stewards of God’s land. To respect the land meant to honor the Lord and His covenant with Israel.
The second “three mighty men” (vv. 13–17; 1 Chron. 11:15–19). These three aren’t named, but they were a part of the “thirty” listed in verses 24–29. This suggests that they were not the three men named previously. All people are created equal before God and the law, but all people are not equal in gifts and abilities; some people have greater gifts and opportunities than others. However, the fact that we can’t achieve like “the first three” shouldn’t keep us from doing less than our best and perhaps establishing a “second three.” God doesn’t measure us by what He helped others do but by what He wanted us to do with the abilities and opportunities He graciously gave us.
The fact that David was hiding in a cave near Bethlehem suggests that this event took place either during the time that David was fleeing from Saul or shortly after he was made king in Hebron and the Philistines attacked him (2 Sam. 5:17; 1 Chron. 14:8). It was harvest time, which meant there had been no rain and the cisterns were empty. No water was available in the cave, and David thirsted for the water from the well at Bethlehem that he used to drink from when he was a boy. The text suggests that David spoke to himself about the water and didn’t issue any orders, but the three men wanted to please their leader more than anything else. They were close enough to hear his whispered words, loyal enough to take his wish as their command, and brave enough to obey at any cost. They traveled twelve miles, broke through enemy lines, and came back with the water. What an example for us to follow in our relationship with the Captain of our salvation!
No matter what the Lord put in David’s hands, he used it to honor God and help God’s people—a sling, a sword, a harp, a scepter, even a cup of water—and this occasion was no exception. When David looked into the cup, he didn’t see water; he saw the blood of the three men who had risked their lives to satisfy his desire. To drink that water would demean all his men and cheapen the brave deed of the three heroes. It would communicate that their lives really weren’t important to him. Instead, David turned the cave into a temple and poured the water out as a drink offering to the Lord, as he had seen the priests do at the tabernacle. The drink offering accompanied the giving of another sacrifice, such as the burnt offering, and was not offered independently. It was an act of dedication that symbolized a person’s life poured out in the service of the Lord. The three men had given themselves as a sacrifice to the Lord to serve David (Rom. 12:1), so David added his offering to theirs to show them he was one with them in their devotion to Jehovah. To paraphrase his own words in 24:24, David would not treat as nothing that which had cost those three men everything. All leaders need to follow David’s example and let their followers know how much they appreciate them and the sacrifices they make.
Jesus gave Himself as a sacrifice for us, and also as a drink offering (Ps. 22:14; Isa. 53:12). Paul used the image of the drink offering to describe his own dedication to the Lord (Phil. 2:17; 2 Tim. 4:6). Mother Teresa often said, “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” But doing small things because we love Christ turns them into great things. According to Jesus, whenever we show love and kindness to others and seek to meet their needs, we give Him a cup of cold water (Matt. 25:34–40).
Two special “mighty men” (vv. 18–23; 1 Chron. 11:20–25). Abishai (vv. 18–19) was David’s nephew and the brother of Joab, the commander of David’s army. He was also the brother of Asahel, who was slain treacherously by Abner, and Joab and Abishai killed Abner, much to David’s regret (2 Sam. 2–3). Abishai was a courageous man who is commended here for killing three hundred enemy soldiers. However, sometimes he had more zeal than wisdom. While in Saul’s camp with David one night, he wanted to kill King Saul, an offer that David rejected (1 Sam. 26), and he also offered to cut off Shimei’s head because he cursed David (16:9–11; 19:21). He led the army in the siege of Rabbah (10:10–14) and saved David’s life during a battle with a giant (21:15–17). Abishai was loyal to David during Absalom’s rebellion and was in charge of a third of David’s army (18:2, 12). Abishai was also in charge of “the second three” and was held in high honor.
Benaiah (vv. 20–23; 1 Chron. 11:22–25) was a remarkable man who was born to serve as a priest (1 Chron. 27:5) but became a soldier and the commander of David’s bodyguard (8:18; 20:23). In the Bible, there are priests who became prophets, such as Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and John the Baptist, but Benaiah is the only priest named who became a soldier. He performed valiantly on the battlefield and fought some interesting battles. F. W. Boreham has a wonderful sermon about Benaiah killing the lion in which he points out that Benaiah met the worst of enemies (a lion) in the worst of places (a pit) under the worst of conditions (on a snowy day) – and he won! Benaiah was loyal to the house of David and supported Solomon when he came to the throne (1 Kings 1:8–10). When Joab tried to make Adonijah king, it was Benaiah who executed him, thus fulfilling David’s command to Solomon (1 Kings 2:5–6). Solomon made Benaiah the head of his army in Joab’s place (1 Kings 2:35; 4:4; 1 Chron. 27:5–6). Benaiah’s son Jehoiada didn’t follow a military career but became a counselor to King Solomon, replacing Ahithophel (27:34).
The Thirty (vv. 24–39; 1 Chron. 11:26–47). Saul may have stood head and shoulders above everybody else, but it was David who had the kind of character and stature that attracted men who were looking for true leadership. One mark of real leaders is that they have devoted followers and not just self-seeking flatterers and parasites. (The official term is “sycophants,” from a Greek word meaning “an informer.” The American and English slang expression would be “bootlicker.”) Saul’s officers were men he couldn’t trust and who had to be bribed into loyal service (see 1 Sam. 22:6ff.), but David’s men would have died for their leader, and some of them did.
Since ancient peoples often had two or more names that could have alternate spellings, it’s not easy to correlate the list in 2 Samuel 23 with the one in 1 Chronicles 11. Some names on the Samuel list are missing from the Chronicles list, but the latter list contains sixteen extra names (11:41–47). Perhaps they were replacements or alternates. Those not mentioned in the Chronicles list are Shammah son of Agee (v. 11), Elika (v. 25), Eliam (v. 34), and Igal (v. 36). The differences between the two lists are minor and doubtless the composition of this group changed from time to time as men died and were replaced.
In this list, the men are divided into four groups: the three mighty men (vv. 8–12), the second three mighty men (vv. 13–17), two special leaders (vv. 18–23), and “The Thirty” exceptional soldiers (vv. 24–39). But does verse 36 record one man’s name (“Igal the son of Nathan who was the son of Hagri”) or the names of two men (“Igal the son of Nathan, and the son of Hagri”)? Except for the three men who brought David the water, the names of all the other men are given, so it seems strange that one man’s name would be omitted. It’s likely that verse 36 registers the name of one man, which means there were thirty-two soldiers in “The Thirty”—the twenty-nine named on the list, plus the three unnamed men of verses 13–17. Perhaps the term “The Thirty” was simply a code name for David’s elite soldiers, regardless of how many there were, just as “The Twelve” was a code name for the Lord’s apostles. If you add to the thirty-two men the three mighty men of verses 8–12, plus Abishai and Benaiah, you have the total of thirty-seven given in verse 39.
Two names are familiar to us: Asahel, the nephew of David and brother of Joab and Abishai (v. 24), and Uriah the Hittite, the husband of Bathsheba (v. 39; 1 Chron. 11:41). Both of them were dead, but their names remained on the list of great warriors. How tragic that David took the life of one of his best soldiers just to cover up sin!
Two other facts are worth noting. First, David didn’t do the job alone; he had the help of many devoted followers. We think of David as a mighty warrior, and he was, but how far would he have gotten without his loyal and gifted soldiers? Most of the men listed came from Judah. This is to be expected since Judah was David’s tribe and he reigned there before the nation was united. But “The Thirty” also included three men from Benjamin, the tribe of Saul, and several soldiers from neighboring nations. All these men recognized that God’s hand was upon David and they wanted to be a part of what God was doing. The diversity of the commanders in his army speaks well of his leadership.
Second, God noted each man, had most of their names recorded in His Word, and will one day reward each one for the ministry he performed. David’s name is mentioned over a thousand times in the Bible, while most of these men are mentioned but once or twice. However, when they meet the Lord, “then each one’s praise will come from God” (1 Cor. 4: nkjv).
Joab was commander of the entire army (20:23), but he’s mentioned in this military roster only in connection with his brothers Abishai (v. 18) and Asahel (v. 24; 1 Chron. 11:20, 26). In the end, Joab was disloyal to David and tried to put Adonijah on the throne, and this cost him his life (1 Kings 2:28–34).