II Samuel 23:13-17 · Bible study
2 Samuel 23:13-17 Commentary: David's Mighty Men and the Water of Bethlehem
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Three warriors risk death to bring David water from Bethlehem. He pours it out as an offering to the LORD. Commentary, background, discussion.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Three of David’s mighty men risk their lives to bring him water from Bethlehem’s well; David consecrates it to God as a libation, calling it the men’s blood.
- Key words: shalishim (thirty/third commanders); bor (cistern/well); va/yassekh (poured out as a drink offering); dam (blood).
- Main debate: Are these three the same as the earlier trio (Jashobeam, Eleazar, Shammah) or a different triad from the Thirty?
- Theological theme: Costly love demands consecration; what is won at the risk of life belongs to God.
- Best use: A vivid illustration of servant leadership, spontaneous loyalty, and the worship that transforms sacrifice into prayer.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
13At harvest time, three of the thirty chief men went down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a company of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.
14At that time David was in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was at Bethlehem.
15David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!”
16So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine camp, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out to the LORD,
17saying, “Far be it from me, O LORD, to do this! Is this not the blood of the men who risked their lives?” So he refused to drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.
WEB World English Bible 2000
13Three of the thirty chief men went down, and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam; and the troop of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.
14David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.
15David said longingly, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!”
16The three mighty men broke through the army 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; but he would not drink of it, but poured it out to Yahweh.
17He said, “Be it far from me, Yahweh, that I should do this! Isn’t this the blood of the men who risked their lives to go?” Therefore he would not drink it. The three mighty men did these things.
KJV King James Version 1769
13And three of the thirty chief went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam: and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the valley of Rephaim.
14And David was then in an hold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Beth–lehem.
15And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Beth–lehem, which is by the gate!
16And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth–lehem, 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.
17And he said, Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this: is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
13And three of the thirty chief men went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam; and the troop of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.
14And David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Beth-lehem.
15And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me water to drink of the well of Beth-lehem, which is by the gate!
16And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto Jehovah.
17And he said, Be it far from me, O Jehovah, that I should do this: shall I drink the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
13And three of the thirty heads go down and come unto the harvest, unto David, unto the cave of Adullam, and the company of the Philistines are encamping in the valley of Rephaim,
14and David is then in a fortress, and the station of the Philistines is then in Beth-Lehem,
15and David longeth and saith, `Who doth give me a drink of the water of the well of Beth-Lehem, which is by the gate?'
16And the three mighty ones cleave through the camp of the Philistines, and draw water out of the well of Beth-Lehem, which is by the gate, and take it up, and bring in unto David; and he was not willing to drink it, and poureth it out to Jehovah,
17and saith, `Far be it from me, O Jehovah, to do this; is it the blood of the men who are going with their lives?' and he was not willing to drink it; these things did the three mighty ones.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
13And three of the thirty chiefs went down, and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam, when the troop of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.
14And David was then in the stronghold; and the Philistines' garrison was then at Bethlehem.
15And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me to drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is in the gate!
16And the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, which is in the gate, and took it, and brought it to David; however he would not drink of it, but poured it out to Jehovah.
17And he said, Be it far from me, Jehovah, that I should do this thing! is it not the blood of the men that went at the risk of their lives? Therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
13Moreover also before this the three who were princes among the thirty, went down and came to David in the harvest time into the cave of Odollam: and the camp of the Philistines was in the valley of the giants.
14And David was then in a hold: and there was a garrison of the Philistines then in Bethlehem.
15And David longed, and said: O that some man would get me a drink of the water out of the cistern, that is in Bethlehem, by the gate.
16And the three valiant men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water out of the cistern of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and brought it to David: but he would not drink, but offered it to the Lord,
17Saying: The Lord be merciful to me, that I may not do this: shall I drink the blood of these men that went, and the peril of their lives? therefore he would not drink. These things did these three mighty men.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · II Samuel 23:13
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this passage records a defining moment for David’s inner circle. The three men who fetch the water are not the same as the trio celebrated earlier (Jashobeam, Eleazar, Shammah). Rather, they are a second triad promoted from the Thirty for this act of daring, most likely Abishai, Benaiah, and one unnamed companion (Barnes, Cambridge Bible). David’s longing for a drink from the Bethlehem well was a natural wish, not a command; the men acted spontaneously on his words (Clarke; Wesley). When they returned, David refused the water. He called it “the blood of the men who risked their lives” and poured it out to Yahweh. The verb translated “poured out” (va/yassekh) is the technical term for a drink offering or libation (Cambridge Bible). By consecrating the water to God, David both honored the men’s sacrifice and denied his own thirst. Gill and Henry see this as a masterful act of self-denial, valuing the lives of his soldiers above his own comfort. Clarke finds a parallel in Alexander the Great’s refusal of water, but notes that David added an explicitly religious dimension. The episode appears again in 1 Chronicles 11:15-19 with minor textual differences; the core meaning stands: costly love deserves nothing less than whole devotion to God.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Same three mighty men: Josephus and some later commentators identify them with the elite trio (Jashobeam, Eleazar, Shammah), noting the consistency of 'three' throughout the chapter.
- Different triad from the Thirty: Barnes, Cambridge and Gill point to the wording 'three of the thirty chief men' (v.13) and the promotion of Abishai and Benaiah in vv.18-23 as evidence this is a second group, not the first three.
What is clear: Three warriors from David’s elite force risked their lives to bring him water from a well behind enemy lines, and David refused to drink it, pouring it out as an offering to God.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the three men | They are mighty men from David's Thirty, honored for this specific feat. | Some commentators (e.g., Josephus, Gill) think they are the same three as vv.8-12; others (Barnes, Cambridge Bible) argue they are a distinct triad, probably Abishai, Benaiah, and an unnamed third, rewarded with promotion for this exploit. |
| Nature of David's refusal | David would not drink the water because it was obtained at the risk of the men's lives. | Some emphasize self-denial as a moral lesson (Wesley, Henry); others stress the religious act of pouring a libation (Clarke, Cambridge). Both are held together by most commentators. |
| Relationship to 1 Chronicles 11:15-19 | Both passages recount the same event with minor differences. | The most notable variant is 'harvest time' (2 Sam 23:13) vs 'to the rock' (1 Chr 11:15). Some see a scribal confusion; others argue both can be reconciled as describing the same location. |
| Meaning of 'poured it out to the LORD' | It was a libation, a sacrificial offering. | Christians across traditions see it as foreshadowing Christ's blood poured out for others, though the original context is about consecration and refusal to consume life's price. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The story belongs to the closing appendix of 2 Samuel, a catalogue of David’s mighty men (2 Sam 23:8-39). The list compiles exploits from across his career, not in strict order. This particular incident probably occurred early in David’s reign, while he was still consolidating control over Judah and the Philistines held key territory.
Geography drives the drama. David was at the cave of Adullam, a natural fortress in the lowlands about fifteen miles southwest of Jerusalem. The cave had sheltered him years earlier when he fled from Saul (1 Sam 22:1-2). Now the Philistines camped in the Valley of Rephaim, a fertile plain just southwest of Jerusalem (2 Sam 5:18). That valley lay between Adullam and Bethlehem. Worse, a Philistine garrison sat directly in Bethlehem itself, David’s own hometown, six miles south of Jerusalem. The enemy had penetrated deep into Judah’s heartland.
The “harvest time” likely means late spring to early summer, when the heat would make thirst intense. The well “by the gate” of Bethlehem was a familiar landmark, probably a deep cistern that supplied the town. Jewish tradition calls it Bir-Daoud, “David’s Well,” about three-quarters of a mile north of modern Bethlehem (Barnes; Jamieson-Fausset-Brown).
The three warriors had to cross the enemy-occupied valley, break through the camp, draw water from a well under garrison guard, and return the same way. That they succeeded without losing their lives is itself remarkable. The Chronicler preserves a parallel account (1 Chr 11:15-19) with one notable difference: instead of “harvest time,” Chronicles says they went “to the rock” (ha-sela‘). The Hebrew consonants are nearly identical, suggesting a scribal variant. Both texts affirm the same core event.
Textual Notes
The principal textual question involves the phrase “harvest time” (baqqatsir) in verse 13. The parallel in 1 Chronicles 11:15 reads “to the rock” (’el-hassela‘). The Hebrew consonants are nearly identical (qtsyr vs sl‘), with only a resh / lamed difference, suggesting a scribal metathesis. The Greek Old Testament (LXX) follows the Chronicles reading in places, while the Masoretic Text preserves both. A few later Hebrew manuscripts harmonize. Most commentators accept both readings as referring to the same event. Another minor variant: “troop of the Philistines” (hayyat pelishtim) occurs only here and in verse 11; 1 Chronicles 11:15 uses the more common “camp.” The Cambridge Bible notes that the word may mean “communal group.” The overall story is stable across witnesses.
Reception History
Early Jewish tradition in the Targum and Midrash viewed this as a demonstration of David’s piety, he refused to profit from bloodshed. Christian interpreters from the patristic era onward saw a type of Christ: the water poured out prefigured the blood of Christ, whose life was poured out for others. Augustine (City of God, Book 17) briefly alludes to David’s self-restraint as a model for kings. In the medieval period, the episode became part of chivalric ideals: the men’s devotion illustrated knightly loyalty. Reformation commentators (Calvin, Matthew Henry) focused on David’s refusal as a lesson in self-denial and the proper attitude toward costly gifts. Wesley and Clarke highlight the libation as an act of worship. Across traditions, the story has been read devotionally to illustrate that what is obtained through great sacrifice belongs to God, not to our appetites.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- A longing spoken aloud. David’s words were a sigh, not an order. Yet his men heard a wish and turned it into a mission. Their loyalty went beyond duty, they served from love.
- A gift won at great cost. The three broke through an army to bring back nothing but water. The value of the gift lay not in the water itself, but in what they risked to get it.
- A sacrifice poured out to God. David refused to drink. He recognized that the water had become the price of life. By pouring it to Yahweh, he returned the gift to its ultimate source and honored the men’s sacrifice as holy.
Five-point outline
- Context of crisis: Philistine occupation, David pinned in a stronghold, hometown under enemy control.
- The spontaneous wish: David’s desire for Bethlehem’s water, a taste of home and freedom.
- The courageous act: Three men, uncommanded, break through a hostile camp to draw water.
- The surprising refusal: David will not drink the water; he calls it blood.
- The consecration: He pours it as a drink offering, turning sacrifice into worship.
Illustration hooks
- Ordinary gestures made extraordinary: A child saving pocket money to buy a parent a gift; the parent framing it instead of using it because it represents the child’s love. David treated the water the same way.
- Loss of a desired thing as an act of worship: A couple forgoes their dream vacation to give the money to a mission. What they gave up meant more to God because it cost them something.
- Risks taken for someone else’s wish: A friend drives through a storm to bring medicine when asked. No command needed; love moved them.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why didn’t David just drink it? Wouldn’t that have honored the men more? David saw the water as their lives. Drinking it would trivialize their risk. Pouring it out to God honored it as sacred.
- What does “poured it out to the LORD” mean? It is a libation, a drink offering. In ancient worship, wine and water were poured out at the altar as gifts to God. David used the men’s gift as an act of worship.
- Why is this story in the Bible? It shows the quality of loyalty that surrounded David and, more importantly, David’s own reverence for life and his dependence on God rather than human effort.
Leading a Discussion
These three warriors do something extraordinary because they love their king. But the story pivots on David’s response: he does the unexpected. He turns a drink of water into an act of worship. How do we treat the costly gifts others give us? And when do we recognize that the true Giver stands behind every human gift?
Discussion questions
- Read 2 Samuel 23:13-17 slowly. What stands out to you about the three men’s actions?
- David says, “Is not this the blood of the men who risked their lives?” Why does he call water blood?
- The men risked their lives without being asked. What does this tell you about their relationship with David?
- Why do you think David poured the water out to the LORD instead of drinking it? What does that reveal about his character?
- In what ways might we treat a costly gift from someone as “too sacred” for ordinary use?
- This story appears again in 1 Chronicles 11:15-19 with a small change: instead of “harvest time” it says “to the rock.” Does that difference affect the meaning? Why do you think both versions were preserved?
- What would it look like in your daily life to treat someone’s sacrifice for you as an offering to God?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 14:7 | and he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, with captains over all of them. |
| Joshua 12:15 | the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one; |
| Joshua 15:35 | Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, |
| I Samuel 22:1 | David therefore departed from there and escaped to Adullam’s cave. When his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. |
| II Samuel 5:18 | Now the Philistines had come and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. |
| II Samuel 5:22 | The Philistines came up yet again and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. |
| I Chronicles 11:15 | Three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the army of the Philistines were encamped in the valley of Rephaim. |
| I Chronicles 11:19 | and said, “My God forbid me, that I should do this! Shall I drink the blood of these men who have put their lives in jeopardy?” For they risked their lives to bring it. Therefore he would not drink it. The three mighty men did these things. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke suggests the word "thirty" actually refers to a specific rank or group of officers, not a number. He then highlights the heroism of David's three warriors who risked their lives to fetch water from Bethlehem's well. David refused to drink what was bought with blood, pouring it out as a sacred offering to the Lord, adding piety to his bravery.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that David considered the water from Bethlehem's well too precious for his own thirst because it was bought at the risk of his men's lives. Pouring it out to the Lord showed a principle: only God is worthy of a gift that costly.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
David treats the water his men fetched at risk of their lives as something too sacred for his own thirst. To him it was like the blood of his comrades, in which life resides, so he pours it out as a drink offering to God. Chivalry and religion meet in one act.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill observes that David treated the water as equivalent to the blood of the three men who risked their lives to fetch it, so he poured it out as
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB discusses whether the well traditionally called Bir-Daoud is truly David's well, noting that its location would require Bethlehem to have once extended further north. He also questions whether David was in the cave of Adullam, since that city lay southwest of Bethlehem, not southeast.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry observes that David treated the water not as a common drink but as a sacred offering, poured out to the Lord because his men had risked their lives for it. David’s refusal to drink shows a princely reverence for the price paid to obtain it.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights that David refused the water not because he lacked thirst but because it was bought at the risk of his men's lives. He poured it out as a sacred offering to God, showing he valued their courage and loyalty more than his own comfort.