2 Samuel 23 is the twenty-third chapter of the Second Book of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible and in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. Jewish tradition attributes the book to the prophet Samuel, with later additions by the prophets Gad and Nathan; modern scholarship, however, regards it as a compilation of independent texts dated to . Chapter 23 contains the prophetic last words of David (verses 1–7) and records the names and deeds of David's Mighty Warriors, notably Josheb-Basshebeth; Eleazar son of Dodo son of Ahohi; Shammah son of Age the Ararite; Abishai; and Benaiah son of Jehoiada (verses 8–23). This chapter is part of a section comprising 2 Samuel 21–24 that forms the appendix of the books of Samuel.
Text The original text of this chapter was written in Biblical Hebrew. This chapter is divided into 39 verses.
Textual versions Some ancient witnesses for the text of this chapter in Biblical Hebrew come from the Masoretic Textual tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, including 1Q7 (1QSam; ), with extant verses 9–12,Dead sea scrolls - 2 Samuel1Q7 at the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library and 4Q51 (4QSam; ), with extant verses 1–6, 14–16, 21–22, and 38–39.4Q51 at the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library
A translation into Koine Greek, known as the Septuagint, was also produced in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; ), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: S; ), and Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; ).
Analysis The chapter comprises two main parts: David's final oracle (verses 1–7) and an account of David's Mighty Warriors (verses 8–39). The first part describes the ideal ruler, recalls the divine covenant with the Davidic line, and contrasts righteous government with the fate of the wicked. The second part names the warriors associated with David and recounts several of their deeds.
David's last words The Catholic Jerusalem Bible compares the attribution of last words to David with the final pronouncements attributed to Jacob in Genesis 49 and to Moses in Deuteronomy 33.Jerusalem Bible, footnote at 2 Samuel 23:1. The comparison reflects a broader literary resemblance: each passage associates a prominent leader's final pronouncement with the future of Israel or its tribes. Unlike the pronouncements of Jacob and Moses, however, David's last words do not take the form of a series of statements addressed to Israel's tribes. Instead, David delivers a prophetic oracle concerning righteous kingship, its life-giving effects, and an enduring covenant concerning his house.
The designation "last words" () has been interpreted as identifying David's final psalm or vision, rather than the last words he ever spoke. In 1 Kings 2:1–9, shortly before his death, David gives instructions to his son and successor Solomon. The medieval Jewish commentator Rashi similarly interprets the expression in 2 Samuel 23:1 as referring to David's final prophecy and distinguishes it from the song recorded in the preceding chapter.
The oracle is introduced with the noun (), a term used to introduce declarations or revelations attributed to prophets. In verses 2–3, David attributes the oracle to divine speech: "The spirit of has spoken through me, God's message is on my tongue; the God of Israel has spoken, the Rock of Israel said concerning me: 'He who rules over people justly, He who rules in awe of God'." Rashi interprets the expression "spoken through me" as indicating that God bestowed the holy spirit upon David and spoke through him.
Verse 1
The verse identifies David through a sequence of titles, beginning with his parentage and continuing with his elevation, anointing, and association with Israel's songs. The twice-repeated Hebrew term (, ) introduces a solemn declaration and gives the passage the form of an oracle. Rashi accordingly interprets the "last words" as David's final prophecy, in contrast to the song recorded in the preceding chapter. "Anointed" translates (), from which the English word "messiah" ultimately derives. In this verse, the term functions as a royal designation for David rather than necessarily referring to a future eschatological figure, and it recalls the reference to God's "anointed one" in 2 Samuel 22:51. The final designation, "the favorite of the songs of Israel" in the Revised JPS translation (), syntactically difficult and has been rendered in several ways. The traditional translation, "the sweet psalmist of Israel", understands the expression as describing David as Israel's favored or pleasing singer of songs.
The ideal ruler and the Davidic covenant Verses 3–4 describe the ideal ruler as one who governs people justly and in awe of God. Such a ruler is compared to the light of morning at sunrise and to the combined effects of sunlight and rain that cause vegetation to grow from the earth. The imagery depicts the blessings of just government as life-giving and beneficial to the governed.\ By defining the ruler in terms of justice and awe of God, the oracle presents an ideal against which Davidic kingship may be evaluated rather than merely celebrating royal power.
Verse 5 connects this ideal with the covenant established with David's house in 2 Samuel 7. Its Hebrew is difficult, particularly the opening words: "?" (). The Revised JPS reads the words interrogatively, "Is not my House established before God?", thereby presenting them as an affirmation of the relationship between David's dynasty and God.; translation from the 2023 Revised JPS Edition. Other translations understand the clause concessively, "Although my house is not so with God", in which case David acknowledges that his house has not fully embodied the ideal of righteous government described in the preceding verses.\ The remainder of the verse appeals to the "everlasting covenant" made with David and describes it as fully ordered and secure, recalling the dynastic promise of 2 Samuel 7.
Verses 6–7 contrast the just ruler with the wicked, who are compared to thorns that cannot be gathered by hand and must be approached with iron or the shaft of a spear before being burned. The image of the thorns contrasts with the vegetation produced by sunlight and rain in verse 4: just rule is associated with growth and flourishing, whereas the wicked are represented as dangerous growth to be removed and destroyed.
David's warriors
The account of David's warriors comprises several overlapping groups whose precise composition and relationship to one another are uncertain. Verses 8–12 describe three individually named warriors: Josheb-basshebeth, Eleazar son of Dodo, and Shammah son of Age. Each is credited with an exceptional military exploit. In the accounts of Eleazar and Shammah, however, the narrator concludes that God brought about the great victory, thereby attributing the outcome to divine action as well as human valor.
The Hebrew text of verse 8 is particularly difficult. The Masoretic Text identifies the first warrior as Josheb-basshebeth the Tahchemonite and also preserves the expression "Adino the Eznite" (). Some translations retain these words as a name or epithet, while others reconstruct a clause stating that the warrior raised or wielded his spear. The reconstructed reading is supported by some manuscripts of the Septuagint and by the parallel account in 1 Chronicles 11:11. The parallel passage names the warrior Jashobeam son of Hachmoni and credits him with killing three hundred opponents, whereas the Masoretic Text of 2 Samuel 23:8 names Josheb-basshebeth and gives a total of eight hundred.
Verses 13–17 recount how three unnamed warriors passed through the Philistine camp after David expressed a longing for water from the cistern near the gate of Bethlehem. The warriors obtained the water and brought it to David, but he refused to drink it and instead poured it out as a libation to God. David explained that the water represented the blood of the men who had obtained it at the risk of their lives. The episode portrays the warriors' deed as an exceptional act of devotion to David, while David's response treats the water as too closely associated with their endangered lives to be consumed for his personal satisfaction. His libation transfers the costly gift from personal consumption to an offering dedicated to God.
The three warriors in the Bethlehem episode are described by the of verse 13 as "three of the thirty", but their relationship to the three warriors named in verses 8–12 is uncertain. The consonantal text has "thirty" where the marginal reading has "three", apparently reflecting confusion between the similar Hebrew forms () and (). The varying references to "the Three", "three of the Thirty", and "the Thirty" may preserve distinctions of rank within David's military retinue, although the exact organization of these groups can no longer be reconstructed with certainty.
Verses 18–23 describe Abishai, the brother of Joab, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada. Both achieved distinction but did not attain the rank of the foremost three. Abishai is credited with killing three hundred opponents, while Benaiah is credited with killing two Moabite warriors, killing a lion in a pit on a snowy day, and defeating an armed Egyptian with the Egyptian's own spear. The precise meaning of the expression describing Benaiah's Moabite opponents, (, ), is uncertain; translations variously understand it as referring to "two [sons] of Ariel", two champions, or two lion-like warriors of Moab. David subsequently placed Benaiah in charge of his bodyguard. Benaiah later supported Solomon during the succession struggle and replaced Joab as commander of the army after Solomon's accession.
The Thirty
The roster conventionally called "the Thirty" begins with Asahel, the brother of Joab, in verse 24 and concludes with Uriah the Hittite in verse 39. "The Thirty" appears to have functioned as the designation of an established military corps rather than as an exact head count, since the roster in verses 24–39 contains thirty-one names, while the chapter concludes by giving a total of thirty-seven warriors when the preceding groups are included. The discrepancy may reflect changes in the group's membership over time, the replacement of deceased members, or difficulties in the transmission and classification of the names.
The roster is arranged at least partly according to the warriors' geographic or ethnic associations. Many of the earlier names are connected with places in Judah and Benjamin, including Bethlehem, Tekoa, Anathoth, and Gibeah, while later entries include men associated with Zobah, Ammon, Beeroth, and the Hittites. The list therefore depicts David's military following as extending beyond his immediate family and the territory surrounding Bethlehem to include warriors of varied regional and ethnic origins.
The final named warrior is Uriah the Hittite. His inclusion recalls the events of 2 Samuel 11, in which David had sexual relations with Uriah's wife Bathsheba and subsequently arranged for Uriah to be abandoned in battle and killed. The prophet Nathan later charged David with having killed Uriah "by the sword of the Ammonites". Read in the context of the book as a whole, the roster's conclusion with Uriah creates a literary irony: the final warrior honored among David's distinguished followers is also the loyal soldier whom David betrayed and caused to be killed.
See also David Uriah the Hittite Related Bible parts: 2 Samuel 11, 2 Samuel 12, 1 Chronicles 11
References
Sources
External links Jewish translations: Samuel II - II Samuel - Chapter 23 (Judaica Press). Hebrew text and English translation [with Rashi's commentary] at Chabad.org Christian translations: