2 Samuel 23


2 Samuel 23 is the 23rd Chapters and [verses of the Bible|chapter] in the second parts of the Books of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. It contains a prophetic statement described as the "last words of David" and details of the 37 "mighty men" who were David's chief warriors.

Text

The original text of this chapter was written in the Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 39 verses.

Textual versions

Some ancient witnesses for the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes the Codex Cairensis, Aleppo Codex, Codex Leningradensis. Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls including 1Q7 with extant verses 9–12 and 4Q51 with extant verses 1–6, 14–16, 21–22, 38–39.
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BC. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus, Codex Sinaiticus, and Codex Alexandrinus.

Analysis

The Jerusalem Bible states that last words were attributed to David in the style of Jacob and Moses. Its editors note that "the text has suffered considerably and reconstructions are conjectural".
contains David's final words to Solomon, his son and successor as king.

David's last words (23:1–7)

The last words of David do not consist of a blessing to Israel, but David is portrayed as a prophet speaking a prophecy similar to Moses in Deuteronomy 32–33.

Verse 1

  • "Anointed" : "Messiah", a royal title that here refers to David, echoing 2 Samuel 22:51.
  • "Psalmist" : can be rendered as "singer of songs", which refers to David; translated as the "Strong One" in NRSV which is interpreted as an epithet for Yahweh.

David's mighty men (23:8–39)

The list of David's warriors consists of several sections. The first part is about 'the Three' with their names—Josheb-basshebeth, Eleazar and Shammah—and deeds. The second part is about the 'three of the thirty' who were different from the first three, but also whose membership in the thirty is also uncertain, so probably somewhere between these two groups. The list of the Thirty starts with Asahel in verse 24, then the following warriors may be arranged geographically, with places in verses 24–35 being the closest to Bethlehem, and those in verses 36–39 were non-Israelites.