2 Samuel 18:2
in 2 Samuel 18He sent out the troops, a third under Joab, a third under Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the troops, “I will surely march out with you as well.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And David sent forth the people, a third part under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also.
KJV
And David sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also.
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This verse in 2 Samuel 18
Commentary
6 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
A third part - This seems to have been a favorite division with the Hebrew commanders (see Jdg 7:16; Jdg 9:43; 1Sa 11:11; 2Ki 11:5-6) and with the Philistines also 1Sa 13:17.
This site's exposition
captains of thousands and captains of hundreds
on 2 Samuel 18:1-3
David numbers the men who have stayed loyal to him and divides them into three companies under Joab, Abishai and Ittai the Gittite, then tells them he means to go out with them himself. The people refuse him outright: if the army breaks and flees no one will care, and if half of them fall no one will care, but the king is worth ten thousand of them and safer inside the city walls. Josephus counted this loyal army at only about four thousand men, a small remnant beside the host that followed Absalom out of Hebron in chapter fifteen.
This site's exposition
a third under Ittai the Gittite
David sent out the troops in three parts, a third under Joab, a third under Abishai, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. Albert Barnes notes this threefold order among Hebrew commanders, as with Gideon at Judges 7:16 and Saul at 1 Samuel 11:11. Ittai's oath at 15:21 earns him equal rank with Joab.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
), and they showed theirs to him by opposing it. We must never reckon it an affront to be gain-said for our good, and by those that therein consult our interest. They would by no means have him to expose himself, for (say they) thou art worth 10,000 of us.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And David sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of Joab,....
He had, no doubt, committed his cause to God by prayer, for that was his relief in all his afflictions; and then he took an account of his forces. Josephus says they were, in all, but about 4000.
The words behind it
27 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְשַׁלַּ֨ח | vayshalach | and he sent out | H7971 → | 845 times |
| דָּוִ֜ד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הָעָ֗ם | haam | the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| הַשְּׁלִשִׁ֤ית | hashelishit | the third | H7992 → | 107 times |
| בְּיַד־ | beyad- | [was] in [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| יוֹאָב֙ | yoav | Joab | H3097 → | 144 times |
| וְ֠הַשְּׁלִשִׁית | vehashelishit | and the third | H7992 → | 107 times |
| בְּיַ֨ד | beyad | [was] in [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| אֲבִישַׁ֤י | ʾavishai | Abishai | H52 → | 25 times |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| צְרוּיָה֙ | tzeruyah | Zeruiah | H6870 → | 26 times |
| אֲחִ֣י | ʾachi | [the] brother of | H251 → | 630 times |
| יוֹאָ֔ב | yoav | Joab | H3097 → | 144 times |
| וְהַ֨שְּׁלִשִׁ֔ת | vehashelishit | and the third | H7992 → | 107 times |
| בְּיַ֖ד | beyad | [was] in [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| אִתַּ֣י | ʾitai | Ittai | H863 → | 9 times |
| הַגִּתִּ֑י ס | hagiti | the Gittite | H1663 → | 10 times |
| וַיֹּ֤אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הָעָ֔ם | haam | the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| יָצֹ֥א | yatzo' | certainly <to go out> | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| אֵצֵ֛א | ʾetze' | I will go out | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| גַּם־ | gam- | also | H1571 → | 769 times |
| אֲנִ֖י | ʾani | I | H589 → | 874 times |
| עִמָּכֶֽם׃ | ʾimakhem | with you | H5973 → | 1050 times |
וַיְשַׁלַּ֨חand he sent out
vayshalachH7971 →845 times
דָּוִ֜דDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הָעָ֗םthe people
haamH5971 →1873 times
הַשְּׁלִשִׁ֤יתthe third
hashelishitH7992 →107 times
בְּיַד־[was] in [the] hand of
beyad-H3027 →1618 times
יוֹאָב֙Joab
yoavH3097 →144 times
וְ֠הַשְּׁלִשִׁיתand the third
vehashelishitH7992 →107 times
בְּיַ֨ד[was] in [the] hand of
beyadH3027 →1618 times
אֲבִישַׁ֤יAbishai
ʾavishaiH52 →25 times
בֶּן־[the] son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
צְרוּיָה֙Zeruiah
tzeruyahH6870 →26 times
אֲחִ֣י[the] brother of
ʾachiH251 →630 times
יוֹאָ֔בJoab
yoavH3097 →144 times
וְהַ֨שְּׁלִשִׁ֔תand the third
vehashelishitH7992 →107 times
בְּיַ֖ד[was] in [the] hand of
beyadH3027 →1618 times
אִתַּ֣יIttai
ʾitaiH863 →9 times
הַגִּתִּ֑י סthe Gittite
hagitiH1663 →10 times
וַיֹּ֤אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙the king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הָעָ֔םthe people
haamH5971 →1873 times
יָצֹ֥אcertainly <to go out>
yatzo'H3318 →1067 times
אֵצֵ֛אI will go out
ʾetze'H3318 →1067 times
גַּם־also
gam-H1571 →769 times
אֲנִ֖יI
ʾaniH589 →874 times
עִמָּכֶֽם׃with you
ʾimakhemH5973 →1050 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
6 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Judges 7:16And he divided the three hundred men into three companies and gave each man a ram’s horn in one hand and a large jar in the other, containing a torch.
it leads to
- 2 Corinthians 4:7
Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us.
- 2 Corinthians 4:7
Through
Judges 7:19Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after the changing of the guard. They blew their horns and broke the…
it leads to
- Exodus 14:24
At morning watch, however, the LORD looked down on the army of the Egyptians from the pillar of fire and cloud, and He threw their camp into confusion.
- Psalms 2:9
You will break them with an iron scepter; You will shatter them like pottery.”
- Revelation 16:15
“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who remains awake and clothed, so that he will not go naked and let his shame be exposed.”
- Jeremiah 13:13–14
then you are to tell them that this is what the LORD says: ‘I am going to fill with drunkenness all who live in this land—the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests,…
- 1 Thessalonians 5:2
For you are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
- Exodus 14:24
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About 2 Samuel
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.