2 Samuel 23:24
in 2 Samuel 23Now these were members of the Thirty: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Beth-lehem,
KJV
Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Beth–lehem,
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This verse in 2 Samuel 23
Commentary
7 notes on this verseAsahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty,.... Or rather over the thirty (n), who are next mentioned; since there are thirty reckoned besides him, and the Arabic version calls him the prince of the thirty; Joab is not named at all, because he was general of the whole army, and so not to be reckoned in any of the three classes: Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem: a townsman of David. (n) בשלישים "supra triginta istos", Junius & Tremellius.
This site's exposition
Asahel the brother of Joab
on 2 Samuel 23:24-38
The thirty are given as names and towns, and the roll keeps its dead: Asahel has been in his grave since Abner killed him at 2:23, and he stands first. The company is wider than Israel, with Zelek the Ammonite and Uriah's fellow foreigners on equal footing, drawn from the men who gathered to David in the cave days. At verse 34 stands Eliam the son of Ahithophel, and since Bathsheba is called the daughter of Eliam at 11:3, some draw the line that makes Ahithophel her grandfather; it is an inference from two verses, and the page says so.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
4 And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. 5 Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
Asahel is the first, who was slain by Abner in the beginning of David's reign, but lost not his place in this catalogue. Elhanan is the next, brother to Eleazar, one of the first three,
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
Asahel - was one of the thirty - Asahel was one of those officers, or troops, called the shalishim. This Asahel, brother of Joab, was the same that was killed by Abner, 2Sa 2:23.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
the first three--The mighty men or champions in David's military staff were divided into three classes--the highest, Jashobeam, Eleazar, and Shammah; the second class, Abishai, Benaiah, and Asahel; and the third class, the thirty, of which Asahel was the chief.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
etc. The early death of Asahel 2Sa 2:32 would make it very likely that his place in the 30 would be filled up, and so easily account for the number 31 in the list. Compare throughout the list in 1 Chr. 11.
The words behind it
10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| עֲשָׂה־ | ʾasah- | Asah- | H6214 → | 24 times |
| אֵ֥ל | ʾel | -el | H6214 → | 24 times |
| אֲחִֽי־ | ʾachi- | [the] brother of | H251 → | 630 times |
| יוֹאָ֖ב | yoav | Joab | H3097 → | 144 times |
| בַּשְּׁלֹשִׁ֑ים | basheloshim | [was] among the thirty | H7970 → | 172 times |
| אֶלְחָנָ֥ן | ʾelchanan | Elhanan | H445 → | |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| דֹּד֖וֹ | dodo | Dodo | H1734 → | |
| בֵּ֥ית | beit | Beth- | H1035 → | 82 times |
| לָֽחֶם׃ | lachem | -lehem | H1035 → | 82 times |
עֲשָׂה־Asah-
ʾasah-H6214 →24 times
אֵ֥ל-el
ʾelH6214 →24 times
אֲחִֽי־[the] brother of
ʾachi-H251 →630 times
יוֹאָ֖בJoab
yoavH3097 →144 times
בַּשְּׁלֹשִׁ֑ים[was] among the thirty
basheloshimH7970 →172 times
אֶלְחָנָ֥ןElhanan
ʾelchananH445 →
בֶּן־[the] son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
דֹּד֖וֹDodo
dodoH1734 →
בֵּ֥יתBeth-
beitH1035 →82 times
לָֽחֶם׃-lehem
lachemH1035 →82 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 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
2 Samuel 2:18The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was fleet of foot like a wild gazelle,
it leads to
- 1 Chronicles 12:8
Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert. They were mighty men of valor, trained for battle, experts with the shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions…
- Habakkuk 3:19
GOD the Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like those of a deer; He makes me walk upon the heights! For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments.
- Song of Solomon 2:17
Before the day breaks and shadows flee, turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of Bether.
- Song of Solomon 8:14
Come away, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.
- Psalms 18:33
He makes my feet like those of a deer and stations me upon the heights.
- 1 Chronicles 12:8
Through
1 Chronicles 11:26Now these were the mighty men: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,
it leads to
- 2 Samuel 2:18–23
The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was fleet of foot like a wild gazelle,
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Chronicles 27:7
The fourth, for the fourth month, was Joab’s brother Asahel, and his son Zebadiah was commander after him. There were 24,000 men in his division.
- 2 Samuel 2:18–23
Through
1 Chronicles 27:7The fourth, for the fourth month, was Joab’s brother Asahel, and his son Zebadiah was commander after him. There were 24,000 men in his division.
it leads to
- 1 Chronicles 11:26
Now these were the mighty men: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,
- 1 Chronicles 11:26
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 2 Samuel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Books of Samuel and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.