2 Samuel 23:9
in 2 Samuel 23Next in command was Eleazar son of Dodo the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty men, he went with David to taunt the Philistines who had gathered for battle at Pas-dammim. The men of Israel retreated,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodai the son of an Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away.
KJV
And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away:
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This verse in 2 Samuel 23
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Gone away - Rather, went up to battle (2Sa 5:19; 2Ki 3:21, etc.) against them. These words and what follows as far as “troop” 2Sa 23:11 have fallen out of the text in Chronicles. The effect of this is to omit EIeazar’s feat, as here described, to attribute to him Shammah’s victory, to misplace the flight of the Israelites, and to omit Shammah altogether from the list of David’s mighty men.
This site's exposition
These be the names of the mighty men
on 2 Samuel 23:8-12
The kingdom was won by named men, and the book writes their names down before it closes. The first three carry one refrain, the LORD wrought a great victory, said over Eleazar whose hand clave unto the sword and over Shammah who held a lentil field alone, so the roll of heroes credits God in its own words. The exploits are told without ornament: a weary hand, a bean patch, and the people returning only to spoil.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The surnames here given them are taken, as it should seem, from the places of their birth or habitation, as many surnames with us originally were. From all parts of the nation, the most wise and valiant were picked up to serve the king. Several of those who are named we find captains of the twelve courses which David appointed, one for each month in the year, 1 Chron. xxvii .
And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Charles Spurgeon1834–1892
The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 3193: “The Man Whose Hand Stuck to His Sword” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition) · Written before 1892.
IN David's muster-roll we find the names of many mighties and they are honored by being found there. These men came to David when his fortunes were at the lowest ebb and he, himself, was regarded as a rebel and an outlaw. And they remained faithful to him throughout their lives. Happy are they who can follow a good cause in its worst estate, for theirs is true glory. Weary of the evil government of Saul, they struck out a path for themselves in which they could best serve their country and their God.
A commentator
Charles Spurgeon1834–1892
The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 3193: “The Man Whose Hand Stuck to His Sword” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition) · Written before 1892.
proposed
IN David's muster-roll we find the names of many mighties and they are honored by being found there. These men came to David when his fortunes were at the lowest ebb and he, himself, was regarded as a rebel and an outlaw. And they remained faithful to him throughout their lives. Happy are they who can follow a good cause in its worst estate, for theirs is true glory. Weary of the evil government of Saul, they struck out a path for themselves in which they could best serve their country and their God. And though this entailed great risks, they were amply rewarded by the honors which in due time they shared with their leader. When David came to the throne, how glad their hearts must have been! And when he went on conquering and to conquer, how they must have rejoiced, each one of them remembering with intense delight the privations which they had shared with their captain. Brothers, we do not ourselves aspire to be numbered with the warlike. The roll of battle does not contain our names and we do not wish that it should. But there is a roll which is now being made up—a roll of heroes who do and dare for Christ, who go outside the camp and take up His reproach and, with confidence in God, earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints and venture all for Jesus Christ! And there will come a day when it will be infinitely more honorable to find one's name in the lowest place in this list of Christ's faithful disciples than to be numbered with princes and kings! Blessed is he who can this day cast in his lot with the Son of David and share His reproach, for the day shall come when the Master's Glory shall be reflected upon all His followers! I. We will now turn our attention to one particular hero, Eleazar, the son of Dodo, and see what he did for his king and country. Our text records one of his feats.
When they defied the Philistines that were there gathered - This is supposed to refer to the war in which David slew Goliath.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
But only to strip [the corpses]. Yonoson translates: "To strip the dead." There was no one to help him kill [the Pelishtim] but they were all stripping the corpses after [he had killed them].
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאַחֲרָ֛יו | veacharo | and [was] after him | H310 → | 715 times |
| אֶלְעָזָ֥ר | ʾelazar | Eleazar | H499 → | |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| דֹּד֖וֹ | dodi | Dodo | H1734 → | |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| אֲחֹחִ֑י | ʾachochi | Ahoah | H266 → | |
| בִּשְׁלֹשָׁ֨ה | bishloshah | among three | H7969 → | 432 times |
| הַגִּבֹּרִ֜ים | hagiborim | the warriors | H1368 → | 158 times |
| עִם־ | ʾim- | with | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| דָּוִ֗ד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| בְּחָֽרְפָ֤ם | becharefam | when defied they | H2778 → | |
| בַּפְּלִשְׁתִּים | bapelishtim | <in> the Philistines | H6430 → | 287 times |
| נֶאֶסְפוּ־ | neesfu- | [who] they were gathered | H622 → | 200 times |
| שָׁ֣ם | sham | there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| לַמִּלְחָמָ֔ה | lamilchamah | for <the> battle | H4421 → | 320 times |
| וַֽיַּעֲל֖וּ | vaiyaalu | and they went up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| אִ֥ישׁ | ʾish | [the] man of | H376 → | 1663 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
וְאַחֲרָ֛יוand [was] after him
veacharoH310 →715 times
אֶלְעָזָ֥רEleazar
ʾelazarH499 →
בֶּן־[the] son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
דֹּד֖וֹDodo
dodiH1734 →
בֶּן־[the] son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
אֲחֹחִ֑יAhoah
ʾachochiH266 →
בִּשְׁלֹשָׁ֨הamong three
bishloshahH7969 →432 times
הַגִּבֹּרִ֜יםthe warriors
hagiborimH1368 →158 times
עִם־with
ʾim-H5973 →1050 times
דָּוִ֗דDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
בְּחָֽרְפָ֤םwhen defied they
becharefamH2778 →
בַּפְּלִשְׁתִּים<in> the Philistines
bapelishtimH6430 →287 times
נֶאֶסְפוּ־[who] they were gathered
neesfu-H622 →200 times
שָׁ֣םthere
shamH8033 →834 times
לַמִּלְחָמָ֔הfor <the> battle
lamilchamahH4421 →320 times
וַֽיַּעֲל֖וּand they went up
vaiyaaluH5927 →890 times
אִ֥ישׁ[the] man of
ʾishH376 →1663 times
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Israel
yisraelH3478 →2507 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
1 Samuel 17:10Then the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day! Give me a man to fight!”
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 17:36
Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Samuel 17:25–26
Now the men of Israel had been saying, “Do you see this man who keeps coming out to defy Israel? To the man who kills him the king will give great riches. And he…
- 1 Samuel 17:45
But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies…
- Nehemiah 2:19
But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they mocked us and ridiculed us, saying, “What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the…
- 1 Samuel 17:36
Through
1 Samuel 17:26David asked the men who were standing with him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he…
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 17:10
Then the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day! Give me a man to fight!”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Samuel 11:2
But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you on one condition, that I may put out everyone’s right eye and bring reproach upon all Israel.”
- Deuteronomy 5:26
For who of all flesh has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the fire, as we have, and survived?
- 1 Samuel 14:6
Jonathan said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the outpost of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will work on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD…
- 1 Samuel 17:10
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 2 Samuel
Who and where
2 names 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); Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 3193: “The Man Whose Hand Stuck to His Sword” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Books of Samuel and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.