2 Samuel 23:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty. And he wielded his spear against three hundred men and killed them and won a name beside the three.

NIV: Abishai the brother of Joab son of Zeruiah was chief of the Three. He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three.

NASB: Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty. And he swung his spear against three hundred and killed them, and had a name as well as the three.

CSB: Abishai, Joab’s brother and son of Zeruiah, was leader of the Three. He wielded his spear against three hundred men and killed them, gaining a reputation among the Three.

NLT: Abishai son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, was the leader of the Thirty. He once used his spear to kill 300 enemy warriors in a single battle. It was by such feats that he became as famous as the Three.

KJV: And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief among three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred, and slew them, and had the name among three.

NKJV: Now Abishai the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of another three. He lifted his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name among these three.

Second Samuel 23:18–19 (1 Chronicles 11:20–21) moves on from David's three greatest warriors to two of his greatest commanders. Joab isn't mentioned, but his brother Abishai, David's nephew, is. Abishai was chief of "the thirty," a band of warriors that numbered about thirty at any given time. The 300 men probably reflect his lifetime kill number, although his division once slaughtered 18,000 Edomites (1 Chronicles 18:12). He also defended David against a giant Philistine (2 Samuel 21:15–17) and earned the respect of "the three." It seems he led the primarily Jewish guard while Benaiah led the Gentiles (2 Samuel 8:18).

Second Samuel 23 has two distinct sections. David has already written a psalm honoring God for his deliverance and blessing (2 Samuel 22). Second Samuel 23:1–7 is a shorter psalm that identifies David as a prophet and compares good kings, God, and bad men. Second Samuel 23:8–39 lists many of the men God used to protect David, make him king, and keep Israel safe. The roll call is repeated, with some variations, in 1 Chronicles 11:10–47. The book of 1 and 2 Samuel ends with David's decision to count his troops; a sin that God punishes with a pestilence that kills 70,000 men (2 Samuel 24).

Second Samuel 23 gives David's last psalm and a roll call of his warriors. The psalm is part of the center of a reflection structure seen in 2 Samuel 21—24. The mirror of themes, called a "chiasm," emphasizes that God alone is responsible for David's success and safety. Second Samuel 21:15–22 and 23:8–39 list some of the warriors God used to protect David and Israel. Second Samuel 21:1–14 and 24:1–25 show that God's blessings are despite the kings' failures, not because they deserved God's favor. The book of 1 Kings begins the transfer of power from David to his son Solomon.

Second Samuel continues the story of David, who will become king over Judah. The other tribes of Israel are resistant, eventually sparking a civil war. David wins and makes Jerusalem his capital. Early success is followed by moral failure and controversy in David's house. The book of 1 Kings will begin by detailing David's decline and death.