Keraia
2 Samuel 23

2 Samuel 23:9

David’s Mighty Men · 2 Samuel 23:8–39
Read 2 Samuel 23

Translations

Modern
Next 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,
Traditional
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:
Literal
And after him was Eleazar son of Dodo, son of Ahohi, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle and the men of Israel had retreated.
Latin
Post hunc, Eleazar filius patrui ejus Ahohites inter tres fortes, qui erant cum David quando exprobraverunt Philisthiim, et congregati sunt illuc in prælium.

Original

Hebrew
English
Next 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,

Notes

2 Samuel 23:8–39

  • This section lists David's top warriors by name, highlighting their notable achievements. These warriors were like "iron tools" that God used to defeat the godless (2 Samuel 23:7).

  • The list is divided into the Three and the Thirty. Some Hebrew scholars suggest that the Thirty could mean "Officers." If true, the Three might have originally referred to a specific military role.

2 Samuel 21:1–24:25

The final chapters of 2 Samuel form a coda (a concluding section). This section brings together and summarizes the main themes from earlier chapters.

These chapters are thematic, not chronological (arranged by topic, not by time). Because of this, not all the events happened at the end of David’s reign (for example, 2 Samuel 22:1).

The material is arranged using a common Hebrew literary pattern called a chiasm (a mirror-like structure). In a chiasm, the first and last sections match, and the middle section is the focus.

The structure of this chiasm is as follows:

A chiasm draws attention to the center section. Here, the center is David’s hymns. These hymns do not focus on David himself. Instead, they focus on David’s God.

Theme notes and profiles

David

Events

Parallels

1 Chronicles 11:10–47

People

Ahoah: Descendant of Benjamin, clan of David's mighty men David: Anointed king of Israel, ancestor of Jesus Christ Dodo: Father of Eleazar, one of David's mighty men Eleazar: Son of Dodo, one of David's mighty men Israel: Patriarch, son of Isaac, father of twelve tribes

Places

Philistia: An ancient people and region in Canaan

Glossary

Ahoah, Ahohi, Ahohite Dodai Dodo Eleazar Genealogy Samuel, Books of First and Second

Topics

Armies: March in Ranks: A Promotion Dodo: One of David's Heroes Eleazar (Eleazer): Son of Dodo, and One of David's Distinguished Heroes Philistines: Defeated by David The Philistines: David: Often Defeated in the Course of his Reign