Shmuel II Chapter 23 | David’s Song and the List of Heroes

The continuous narrative of the Book of Shmuel essentially ends with Chapter 20. Chapters 21–24 function as an "appendix" to the book. The timing of the events involving the Gibeonites and Sha’ul’s descendants is unclear. Chapters 22–23 of Tehillim, along with the list of heroes in our chapter, are undoubtedly additions to the stories we’ve read so far. Chapter 24, while an important addition to the book, is not part of its main narrative. A parallel to our chapter can be found in Divrei HaYamim I 11, with some differences. Click here for a chart comparing our chapter with Divrei HaYamim >>

Most of Chapter 23 consists of a list of David's military heroes and some of their heroic actions. Some names are familiar, while others are not. It seems that some of the events described in the chapter date back to the time when David was leading a band of men while fleeing from Sha’ul. For instance, in the story of drawing water from the well of Beit Lechem, it is mentioned that "At the time, David was in the stronghold" (23:14). This story depicts an intriguing event: David expresses a wish to drink water from the well of Beit Lechem, located in the heart of the Philistine camp. In a daring and stealthy military operation, David's heroes fulfill his wish and bring him water from the well. However, David refuses to drink it: “’The Lord forbid that I do such a thing!’ he said, ‘It is the blood of men who risked their very lives by going” (23:17).

David is horrified that his men truly risked their lives for his personal longing. In doing so, David demonstrates a behavior uncharacteristic of a typical military general. David sees his soldiers not as mere pawns for showcasing his heroism; they are living human beings whose lives should only be risked for missions of genuine necessity.

Rav Amnon Bazak (see the full text here) analyzes both David’s final song in this chapter and the list of his heroes, addressing some of the difficulties that arise in reading the text.

The chapter concludes with the mention of Uriya the Hittite. Chazal (Pesikta Rabbati 11) connect this fact to the opening of the next chapter: "The Lord’s fury flared against Israel once more."