2 Samuel 23:1-39

23:1-7 | This song portrays David as a prophet and psalmist (Matt. 22:43; Acts 1:16).

23:3-4 | The just ruler brings health and life. This prophecy is ultimately fulfilled in Christ (Isa. 11:1-10; Matt. 4:14-16; Luke 24:25-27).

23:8-39 | David’s mighty men consisted of three leaders and 30 others. Thirty-four names are listed, so it could be that when some men died they were replaced. The parallel list in 1 Chronicles 11:10-47 seems to support this theory with 16 additional names.

23:13-17 | This episode may have taken place while David was fleeing from Saul. David remembers with fondness the taste of the water he grew up drinking in Bethlehem, not expecting that anyone would consider this a request for someone to bring him that water. But his men loved him so deeply that they risked their lives to do exactly this. David poured it out as a drink offering (Gen. 35:14; Num. 15:7-10; 28:7-15) to express his unworthiness of the gesture.

23:24-39 | The number 30 is not meant to be taken literally but is a round number (as evidenced by the tally of 37. It is not altogether clear how the tally of 37 at the end of this list is reached. At any rate, the difficulty here is not with the list’s accuracy, but with our ability to understand it.