2 Samuel 23:16 · Webster's Bible
2 Samuel 23:16 in the Original Hebrew
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2 Samuel 23:16 in Other Translations
| KJV | And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the LORD. |
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| WEB | The three mighty men broke through the army of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but he would not drink of it, but poured it out to Yahweh. |
| ASV | And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto Jehovah. |
| YLT | And the three mighty ones cleave through the camp of the Philistines, and draw water out of the well of Beth-Lehem, which is by the gate, and take it up, and bring in unto David; and he was not willing to drink it, and poureth it out to Jehovah, |
| WBT | And the three mighty men broke through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem, that [was] by the gate, and took [it], and brought [it] to David: nevertheless he would not drink of it, but poured it out to the LORD. |
| DBY | And the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, which is in the gate, and took it, and brought it to David; however he would not drink of it, but poured it out to Jehovah. |
Commentary on 2 Samuel 23:16
Expositions from classic Bible commentators.
John Gill · 2 Samuel 23:16
And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines,.... Which lay in the valley of Rephaim, between the hold in which David was and the well of Bethlehem; these three men hearing David express himself in the above manner, though without any view that any should risk their lives to obtain it, only in a general way said, oh for a draught of the water of the well of Bethlehem! immediately set out, and made their way through the army of the Philistines to the well:
and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate,
and took it, and brought it to David; in a vessel which they probably carried with them for that purpose:
nevertheless he would not drink thereof; because, say they who take these words in a spiritual sense, it was not this water, but spiritual water, he desired: but the reason is given in Sa2 23:17,
but poured it out unto the Lord; as a libation to him, it being rather blood than water, being fetched at the hazard of men's lives, and therefore more fit to be offered as a sacrifice to God than to be drank by him; and this he might do in thankfulness to God for preserving the lives of the men. Gersom thinks it was now the feast of tabernacles, which was the feast of ingathering the fruits of the earth, when great quantities of water were drawn and poured out at the altar, which was done to obtain the blessing of the former rain; See Gill on Joh 7:37 and See Gill on Joh 7:38.
Cross References for 2 Samuel 23:16
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Questions about 2 Samuel 23:16
What does 2 Samuel 23:16 say?
2 Samuel 23:16 in the Webster's Bible reads: “And the three mighty men broke through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem, that [was] by the gate, and took [it], and brought [it] to David: nevertheless he would not drink of it, but poured it out to the LORD.” Read it in the full context of 2 Samuel 23, alongside the classic commentary on this page.
Where is 2 Samuel 23:16 found in the Bible?
2 Samuel 23:16 is in the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 23, verse 16, in the Old Testament.
What Bible translation is 2 Samuel 23:16 shown in?
This is the Webster's Bible (WBT), a public-domain translation. You can compare how other translations render 2 Samuel 23:16 in the table on this page.
Poured it out unto the Lord - To make libations, both of water and wine, was a frequent custom among the heathens. We have an almost similar account in Arrian's Life of Alexander: "When his army was greatly oppressed with heat and thirst, a soldier brought him a cup of water; he ordered it to be carried back, saying, I cannot bear to drink alone while so many are in want, and this cup is too small to be divided among the whole." Tunc poculo pleno sicut oblatum est reddito: Non solus, inquit, bibere sustineo, nec tam exiguum dividere omnibus possum. - Arrian, lib. vi.
The example was noble in both cases, but David added piety to bravery; he poured it out unto the Lord.