2 Samuel 23:15 - Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown

2 Samuel 23:15

13 Then ^athree of the thirty chief men went down at harvest time and came to David at ^bthe cave of Adullam. And the troop of Philistines encamped in ^cthe Valley of Rephaim.

14 David was then in ^athe stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.

15 And David said with longing, “Oh, that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!”

16 So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless he would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord.

17 And he said, “Far be it from me, O Lord, that I should do this! Is this not ^athe blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things were done by the three mighty men.

18 Now ^aAbishai 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.

Commentaries:

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown

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2 Samuel 23:15-16

the well of Beth-lehem—An ancient cistern, with four or five holes in the solid rock, at about ten minutes distance to the north of the eastern corner of the hill of Beth-lehem, is pointed out by the natives as Bir-Daoud; that is, David's well. Dr. ROBINSON doubts the identity of the well; but others think that there are no good grounds for doing so. Certainly, considering this to be the ancient well, Beth-lehem must have once extended ten minutes further to the north, and must have lain in times of old, not as now, on the summit, but on the northern rise of the hill; for the well is by or (I Chronicles 11:7) at the gate. I find in the description of travellers, that the common opinion is, that David's captains had come from the southeast, in order to obtain, at the risk of their lives, the so-much-longed-for water; while it is supposed that David himself was then in the great cave that is not far to the southeast of Beth-lehem; which cave is generally held to have been that of Adullam. But (Joshua 15:35) Adullam lay "in the valley"; that is, in the undulating plain at the western base of the mountains of Judea and consequently to the southwest of Beth-lehem. Be this as it may, David's men had in any case to break through the host of the Philistines, in order to reach the well; and the position of Bir-Daoud agrees well with this [VAN DE VELDE].

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