WWI memorial window, West Kirby Methodist Church

David's Mighty Warriors (also known as David's Mighty Men or the Gibborim; ''hagGībōrīm'', "The Mighty Ones") are a group of 37 men in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' King David and are identified in , part of the "supplementary information" added to the Second Book of Samuel in its final four chapters. The

International Standard Version The ''International Standard Version'' or ISV is a new English translation of the Bible for which translation was complete and published electronically in 2011. The texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls have been used to provide a textual apparatus for ...

calls them "David's special forces". A similar list is given in 1 Chronicles 11:10–47 but with several variations, and sixteen more names. The text divides them into the "Three", of which there are three, and "Thirty", of which there are more than thirty. The text explicitly states that there are 37 individuals in all, but it is unclear whether this refers to The Thirty, which may or may not contain The Three, or the combined total of both groups. The text refers to The Three and The Thirty as though they were both important entities, and not just an arbitrary list of three or 30-plus significant men. Some textual scholars regard the passages referring to The Three and The Thirty as having come from either a source distinct to the main sources in the Books of Samuel, or being otherwise out of place. Since parts of the text have distinct stylistic differences from other portions—appearing as a list, as a series of character introductions, or as a flowing narrative—Some suspect that the passages may themselves be compiled from multiple source documents. Further, as

2 Samuel 23 2 Samuel 23 is the 23rd chapter in the second parts of the Books of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible (or the 23rd chapter of the "Second Book of Samuel" in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible). It contains a prophetic statement described as the ...

:23–24 reads "...

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

put him in command of his bodyguard, Asahel, brother of Joab. Among the thirty were...", the text is regarded as corrupted, and the middle of verse 23:24 (between the words ''Joab'' and ''Among'') is generally presumed to have been lost (some translations move ''Among the thirty were'' to be before ''Asahel'', which smooths over the issue).

Complete list

The Three

The Three are named Ishbaal the Tahkemonite ("thou will make me wise"),

Eleazar Eleazar (; ) or Elʽazar was a priest in the Hebrew Bible, the second High Priest, succeeding his father Aaron after he died. He was a nephew of Moses. Biblical narrative Eleazar played a number of roles during the course of the Exodus, from cr ...

("God has helped") son of Dodo ("his beloved") the Ahohite ("brother of rest"), and

Shammah Shammah is a name mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible. In the Book of Samuel, Shammah ( he, שַׁמָּה) was the son of Agee, a Hararite (2 Samuel 23:11) or Harodite (23:25), and one of King David's three legendary " mighty men". His gr ...

son of Agee the Hararite. The Three are also mentioned in the Book of Chronicles. According to one reading, the first of these three is named as ''Jashobeam'' instead. However, the

Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond ...

version of the same passage presents a name that scholars regard as clearly being a

transliteration Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus ''trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or L ...

from ''Isbosheth''—the euphemism employed in some parts of the Bible for the name ''

Ishbaal Ish-bosheth ( he, , translit=ʼĪš-bōšeṯ, "man of shame"), also called Eshbaal (, ; alternatively spelled Ishbaal, "fire of Baal") was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the second monarch of the Kingdom of Israel who succeeded his father, Sau ...

''. Hence the first member of The Three was possibly Ishbaal,

Saul Saul (; he, , ; , ; ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, supposedly marked the transition of Israel and Judah from a scattered t ...

's son and heir; the text having become corrupted either deliberately (e.g. due to an editor that sought to downplay Ishbaal's heroism) or accidentally. According to other translations following the Masoretic text more closely, Jashobeam is the head of "thirty" or "chief officers" but not even part of the Three. Ishbaal is described as being the leader and is said to have killed 800 men in a single encounter. Ishbaal is also described as a Tahkemonite, which is probably a corruption of '' Hacmonite'', the latter being how he is described by the Book of Chronicles. Eleazar is described as standing his ground against the

Philistines The Philistines ( he, פְּלִשְׁתִּים, Pəlīštīm; Koine Greek (LXX): Φυλιστιείμ, romanized: ''Phulistieím'') were an ancient people who lived on the south coast of Canaan from the 12th century BC until 604 BC, whe ...

at Pas Dammim when the rest of the

Hebrews The terms ''Hebrews'' (Hebrew: / , Modern: ' / ', Tiberian: ' / '; ISO 259-3: ' / ') and ''Hebrew people'' are mostly considered synonymous with the Semitic-speaking Israelites, especially in the pre-monarchic period when they were still ...

ran away, and as successfully defeating them. Similarly Shammah is described as having stood his ground when the Philistines attacked a "field of ripe lentils" despite the rest of his associates dispersing, and as having defeated the attackers.

The Thirty

The Thirty are not heavily described by the text, merely listed. There are several differences between the ancient manuscripts of the list, whether they are of the

Masoretic The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; he, נֻסָּח הַמָּסוֹרָה, Nūssāḥ Hammāsōrā, lit. 'Text of the Tradition') is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) in Rabbinic Judaism. ...

text or of the

. Textual scholars generally consider the Septuagint to be more reliable than the Masoretic text in regard to this list, particularly since the Masoretic text of Chronicles matches the Septuagint version of the Books of Samuel more closely than the Masoretic version.''Peake's Commentary on the Bible'' In addition there are a few places where it is uncertain whether one person is referred to or if it is two people. The individuals that are clearly identified are: *

Elhanan son of Dodo The Biblical Elhanan ( ) was the son of Dodo (2 Samuel 23:24, 1 Chronicles 11:26). He was a member of King David’s elite fighters known as The Thirty. Interpretation Moshe Garsiel believes he was in fact the same person as the Elhanan mention ...

from Bethlehem *

from Arad *Helez from Beth-Palet *Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa *

Abiezer Abiezer or Abieezer is the name of three Biblical characters. The name means "father of help" i.e., helpful. The characters are: * The prince of the tribe of Dan at the time of the Exodus (). * The second of the three sons of Hammoleketh, the sis ...

from

Anathoth Anathoth is the name of one of the Levitical cities given to "the children of Aaron" in the tribe of Benjamin (; ). Residents were called Antothites or Anetothites. Name The name of this town may be derived from a Canaanite goddess, `Anat. It ...

*a man from Hushah that was named either ''Mebunnai'' (according to the masoretic text) or was named ''Sibbecai'' (according to the Septuagint and Chronicles) * Ilai the Ahohite, descended from Ahoah *Maharai from Netophah *Heleb son of Baanah from Netophah *Ithai son of Ribai from

Gibeah Gibeah (; he, גִּבְעָה ''Gīḇəʿā''; he, גִּבְעַת, link=no ''Gīḇəʿaṯ'') is the name of three places mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, in the tribes of Benjamin, Judah, and Ephraim respectively. Gibeah of Benjamin is th ...

*Benaiah from Pirathon *a man from the ravines of Gaash that was named ''Hiddai'' (according to the masoretic text) or was named ''Hurai'' (according to the Septuagint and Chronicles) *Abi-Albon from Beth-Arabah *Azmaveth from Bahurim *Eliahba from Shaalbim *the (unnamed) sons of a man that was either named ''Hashem'' and was from Gizon (according to the Septuagint and Chronicles) or was named 16. ''Jashen'' (according to the masoretic text) * Ahiam from Arad, whose father was either named ''Sharar'' (according to the masoretic text) or was named ''Sacar'' (according to the Septuagint and Chronicles) *Eliphelet from

Maacah Maacah (or Maakah; he, ''Maʿăḵā'', "crushed"; Maacha in the Codex Alexandrinus, Maachah in the KJV) is a non-gender-specific personal name used in the Bible to refer to a number of people. *A child of Abraham's brother Nachor, evidently a ...

, whose father was either named ''Ahasbai'' (according to the Books of Samuel) or ''Ur'' (according to Chronicles) *Eliam son of Ahithophel from

Giloh Giloh was a city in Judah. The biblical town has been identified with Beit Jala. Ahitophel, one of King David's chief advisors, came from Giloh (Book of Joshua, ; cf. 2nd Samuel, ). Ahitophel was the grandfather of Bathsheba, "a daughter of Eli ...

*Hezro from Carmel *Zelek from

Ammon Ammon ( Ammonite: 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''ʻAmān''; he, עַמּוֹן ''ʻAmmōn''; ar, عمّون, ʻAmmūn) was an ancient Semitic-speaking nation occupying the east of the Jordan River, between the torrent valleys of Arnon and Jabbok, in ...

*Ira from

Jattir Jattir (Hebrew יַתִּר, pronounced Yattir) is a town in Judea mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible. It was known as ''Iethira'' during the 4th century CE. It is identified with Horvat Yattir/Khirbet Attir, an archeological site in the ...

*Gareb from Jattir *

Uriah the Hittite Uriah the Hittite ( ''ʾŪrīyyā haḤītī'') is a minor figure in the Hebrew Bible, mentioned in the Books of Samuel, an elite soldier in the army of David, king of Israel and Judah, and the husband of Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam. While Uri ...

. In addition to these, there are a few cases where an individual is named, and is then followed by a description that is unclear as to whether it refers to them, or whether it refers to an additional unnamed person: *Naharai from Beeroth, (and/who is) the armour-bearer of

Joab Joab (Hebrew Modern: ''Yōʼav'', Tiberian: ''Yōʼāḇ'') the son of Zeruiah, was the nephew of King David and the commander of his army, according to the Hebrew Bible. Name The name Joab is, like many other Hebrew names, theophoric - de ...

*Igal son of Nathan from

Zobah Zobah or Aram-Zobah ( ʾ''Ărām-Ṣōḇāʾ'') was an early Aramean state mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, which extended north-east of biblical King David's realm. A. F. Kirkpatrick, in the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (1896), p ...

, (and/who is) the son of a man named ''Hagri'' (according to the masoretic text and Chronicles) or ''Haggadi'' (according to the Septuagint). For the remaining names of the list, there are some significant textual issues, the most minor of which being that the Books of Samuel lists ''Paarai the Arbite'' but the Book of Chronicles lists ''Naarai son of Exbai'' instead. The list in Samuel is generally presented in pairs, where each member of a pair comes from a similar location to the other member, but this pattern is broken by Shammah (from Arad), Elika (from Arad), and Helez (from Beth-Palet), who make a trio; in Chronicles, however, Elika isn't even listed. The final name(s) on the list itself is/are given by the masoretic text as ''Jonathan son of Shammah from Arad'', but the septuagint has ''Jonathan, ndShammah from Arad''; the septuagint implies that the passage was understood to refer to a Jonathan significant enough to need no further qualification, thus probably referring to the Jonathan that elsewhere is described as a son of Saul—which Jonathan being a son of Shammah would contradict. According to textual scholars Jonathan is distinctly associated by other parts of the Books of Samuel with the

, while Saul is distinctly associated with the

Israelites The Israelites (; , , ) were a group of Semitic-speaking tribes in the ancient Near East who, during the Iron Age, inhabited a part of Canaan. The earliest recorded evidence of a people by the name of Israel appears in the Merneptah Stele o ...

(who the text consistently treats as a distinct group from the Hebrews), and his being Saul's son is considered by some textual scholars as more

ethnological Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). ...

than necessarily literal. It is more likely that this was ''Jonathan the son of Shemea, David’s brother'' mentioned i
1 Chronicles 20:7
as having defeated a Philistine giant. As the list is proceeded with ''...David put him in command of his bodyguard. Asahel, brother of Joab. Among the thirty were..... '', an

Asahel Asahel ( he, עשהאל, grc, ‘Ασαέλ, Latin ''Asael'') was a military leader under King David and the youngest son of David's sister Zeruiah. Asahel thus was the nephew of David and the younger brother of David's general, Joab, Asahel is ...

the brother of

is sometimes considered to be part of the list, having become misplaced rather than the start of a lost passage.

Three of The Thirty

Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 106

The text also contains a narrative passage about "three of The Thirty". It is unclear from the text whether this refers to The Three, hence implying that The Three were a special group within The Thirty, or whether it refers to another group of three individuals. The narrative, which recounts a single exploit, ends with "such were the exploits of the three mighty men", and textual scholars believe that the narrative may be an extract from a larger group of tales concerning these three. The flowing narrative differs in style from the more abrupt introductions to individual members of The Three and The Thirty that surround it, and textual scholars believe that it may originally have been from a different document.Jewish Encyclopedia In the narrative, three of the thirty visit David when he is located at the

cave of Adullam The Cave of Adullam was originally a stronghold referred to in the Old Testament, near the town of Adullam, where future King David sought refuge from King Saul. The word "cave" is usually used but "fortress", which has a similar appearance in w ...

. While there, David expresses a heartfelt desire for water from a well near

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

, which the narrative states was occupied by Philistines. The three of the thirty therefore forcefully break past the Philistines, and draw water from the well, which they take back to David. David refuses to drink the water, instead pouring it out "before

Yahweh Yahweh *''Yahwe'', was the national god of ancient Israel and Judah. The origins of his worship reach at least to the early Iron Age, and likely to the Late Bronze Age if not somewhat earlier, and in the oldest biblical literature he poss ...

", arguing that it was the ''blood'' of the men who had risked their lives. Biblical scholars argue that the description of David pouring out the water is a reference to David offering the water to Yahweh as a

libation A libation is a ritual pouring of a liquid, or grains such as rice, as an offering to a deity or spirit, or in memory of the dead. It was common in many religions of antiquity and continues to be offered in cultures today. Various substanc ...

Abishai

An additional account, continuing on from the description of The Three, which was interrupted by the narrative concerning David's thirst, describes Abishai, the brother of

. According to the text, he killed 300 men with a spear, and so became famous among The Thirty, though not as famous and respected as The Three. The text states that despite the fame and respect he was not included among The Three, suggesting that being a part of The Three is not just a group of famous people, but something which an individual could in some way gain membership, with criteria that involved more than fame and honour. According to most manuscripts of the masoretic text, Abishai became the commander of The Three, but according to the

Syriac Peshitta The Peshitta ( syc, ܦܫܺܝܛܬܳܐ ''or'' ') is the standard version of the Bible for churches in the Syriac tradition, including the Maronite Church, the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Syriac Catholic Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church, the ...

, and a few masoretic text manuscripts, Abishai instead became the commander of The Thirty. The text explicitly states that Abishai became the commander of The Three despite not being among them, but it is unclear whether this is directly because he was their commander (as with the masoretic text), or whether he was commander of The Thirty (as with the Septuagint) and The Three were a subgroup of The Thirty (as possibly implied by the narrative about "three of The Thirty").

Benaiah

Benaiah is singled out by the text for being a particularly great warrior, as famous as The Three, and significantly more respected than any of The Thirty, for which reason he was put in charge of the royal bodyguard. As with Abishai, the text emphasizes that despite these qualities, Benaiah was not a member of The Three. The text gives a list of Benaiah's "great exploits", suggesting that these are what brought him fame and honor; compared with the feats ascribed by the text to Abishai, and to the members of The Three, Benaiah's feats are somewhat minor (though regarded by scholars as more realistic): *Killing two of Moab's best warriors *Killing a lion in a pit on a

snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

y day *Attacking a 7 1/2 foot tall

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

ian with a

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

, stealing the spear that the Egyptian was using, and killing the Egyptian with it.

Notes

References

{{reflist David Books of Samuel people