Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the three. He lifted up his spear against three hundred and killed them, and had a name among the three.
2 Samuel 23:18 · WEB
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Other translations

WEB

Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the three. He lifted up his spear against three hundred and killed them, and had a name among the three.

KJV

And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief among three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred, and slew them, and had the name among three.

Word study

And Abishai, ʼĂbîyshay H52
the brother ʼâch H251
of Joab, Yôwʼâb H3097
the son bên H1121
of Zeruiah, Tsᵉrûwyâh H6870
was chief rôʼsh H7218
among three. shᵉlîyshîy H7992
And he hûwʼ H1931
lifted up ʻûwr H5782
ʼêth H853
his spear chănîyth H2595
against ʻal H5921
three shâlôwsh H7969
hundred, mêʼâh H3967
and slew châlâl H2491
them , and had the name shêm H8034
among three. shâlôwsh H7969

Commentary

Adam Clarke

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.

John Gill

And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief among the three,.... Another triumvirate, of which he was the head:

and he lifted up his spear against three hundred, and slew them; Josephus (e) says six hundred; this seems to confirm the reading of Sa2 23:8, that the number eight hundred is right, for if it was only three hundred, Abishai would have been equal to one, even the first, of the former three; which yet is denied him in Sa2 23:19,

and had the name among three; of which he was one; and he had the chief name among them, or was the most famous of them.

(e) Antiqu. l. 7. c. 12. sect. 4.

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