2 Samuel 23:15

2 Samuel 23:15 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Beth–lehem, which is by the gate!
• New International Version (NIV)David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And David said longingly, "Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!"
• New King James Version (NKJV)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!”

Context of 2 Samuel 23:15

13And three of the thirty chief went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam: and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the valley of Rephaim. 14And David was then in an hold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Beth–lehem. And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Beth–lehem, which is by the gate! 16And the three mighty men brake through the army 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 Yhwh. 17And he said, Be it far from me, O Yhwh, that I should do this: is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men.

2 Samuel 23:15 word by word

וַיִּתְאַוֶּ֥ה דָוִ֖ד וַיֹּאמַ֑ר מִ֚י יַשְׁקֵ֣נִי מַ֔יִם מִבֹּ֥אר בֵּֽית־לֶ֖חֶם אֲשֶׁ֥ר בַּשָּֽׁעַר׃Read the interlinear

• And Davidדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
• longedאָוָה'âvâh · to desireH183
• and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Oh that one would give me drinkשָׁקָהshâqâh · to water: drinkH8248
• of the waterמַיmayim · waterH4325
• of the wellבּוֹרbôr · pitH953
• of Beth–lehemבֵּית לֶ֫חֶםbêyth lechem · BethlehemH1035
• by the gateשַׁ֫עַרsha‛ar · gateH8179

Cross-references for 2 Samuel 23:15

• Numbers 11:4And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?
• Psalms 42:1As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
• Psalms 63:1O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
• Psalms 119:81My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.
• Isaiah 41:17When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I Yhwh will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
• Isaiah 44:3For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:
• John 4:10Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
• John 7:37In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
• John 4:14But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

Commentaries on 2 Samuel 23:15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15The water of the well of Bethlehem - This was David's city, and he knew the excellence of the water which was there; and being near the place, and parched with thirst, it was natural for him to wish for a draught of water out of that well. These three heroes having heard it, though they received no command from David, broke through a company of the Philistines, and brought away some of the water. When brought to David he refused to drink it: for as the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15A cistern of deep, clear, cool water, is called by the monks, David‘s Well, about three-quarters of a mile to the north of Bethlehem. Possibly the old well has been filled up since the town was supplied with water by the aqueduct.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-39Verses 8-39 David once earnestly longed for the water at the well of Bethlehem. It seems to be an instance of weakness. He was thirsty; with the water of that well he had often refreshed himself when a youth, and it was without due thought that he desired it. Were his valiant men so forward to expose themselves, upon the least hint of their prince's mind, and so eager to please him, and shall not we long to approve ourselves to our Lord Jesus, by ready…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15-16longed … and said: This Hebrew verb often means strong desire (see Numbers 11:4, had a strong craving; Psalm 106:14, craved intensely). It is unclear whether David’s craving for water was excessive, but it did lead to risky actions. well near the gate: David had memories from his younger days of growing up in Bethlehem. The location of the well is unknown.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 15-1615-16. 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…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Samuel 23:15

• Armies
• Bethlehem
• Citizens
• Loyalty
• Philistines

In the dictionaries

• David
• Bethlehem
• Giants
• Hareth
• Jashobeam
• Rephaim, Valley of
• Sure
• Troop
• Abishai
• Adullam

Commentaries on 2 Samuel 23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings