Rashi on Tanakh2 Samuel 23

These are Dovid's words. Dovid's last prophecy. What were the first words? The words of the song that were said above.¹ But all the songs and praises that he [Dovid] said are not called "words".²The use of the word דִּבְרֵי here denotes prophecy, not songs and praises.

Raised on high. Raised from Above.³The word עָל, is used to denote לְמַעְלָה, “Above.”

Sweet songs for Yisroel. Yisroel does not sing any songs in the Beis Hamikdosh other then his [Dovid's] songs and hymns.

Speaks through me. He bestowed His holy spirit on me and spoke through me. Whenever [the verse refers] to prophecy, the word דִּבֵּר is appropriate as [we find] "Did [Adonoy] only speak to Moshe, He also spoke to us."⁴Bamidbar 12:2. "I will speak through him."⁵Ibid 12:6. The reason for it is because the spirit enters into the prophet and speaks through him.

The Rock of Yisroel spoke to me. The Rock of Yisroel spoke to and commanded me that I should be a ruler over men, over Yisroel who are called "men" as it is written, "You are men." [He also told me] that I will be a righteous person, a ruler and a God fearing person. Our Rabbis interpreted [this verse] with a different explanation:⁶Moed Koton 16b. Dovid said [as follows:] "The God of Yisroel spoke to me, the Rock of Yisroel spoke to me, I am ruler over men. And who rules over me? The righteous man, because I [may] issue a decree and he [can] annul it." But according to the flow of these verses it is the first explanation that is the simple interpretation of these verses.

As day breaks with the sun shining. He promised me that my glory will continuously grow like the light at day break which gets brighter and brighter.

A cloudless morning. A light that does not dim.

[Brighter] then the light that comes with the rain that nourishes the land. My morning is brighter then the light that comes with rain, which is a clear warmth [shining forth] rays of light. When the rain falls on vegetated earth and the sun shines on it and causes it to brighten. And this is how the verse is interpreted, More then the light that comes from rain [falling on] vegetated earth.

For is not my house with God. That I should have a cloudy morning.

For an eternal convenant. [This refers to] the Torah that He placed for me, that He has arranged for all my household, and kept there.

All my hopes and desires [are before God]. My needs are set before Him. This is a shortened verse.⁷The verse itself mentions Dovid’s hopes and desires but does specify anything further about them.

Because [my kingdom] will never be outgrown. There will be no other king after my kingdom.⁸As God promised Dovid earlier in 7:13 that his kingdom will be eternal. Another interpretation: He has made an eternal convenant for my House, that my kingdom shall be everlasting and this convenant is known to all, it is mentioned by all the prophets.

Like an itinerant thorn. Cordon in O.F. When [this thorn is] young it is soft. It then travels to and fro and eventually hardens until it is [so sharp that it is] unable to be held in one's hand.

Any man wanting to touch them should don. He must cover his body with armor and arm himself with a weapon to cut it down

They will be completely burnt totally consumed by fire. There is no solution other then burning [these thorns] and to sit and warm oneself by the fire. So too, for the wicked there is no solution other then burning in Gehennom.

[While one] sits. [A reference to] God sitting on the throne of Judgement.

That were with Dovid, who sat in the council. Who sat in the Sanhedrin Court. That is [alluded to by the word] wisdom. "He was a leader in three [distinct areas]," He was first in beauty, wisdom and strength. He was the leader in these three categories as it is written "[A man] of understanding of attractive build and a strong soldier."⁹Shmuel I, 16:18. Rashi is not quoting this verse in its exact order.

Adino the Etzonite. When he was studying Torah he would fold and bind himself up like a worm¹⁰Rashi is explaining the name עֲדִינוֹ as reffering to the word מַעֲדַנּוֹת which means bindings. as [we find, this word in the verse] "The bonds of Pleiades."¹¹Eyuv 38:31. And when he went out to war he was as hard as wood¹²Here Rashi is explaining the עֶצְנִי part of his name which contains within it the word עֵץ which means wood. and would kill eight hundred men in one battle.¹³Tanchuma Masoei.

The son of Dodo. This was his name.

One of the three mighty men. Of the best of the mighty men.¹⁴There were more then just three men involved in fighting the Pelishtim.

When they humiliated the Pelishtim. They made an agreement with each other to fight them and to vanquish them.

But only to strip [the corpses]. Yonoson translates: "To strip the dead." There was no one to help him kill [the Pelishtim] but they were all stripping the corpses after [he had killed them].

From the mountain. From the mountain.

For [war like] beast in the wild. [Gathering] to become troops like the beasts gather in the wild.

Of the thirty leaders. Yonoson translates: From the men who were leaders within the army.

And a contingent of Pesishtim was then in Beis Lechem. The [Pelishtim] army was camped in the Rephoim valley and they had sent a contingent to Beis Lechem.

Who will give me water to drink. Our Rabbis said,¹⁵Baba Kama 60b. See Rashi there. he [Dovid] needed to ask a [halachic] question from the Sanhedrin court that sat at the gate of Beis Lechem.¹⁶The “water” of our verse is referring to Torah which is compared to water. See Devorim Raboh 7:3.

He offered it as a libation to Adonoy. He said, "This is what I learned at Shmuel the Romosi's court: If anyone risks his life for words of Torah,¹⁷Rashi is continuing with the interpretation of the verse that the water is a reference to words of Torah. we should not recite the halachah in his name." If so, what is meant by "And instead he offerred it as a libation to Adonoy",¹⁸This sounds as if Dovid has accepted the halachic ruling. he [only] recited it in the name of the Gemorah.¹⁹The ruling is not to be said over in their name.

[Do I want] the blood of [these] men. Language denoting astonishment.

He did not reach the status of the first three. [Yonoson translates:] He did not reach [the status] of the [first] three men.²⁰i.e. Adino the Etzonite, Elozor, the son of Dodo and Shamoh, the son of Ogaih from the mountain who were enumerated earlier in verses 8, 9 and 11 respectively.

The two Moabite giants. [Yonoson translates:] "The two Moabite giants." And our Rabbis said, There was no one like him not during the first [Beis] Mikdosh nor during the second [Beis] Mikdosh.²¹Berochos 18b. Rashi there explains that אֲרִיאֵל is a name used for the Beis Hamikdash.

Moabite giants. Because Shlomo who built it came from Rus the Moabite.²²Rashi is explaining the connection that אֲרִיאֵל, a reference to the Beis Hamikdash, has to Moav.

Of the thirty. Of all thirty in this section. Yonoson translates: "mighty men".²³This is how he translates the word שְׁלשִׁים.

Thirty-seven. They are not [all] mentioned here²⁴Rashi seems to hold that only thirty-three of the thirty-seven are accounted for, the three first warriors, Adino, Elozor and Ahamoh. Then the thirty that are enumerated starting from verse 24 but not including Asoel, see the Metsudos Dovid on that verse. and I say Yoav did not have to be mentioned because he was the general [commanding] the army and the rest that are missing it is possible that they are three or four sons of Yeshai.²⁵Having accounted for thirty-three out of thirty-seven, four are missing. Rashi seems to be offering two distinct possible answers, either the four are Yoav and three of Yeshai’s sons or Yoav is not being counted here as part of the group of thirty-seven and the four missing are all sons of Yeshai.