Commentaria in II Regum (II Samuelis)
Chapter Twenty-three
The last words of David are recounted, and, verse 8, his heroes, namely his three most valiant soldiers, and their heroic exploits, and, verse 24, the rest of his thirty Valiant Men are numbered. Compare this chapter with 1 Paralipomenon 11, where in a different order and method the same catalogue of David’s Valiant Men is woven.
1. Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Isai said: The man to whom it was appointed concerning the Christ of the God of Jacob, the excellent psalmist of Israel, said: 2. The Spirit of the Lord hath spoken by me, and his word by my tongue. 3. The God of Israel said to me, the Strong One of Israel spoke, the ruler of men, the just ruler in the fear of God. 4. As the light of the morning when the sun riseth, shineth in the morning without clouds, and as the grass springeth out of the earth by rain. 5. Neither is my house so great with God, that he should make with me an everlasting covenant, firm in all things and assured. For he is all my salvation, and all my will; neither is there any thing of it that springeth not up. 6. But the transgressors shall all be plucked up as thorns, which are not taken away with hands. 7. And if a man will touch them, he must be armed with iron and the wood of a lance; but they shall be set on fire and burnt to nothing. 8. These are the names of David’s valiant men. Sitting in the chair, the wisest chief among the three, he is like the most tender little worm of the wood, who killed eight hundred men at one onset. 9. After him was Eleazar the son of his uncle, the Ahohite among the three valiant men that were with David when they defied the Philistines, and they were gathered together there to battle. 10. And when the men of Israel were gone up, he stood, and smote the Philistines till his hand was weary and grew stiff with the sword; and the Lord wrought a great salvation that day, and the people that had fled returned to take the spoils of the slain. 11. And after him was Semma the son of Age of Arari, and the Philistines gathered themselves together into a troop; for there was a field there full of lentils. And when the people had fled from the face of the Philistines, 12. He stood in the midst of the field, and defended it, and smote the Philistines, and the Lord gave a great salvation. 13. And before this the three who were princes among the thirty had gone down, and came in the harvest time to David into the cave of Odollam, and the camp of the Philistines was pitched in the valley of the giants. 14. And David was then in a hold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 15. And David longed, and said: O that some man would give me a drink of the water out of the cistern that is in Bethlehem by the gate! 16. And the three valiant men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water out of the cistern of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and brought it to David; but he would not drink, but offered it to the Lord, 17. Saying: The Lord be merciful to me, that I may not do this; shall I drink the blood of these men that went, and the peril of their lives? and he would not drink. These things did the three most valiant. 18. Abisai also the brother of Joab, the son of Sarvia, was chief among three; he lifted up his spear against three hundred, whom he slew, and was renowned among the three, 19. And the most noble of the three, and was their chief, but he attained not to the first three. 20. And Banaias the son of Joiada, a most valiant man, of Cabseel, a man of great deeds; he slew the two lions of Moab, and he went down and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in the time of snow. 21. He also slew an Egyptian, a man worthy to be looked at, having a spear in his hand; and he going down to him with a rod, plucked the spear out of the hand of the Egyptian, and killed him with his own spear: 22. These things did Banaias the son of Joiada. 23. And he was renowned among the three valiant men, who were the more noble among the thirty; but yet he attained not to the three; and David made him his privy counsellor. 24. Asael the brother of Joab was among the thirty, Elehanan the son of his uncle of Bethlehem, 25. Semma of Harodi, Elica of Harodi, 26. Heles of Phalti, Hira the son of Acces of Thecua. 27. Abiezer of Anathoth, Mobonnai of Husathi, 28. Selmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite, 29. Heled the son of Baana, and he also a Netophathite, Ithai the son of Ribai of Gabaath of the children of Benjamin, 30. Banaia a Pharathonite, Heddai of the torrent Gaas, 31. Abialbon the Arbathite, Azmaveth of Beromi, 32. Eliaba of Salaboni, the sons of Jassen, Jonathan, 33. Semma of Orori, Aiam the son of Sarar the Arorite, 34. Eliphelet the son of Aasbai the son of Machati, Eliam the son of Achitophel the Gelonite, 35. Hesrai of Carmel, Pharai of Arbi, 36. Igaal the son of Nathan of Soba, Bonni of Gadi, 37. Selec of Ammoni, Naharai the Berothite, armourbearer of Joab the son of Sarvia, 38. Ira the Jethrite, Gareb also a Jethrite,
39. Urias the Hethite. In all thirty-seven.
1. NOW THESE ARE THE LAST WORDS OF DAVID,—because, as St. Jerome says in the Traditions, “after the psalter and the other metres he is said to have composed this metre.” The Chaldee adds the last words, because they contain a prophecy of Christ about to be born in the last and final age of the world, according to that of St. John, 1 Epistle, chapter 2, verse 18: “Little children, it is the last hour”; and that of Paul: “In these last days hath spoken to us by his Son,” Hebrews 1:2. Lyranus adds thirdly that they are called last because they are most to be commended to memory, as with children are the last admonitions of parents.
THE MAN TO WHOM IT WAS APPOINTED CONCERNING THE CHRIST OF THE GOD OF JACOB.—First, you may plainly expound it of Christ, as if to say: David said, to whom the promise was made of the Messias, or “Christ,” to be born of him, who is the “Christ of the true God” whom the Patriarch “Jacob” worshipped, because he was anointed by God as supreme king and pontiff of the world. Secondly, of David himself, as if to say: David said, who was appointed to be the “christ of God,” that is, a king anointed by God, who should rule the descendants of “Jacob,” or the people of Israel. Whence the Septuagint renders: the man said whom the Lord raised up to be the christ of God; so also the Chaldee, Vatablus and others. Thirdly, the Hebrews in St. Jerome in the Traditions render: The man said to whom a ladder was appointed for the christ of the God of Jacob, and they explain it thus, as if to say: “A ladder was appointed to the same christ of the God of Jacob, that is, David, by which he might ascend to God, because the same confessed that he had sinned against the Lord.” Whence “of Jacob” is added, as if to say: The ladder of David is like the ladder of Jacob, Genesis chapter 28, by which he saw Angels ascending to God leaning on the ladder, so that by it might be represented the descent of the Son of God to earth and into flesh, through Jacob and David, who were to be his parents, to redeem them and other men lost by the sin of Adam and their own, and to save them by penance. The ladder, therefore, is penitential penance and confession; for by this one ascends to God in heaven. The first sense is the plainest, and the Hebrew requires it, “concerning Christ,” or as the Hebrew is, “upon Christ,” and “said,” for which the Hebrew has neum, that is, saying, utterance, a certain and unfailing word, an oracle. THE EXCELLENT PSALMIST OF ISRAEL.—“Excellent” in Hebrew is naim, that is, beautiful, comely, sweet, pleasant. For such are the Psalms which David composed, and ordered to be sung by the Levites in Israel; whence they are sung in the Christian Church through all ages, places and temples, and are the exultation of the Church and of the faithful.