These are the names of the mighty men whom David had Joseb-Bassebeth, Tachkemonite the chief of the captains he was Adino the Eznite; he [fought] against eight hundred, slain [by him] at one time.
This verse opens the roll call of David's mighty men. It gives a name that is hard to read, a spear, and eight hundred enemies killed at one time — details God chose to keep.
The same man appears in 1 Chronicles under a different name. One reference work lists the options without forcing a solution:
In 1 Chronicles 11:11 the chief of the captains is Jashobeam a Hachmonite, or son of Hachmoni. It is difficult to reconcile the two passages. Some think that Jashobeam and Josheb-basshebeth are the same name, varied by a copyist. Others take the passage in Samuel to be incorrect, and make "Adino the Eznite" not a proper name but 'he swung his spear.' The two passages may refer to different persons. Note that Jashobeam is said to have killed three hundred men, and Adino killed eight hundred. Jashobeam is also named when David came into power, and Adino in connection with 'the last words of David.' So Jashobeam may have died, and Adino become chief in his place.
Another writer gives up on settling the wording and looks for help elsewhere:
Out of all this it is hard to gather any meaning we can fully rely on. The spiritual meaning is what should give us the largest help among difficulties as great and as many as we find here.
He holds first place for more than the size of the victory. He also refused to stop:
The first, Josheb-basshebeth, had brandished his spear against eight hundred men. He killed them at one time. He did not stop until there were no opponents left. Hence his pre-eminence, for his name translated means: "He who sits in the first place."
The name can also be read as "one sitting in the seat." That reading points to where a believer's strength in conflict comes from:
The picture here is of Christian warfare at its highest. For an account of that warfare we must go to the letter to the Ephesians. First, Ephesians brings us into the place itself — the very place of the conflict. God "has raised us up" with Christ from the dead, says the apostle, and "seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." This is beyond doubt the "sitting in the seat" that the highest warfare, the Christian warfare, requires. Keeping this place — abiding in it — is the great necessity for spiritual triumph. The place every believer has. The practical abiding in it — how little is this to be seen!
One writer traces their staying power back to a single fact:
Where did their perseverance come from? Alone, they would have weakened. But all three were "with David" and under his eyes during the fight. He inspired them with courage and patience in their efforts.
David's army commander does not appear on this list at all:
Joab held the top position as head of the army until the end of David's reign. Yet the list of David's mighty men leaves him out. He may have performed more brilliant actions than all the others. He showed much courage, and even a certain outward devotion to the king. But these qualities in themselves do not give anyone a place in God's register. What marked David's mighty men was this: grace had joined them to the Lord's anointed. Joab served David for his own interest, and his actions never sprang from fellowship with his head. His name is passed over in silence.
The record is exact: the weapon, the number, the one occasion. That exactness carries a promise:
His service stands out in all its worth, and the detail is exact. The record gives the exact character of his victories. And no doubt one day we will see this: many servants of Christ have defeated many hard-hearted enemies of God by the power of the gospel. They have brought them as willing captives to the feet of Jesus. All this service and its detail will not be forgotten.
- Seated first — the chief man's name means "he who sits in the first place." He kept fighting until no enemy was left.
- Still seated — read as "sitting in the seat," the name points to the place God has already given every believer. Holding it is what makes victory possible.
- With David — the three did not weaken because they fought under the king's eye. Nearness to him was the source of their courage.
- Not brilliance — Joab may have outdone them all, yet the list leaves him out. Success without fellowship with the king earns no place in God's register.
- Written down — the weapon, the number, the one occasion. God keeps the details of service, and they will not be forgotten.
And after him, Eleazar the son of Dodo the son of an Ahohite he was one of the three mighty men with David, when they had defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone up.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
He arose and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave to the sword; and Jehovah wrought a great deliverance that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil.
David's list of mighty men gives one sentence to Eleazar. He kept fighting after everyone else had left the field. The verse holds three things worth weighing: a hand worn out, a hand that could not let go, and a victory that goes to the Lord, not the swordsman.
Verse 9 says the men of Israel had gone away. He stood with no one beside him. One commentator notes what God does with faith like that.
Eleazar holds the second place of honour (vv. 9-10). He did not retreat when the rest of Israel retreated. He carried on the battle with the Philistines alone, and for so long that his hand stuck to the sword he was using. By his energy of faith the Lord accomplished a great victory. The Lord honours the faith of a man who will not let the enemy frighten him, even when no one else stands with him.
One writer points to where Eleazar's confidence came from, and to where his strength ran out.
He expected no help from the men of Israel, because he did not count on man's strength. Being with David (v. 9) was enough for him to defy the Philistines. He struck them and did not stop until "his hand was weary" (v. 10). There may be limits in the fight of faith, because God uses imperfect instruments, and they can reach the limits of their strength. But Eleazar kept on until "his hand clung to the sword" (v. 10). It was impossible to separate him from the weapon he was using. May Eleazar's victory be ours as well! Our weapons are not the weapons of the flesh; we have the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Let us use it in such a way that we are, so to speak, one with it even after the battle.
A hand fused to a hilt also pictures what long use of Scripture does to a person.
The same is true of any faithful and devoted follower of Christ. Through long experience in the ways of God, and by sticking closely to His word, he answers the arguments of men and defeats the enemies of God's people. The more he uses "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," the more sure he is that it is enough for every situation. His delight in the law of the Lord will match his desire for it. He feels its worth more each day. His heart keeps the mark of the word of God, just as the hilt of the sword left its mark in Eleazar's hand.
The verse does not end with the swordsman. The Lord works the victory, and Eleazar's own name points the same way.
His very name, "God is help," turns from the man to God. What could he do on his own against the enemy's whole army? His arm grows weary, but the weary hand clings to the good sword. We no longer see the weak arm of a man. We see the power of God behind that weary arm, carving out victory with that sword. The man has become one with the sword, and God can use a man like that.
The last line of the verse belongs to the men who left. They came back for the spoil once the fighting was won, and one writer sees the same pattern now.
The Spirit records his persevering faithfulness. We are told that he "struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword." It is also noted that he won a great victory, and that because of him others came after only "to strip the slain." So it is now. At times almost all have turned away from standing for the truth. Then some brave servant of the Lord has stood against the enemy, his hand clinging to the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and has won a great victory. Many a child of God coming after him has reaped precious fruit from it.
The same picture appears again in Paul — deserted and writing from prison.
There is no greater sight than Paul — deserted, alone, in prison — keeping by grace his confidence in the Lord and in the truth entrusted to him. Though faint, he was still pressing on; and though he was weary in his lonely fight, his hand still clung to his sword (see 2 Sam. 23:10).
- Alone. The men of Israel had gone away. God honours the faith of a man who will not fear the enemy, even when nobody stands with him.
- Weary. The fight of faith has limits. God uses imperfect people, and their strength does run out.
- Welded. His hand clung to the sword. He kept on until nothing could part him from it, and the hilt left its mark in his hand.
- Won. The credit goes past the swordsman to God — even his name, "God is help," turns attention away from the man.
- Wealth. Others returned only to strip the slain. Later believers still reap fruit from ground won by those who stayed and fought.
And after him, Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite the Philistines were gathered into a troop, and there was there a plot of ground full of lentils, and the people had fled before the Philistines;
Tucked into the roll of David's warriors is a farmer's field. The Philistines massed for a raid and Israel's army ran. One man stayed, alone in a bean patch. Why was that small piece of ground worth a life?
The verse names a soldier no one would otherwise know, and a crop no one would think to fight over. Lentils were cheap, everyday food.
The small seeds of different kinds of vetch used for food. When ground, the meal can be made into a tasty red stew. Genesis 25:34; 2 Samuel 23:11. Lentils were part of the food supply for David and his followers when Absalom rebelled. 2 Samuel 17:28. They were also used in a time of scarcity, and among the poor, as an ingredient in their bread.
The size of the prize is the point — a scrap of land, and the food growing on it.
The thing they were fighting over was "a plot of ground full of lentils." It was a very small part of the inheritance that God had given Israel, but it held food for the people. The enemy was trying to take the field and its crop away from them. Shammah stood in the middle of the field and kept it for God's people. This deed speaks to our consciences. Our inheritance and our "plot of ground" are heavenly. We must defend them, and our heavenly food too — the Word which God has entrusted to us. God's people run from the enemy like cowards, admitting to their shame that unbelief has the right to treat the Word of God as nothing.
Shammah's deed differs from the two exploits just before it. Adino attacked; Eleazar fought for spoil; Shammah refused to move.
In the conflicts of the Lord's people we see these different forms of service. There are times when the Lord calls for an attack on the forces of evil, as with Adino. There are times when there is spoil to be gained through conflict, as on the day of Eleazar's victory. And there are times when we are called to stand our ground and act on the defensive, as on the day of Shammah's mighty deed.
The people fled; he stayed. Writers make this faithfulness at its hardest — staying where others have given up.
Shammah "remained behind." Shammah "endured." There are perhaps few things harder than to endure. When others have given up, staying behind is not easy. I suppose Shammah's friends and fellow soldiers told him it was hopeless. They would say that staying where he was meant certain death, and that a field of lentils was not worth remaining behind for. And you and I have been given a field of lentils to defend, and our Lord has placed us in the middle of it. Our field of lentils may be our home, or the office, or the shop. It may be the small, weak company of two or three gathered to our Lord's own Name, that others have despised and left for something bigger and more attractive.
Writers trace the same pattern into the New Testament: the others give way, and one man holds the ground alone.
Peter had failed. Even Barnabas, who had stood so bravely with Paul in Jerusalem, had turned aside through fear. Paul is left to fight the battle single-handed. It reminds us of Shammah in 2 Samuel 23:11-12. All the people of Israel were afraid and ran away as the Philistines came. But Shammah stood in a piece of ground full of lentils, and he defended it all alone, single-handed: "and the Lord worked a great victory."
Shammah was defending David's claim, not his own patch. And when the record honours what he did, it hands the credit elsewhere.
Shammah's service could not go unnoticed either. It was only a piece of ground full of lentils that he defended and secured for David, yet he was determined not to yield even that right of David to the enemy. It is worth noticing that the courage and faithfulness of this man came out at a time when the people, instead of standing firm, actually "fled from the Philistines." But in both verse 10 and verse 12 the Holy Spirit carefully records that "the Lord worked a great victory." God accepts the brave deeds of His servants and puts them to their account. Yet it is all done in His strength, and by the grace He gives, so that all the glory is due to Him.
- Small ground. A lentil patch was a scrap of Israel's inheritance — but it was the people's food, and the enemy wanted it.
- Stand, don't chase. Attacking, gaining spoil, and holding ground are all service. Shammah's was defence.
- Stay put. The people fled; the whole exploit was that one man remained behind and endured.
- Your patch. Home, work, or a small gathering of believers may be the ground the Lord has set you in to defend.
- His victory. Shammah held David's ground, and the record gives the Lord the great victory. The strength was His; the glory is His.
and he stood in the midst of the plot and delivered it, and smote the Philistines, and Jehovah wrought a great deliverance.
Shammah was one of David's mighty men, and the army around him had just fled from the Philistines. He stayed in a small field of lentils and held it, yet the verse gives the great victory to the LORD, not to him.
A field of lentils looks too small to fight over. Its size was not what mattered.
The object they were contesting was "a plot of ground full of lentils," a very little part of the inheritance that God had given Israel, but one containing food for the people. The enemy was seeking to deprive them of the field and its crop. Shammah stood in the middle of the field and preserved it for God's people. This deed speaks to our consciences. Our inheritance and our "plot of ground" are heavenly, and we must defend them as well as our heavenly food, the Word which God has entrusted to us.
The same reading is applied directly to the life of a church:
This illustrates the faithfulness of a believer in fighting to keep the food of the word of God from being stolen from God's people. May we stand firmly and decidedly against anything that will deprive the saints of God of the food of His word that is so necessary for their sustenance.
Not every battle calls for an advance. One writer compares Shammah's stand with the work of the two men named before him.
In the conflicts of the Lord's people we see these different forms of service. There are times when the Lord calls for an attack upon the forces of evil, as in the case of Adino. There are occasions when there is spoil to be gained through conflict, as in the day of Eleazar's victory. So too there are times when the Lord calls us to stand our ground, and act on the defensive, as it was in the day of Shammah's mighty deed.
Holding ground brings a danger of its own:
Shammah, one of David's mighty men, stood in the middle of a plot of lentils and delivered it out of the enemy's hand. He withstood the enemy, secured the plot, part of God's inheritance given to His people, and stood there in possession. In this warfare there is no chance to take off our armour; our foes are cunning and watchful... if we overcome him in the Lord's strength, we should watch in case he tries to win back from us the ground he was forced to give up.
One writer imagines what Shammah's friends said as they left him there.
Shammah "remained behind." Shammah "endured." There are, perhaps, few things more difficult than to endure. When others have given up, to remain behind, is not easy. I suppose Shammah's friends and fellow-soldiers told him it was hopeless, it was certain death to stay where he was, and anyway for a field of lentils it was not worth remaining behind... And you and I have been given a field of lentils to defend... Our field of lentils may be our home, or the office, or the shop. It may be the small, weak gathering of two or three in our Lord's own Name, which others have looked down on and left for something greater and more attractive.
The crop itself carries a lesson. One writer sets Shammah's watchfulness beside two later calls to guard the truth.
The vigilance of Shammah in defending the piece of ground full of lentils recalls the anxiety of the apostle of the Gentiles that the truth of the gospel should remain with them, and his zeal in defending it (Gal. 2:5). It recalls the warning of Jude also to believers, "to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints," a needful warning even in that day; for the enemy was already in the field. And is there not a voice for us in this too? What "the piece of ground" produced in such quantity, lentils, is the same food that Esau ate when he was faint. He then revived, "rose up, and went his way" (Gen. 25:30).
The verse ends with another name. One writer points out where the same words appear two verses earlier.
It is worth noting also that the courage and faithfulness of this man came out at a time when the people, instead of standing true, actually "fled from the Philistines." But in both verse 10 and verse 12 the Holy Spirit carefully notices that "the LORD worked a great victory." God does accept the brave deeds of His servants, and puts them to their account. Yet it is all done in His strength, and by the grace He gives, so that to Him all the glory is due.
Another sees the added name as the real headline of the whole list:
After this a name is added of far more importance than all the rest, and with it the secret of the warrior's success: "And the LORD worked a great victory." ... It also shows how He identifies Himself with His servants, and lends His strength to those who fight His battles against the enemy.
- The ground — a small plot, but part of God's inheritance and the food of His people; that is why the enemy wanted it.
- The stand — not attack, not spoil, but holding ground; and once you hold it, guard it, because the enemy comes back.
- The loneliness — the crowd fled first. Staying behind when others call it hopeless is the hardest courage of all.
- The application — your field may look ordinary: a home, a workplace, a small gathering, the truth handed to you. Defend it anyway.
- The credit — the LORD worked the victory, not Shammah. God counts the servant's brave deeds, but He supplies the strength, so the glory goes back to Him.