Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
2 Samuel 23:16 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 16. 16And the three mighty men brake through the host 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 the LORD.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The three risk their lives for David's expressed desire, exposing the danger of powerful leaders voicing wishes that loyal subordinates may treat as orders.
Read It With
- 2 Samuel 23:13–17
Read 2 Samuel 23:16 with 23:13–17. The wording “And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the…” supplies one step in the thought unit through its next reported action, speech, or consequence; the surrounding verses supply the causes, responses, and outcome summarized here: Three warriors break through Philistine lines for Bethlehem water, but David pours it out because he regards it as the blood-risk of the men.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within “David Refuses Water Obtained at Mortal Risk,” 2 Samuel 23:16 advances the thought unit through its next reported action, speech, or consequence through the wording “And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the….” Its placement is governed by this reviewed relationship: 2 Samuel 23:8–12 establishes this prior movement: Textually difficult hero notices celebrate Josheb-basshebeth, Eleazar, and Shammah for holding ground and credit the LORD with great victory. 2 Samuel 23:13–17 responds to the pressure already established; that demonstrated relationship, rather than sequence alone, explains its placement.
Follow the Context
- Opening movement: Three warriors break through Philistine lines for Bethlehem water.
- Developing movement or outcome: David pours it out because he regards it as the blood-risk of the men.
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the…”
In plain language: The three risk their lives for David's expressed desire, exposing the danger of powerful leaders voicing wishes that loyal subordinates may treat as orders.
2 Samuel 23:16 advances the thought unit through its next reported action, speech, or consequence by recording “And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the….” This line matters because the three risk their lives for David's expressed desire, exposing the danger of powerful leaders voicing wishes that loyal subordinates may treat as orders.
Why it matters: This wording carries a material textual, literary, historical, royal-power, violence, consent, trauma, covenant, reception, or misuse boundary.
How certain? probableWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
2 Samuel 23:16 does not permit the wording “And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the…” to be read apart from the selected verse's context. The warriors' loyalty does not require subordinates to risk their lives for a leader's wish, make David's longing a justified order, or turn dangerous devotion into a universal virtue.
What Remains True
Faithful leadership is measured by truth, restraint, justice, repair, and the treatment of people with less power rather than by title, victory, popularity, or narrative prominence. In this unit, that truth is tested by the concrete movement: Three warriors break through Philistine lines for Bethlehem water, but David pours it out because he regards it as the blood-risk of the men. In 2 Samuel 23:16, the concrete line “And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the…” keeps that truth accountable to the narrated evidence.
How It Can Shape Life
- The evidence to keep visible in this verse is “And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the….” People with authority should consider how wishes may be heard as commands, state boundaries clearly, refuse benefits obtained through needless risk, and protect loyal subordinates from proving devotion through danger. This response follows from the unit's own pattern—Three warriors break through Philistine lines for Bethlehem water, but David pours it out because he regards it as the blood-risk of the men.
Teach It Back
Explain 2 Samuel 23:16's role in 23:13–17. Paraphrase “And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the…”, name the ancient royal or household horizon, state one material uncertainty, keep one vulnerable or affected person visible, and identify one conclusion the verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read 2 Samuel 23:13–17 — David Refuses Water Obtained at Mortal RiskSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: 2 Samuel 23:13-17, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: 2 Samuel
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording, morphology, repeated verbs, names, syntax, and the base text behind translation and textual discussion.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/2Sam.xml, 23:13-17
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: 2 Samuel with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Unit-bounded wording, older-English clarification, textual witnesses, syntax, names, numbers, and major historical or literary notes actually printed for these verses.
Exact location: NET Bible 2 Samuel PDF, printed pp. 580–582, translation and all translator notes attached to 23:13-17
Open source ↗