Commentary - 2 Samuel 23:13-17

Bird's-eye view

This brief episode, tucked into a chapter that lists David's mighty men, is far more than a simple war story. It is a profound illustration of true leadership, sacrificial loyalty, and the economy of the gospel. David, in a moment of weary nostalgia, expresses an idle wish for a taste of home, the water from Bethlehem's well. Three of his men, overhearing this longing, take it as a royal command and risk their lives to fulfill it. Their radical act of devotion transforms the water from a simple refreshment into something sacred, something that cost blood. David's response, pouring the water out as a drink offering to Yahweh, is not a rejection of their gift but the highest possible honor he could pay to it. He recognizes that such loyalty is too holy for a mere man to consume. In this, David provides a stunning picture of Christ, the king who inspires a loyalty that is willing to face death, and who then takes that costly offering and presents it to God. The story is a microcosm of the Christian life: our King expresses a desire, His men overcome the enemy to fulfill it, and the resulting offering is consecrated to the glory of God the Father.

The scene is rich with covenantal meaning. David is in the cave of Adullam, the place where his kingdom in exile began, surrounded by the men who first came to him. The Philistines, the standing enemies of God's people, occupy Bethlehem, the future birthplace of the Messiah. The desire for water, the breaking through enemy lines, and the pouring out of the water as a sacrifice all point forward to the greater David, who would provide living water at the cost of His own blood, breaking through the lines of sin and death itself.

Outline

Context In 2 Samuel

This passage is part of the conclusion to the books of Samuel. Chapter 22 is David's great song of deliverance, a psalm celebrating God's faithfulness throughout his tumultuous life. Chapter 23 begins with the "last words of David," a formal prophetic oracle about just rule, and then transitions into a list of his "mighty men," the heroes who were instrumental in establishing his kingdom. This story about the water of Bethlehem is not just dropped in randomly; it serves as the preeminent example of the kind of loyalty and valor these men possessed. It is the narrative illustration that gives life to the names on the list. It shows the deep bond between the king and his men, a bond forged in shared hardship and mutual devotion. This story, along with the other exploits mentioned, provides the human texture to God's covenantal work. God promised David a kingdom, and these are the kinds of men God raised up to fight for and establish that kingdom under David's headship.

Key Issues

The Blood-Price of Water

At the heart of this story is a profound transaction. A simple cup of water is transformed into something else entirely because of the price that was paid to get it. David's men did not just go to a tap; they broke through an enemy encampment, facing death at every step. This is why David calls it "the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives." He understood that the water was now imbued with the cost of their loyalty. It was no longer just H2O; it was a liquid symbol of their love for their king.

This is a principle that runs through all of Scripture. Things are valued by what they cost. Our salvation is not cheap grace; it is infinitely precious because it was purchased with the blood of the Son of God. When we offer our lives back to God, it is not a casual thing. It is a living sacrifice. David's refusal to drink the water was not an act of ungratefulness. It was an act of profound theological insight. He recognized that this kind of sacrifice, this "blood," could not be consumed for his own personal refreshment. It belonged to God. It was a holy thing. By pouring it out on the ground as a drink offering, or libation, he was acknowledging that Yahweh was the only one worthy of such devotion. He was, in effect, redirecting the worship inherent in his men's actions from himself to the God who had anointed him king.

Verse by Verse Commentary

13 Then three of the thirty chief men went down and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam, while the troop of the Philistines was camping in the valley of Rephaim.

The setting is crucial. David is back at the cave of Adullam, a place of humble beginnings. This is where the distressed, the indebted, and the discontented first gathered to him, forming the nucleus of his kingdom (1 Sam 22:1-2). He is not in his palace in Jerusalem, but back in the wilderness, a king in the field. The Philistines, the perennial thorns in Israel's side, are encamped nearby. This is not a time of peace and ease; it is a time of conflict. The mention of "harvest time" adds a layer of texture; life is going on, but under the shadow of enemy occupation.

14 And David was then in the fortress, while the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.

David is in "the fortress," likely a natural stronghold near the cave. The enemy, meanwhile, holds Bethlehem. This is a detail that would have stung David personally. Bethlehem was his hometown, the city of David. For the uncircumcised Philistines to have a garrison there was an insult, a defilement of his heritage. It was a tangible sign that the victory was not yet complete. The enemy was occupying the very place from which God's chosen king had come.

15 Then David had a craving and said, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!”

Here we see the humanness of the king. In the midst of war and strategy, he has a moment of simple, heartfelt longing. This is not a strategic command or a royal decree. It is a sigh, a wistful expression of homesickness. He is thirsty, yes, but it is more than that. He craves the specific water from the well of his childhood, the well "by the gate." It is a desire for a taste of home, a taste of peace, a taste of a time before all this conflict. It is the kind of thing a man says to himself, or perhaps muses aloud to his closest companions, never intending it as an order.

16 So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and carried it and brought it to David. Nevertheless, he was not willing to drink it, but poured it out to Yahweh;

David's men heard the longing in their king's voice, and for them, the king's desire was their command. They did not form a committee or do a risk assessment. Three of them simply acted. The text says they "broke through" the enemy camp, a phrase that communicates violent, decisive action. They fought their way in and fought their way out, for a cup of water. This is loyalty that is almost reckless, a devotion that is absolute. When they present the water to David, his reaction is stunning. He refuses to drink it. Instead, he performs a priestly act: he "poured it out to Yahweh." This was a libation, a drink offering, a form of sacrifice prescribed in the law (Gen 35:14; Lev 23:13). He treats this water as something consecrated, something holy.

17 and he said, “Be it far from me, O Yahweh, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he was not willing to drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

David explains his reasoning, and it is a flash of brilliant spiritual insight. To drink the water would be to treat their life-threatening sacrifice as a means to his personal gratification. He re-frames the entire event. This is not water; this is the "blood" of his men, a metaphor for the lives they risked. He recognizes that such a sacrifice is too sacred for him. The phrase "Be it far from me, O Yahweh" is an expression of holy horror at the thought of profaning what their loyalty had made sacred. He understood that the only fitting recipient for this kind of devotion was God Himself. He takes their offering of loyalty to him and deflects it upward, to Yahweh. He leads his men by showing them that both he and they live for a higher purpose than his personal comfort. The final sentence, "These things the three mighty men did," serves as a powerful epitaph for their valor, sealing the story as a prime example of what it meant to be one of David's mighty men.

Application

This story is a profound challenge to our modern, low-cost, low-commitment Christianity. David's men demonstrate a kind of loyalty that is almost foreign to us. They heard the faintest whisper of their king's desire and were willing to die to fulfill it. Do we have that kind of relationship with our King, the Lord Jesus? Do we listen for the desires of His heart, expressed in His Word, and then act decisively, regardless of the cost?

Furthermore, David's response teaches us how to handle the sacrifices that others make on our behalf. He did not take it for granted. He did not casually say "thanks" and gulp it down. He recognized the cost and gave it the highest honor he could by consecrating it to God. We are the constant beneficiaries of the sacrifices of others: the prayers of the saints, the labors of pastors, the love of family, and above all, the ultimate sacrifice of Christ. We must never treat these things lightly. We receive them with gratitude, and then we pour our lives out as a drink offering in response, giving all the glory to God, who alone is worthy of such devotion.

Finally, this story points us to the gospel. David longed for the water of Bethlehem, but he could not drink it because it was purchased with the blood of others. But another son of David, born in that same town of Bethlehem, would later offer a different kind of water, a living water. And He made it possible for us to drink it precisely because He purchased it with His own blood. Jesus is the king who does not send His men to die for a drink, but who dies Himself so that His men might drink and live forever.