11:1 All Israel joined David at Hebron and said, “Look, we are your very flesh and blood!
After Saul and Jonathan died, the people of Judah met at Hebron. They were ready to make David King of Judah.
11:2 In the past, even when Saul was king, you were Israel’s commanding general. The Lord your God said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel; you will rule over my people Israel.’ ”
God predicted that David would one day be King of Israel.
11:3 When all the leaders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, David made an agreement with them in Hebron before the Lord. They anointed David king over Israel, just as the Lord had announced through Samuel.
The remaining tribes met at Hebron and agreed to make David their king.
11:4 David and the whole Israelite army advanced to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus). (The Jebusites, the land’s original inhabitants, lived there.)
The Jebusites were a Canaanite group who had never been exterminated out of Jerusalem.
11:5 The residents of Jebus said to David, “You cannot invade this place!” But David captured the fortress of Zion (that is, the City of David).
Jerusalem was situated on a large mountain, so their military-favored location may have scared Israel from ever taking the Jebusites.
11:6 David said, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites first will become commanding general!” So Joab son of Zeruiah attacked first and became commander.
Joab was the nephew of David through his sister. Joab would become David’s first general. Joab was a very cunning and dangerous man, but he was very loyal to David.
11:7 David lived in the fortress; for this reason it is called the City of David.
David knew the land of Israel very well. He built a fortress on the top of the mountains of Jerusalem, knowing that it would be a difficult fortress for enemies to attack.
11:8 He built up the city around it, from the terrace to the surrounding walls; Joab restored the rest of the city.
David built the city of Jerusalem and turned it into the capital of Israel. Jerusalem is dual in Hebrew, meaning “City of Peace.” There are two Jerusalems mentioned in the Bible. First, there is the Jerusalem of earthly Israel. It has never experienced peace, because it exists in the satanic world system. Second, there is the New Jerusalem of the Millennial Kingdom. This New Jerusalem will experience peace during the Millennial Kingdom, because Satan will be bound for 1,000 years.
The Hebrew word for peace is שָׁלוֹם (shalom), meaning peace with God. One can only have peace with God by believing in Jesus as the Messiah. The Messiah is the god-man who will become King of the heavenly kingdom on earth. Jerusalem will be the Messiah’s heavenly capital city.
11:9 David’s power steadily grew, for the Lord who commands armies was with him.
David turned little Israel into the most powerful nation of the world, only because God was with him.
11:10 These were the leaders of David’s warriors who helped establish and stabilize his rule over all Israel, in accordance with the Lord’s word.
As the Israelites were returning back to their land from Babylonian captivity, the author wanted to encourage them by listing some of their previous heroes.
11:11 This is the list of David’s warriors: Jashobeam, a Hacmonite, was head of the officers. He killed three hundred men with his spear in a single battle.
The author was encouraging the returnees by showing that Jashobeam must have had supernatural assistance from God to accomplish this task. This divine intervention was because David and the Israelite people were obedient to the Lord.
11:12 Next in command was Eleazar son of Dodo the Ahohite. He was one of the three elite warriors. 11:13 He was with David in Pas Dammim when the Philistines assembled there for battle. In an area of the field that was full of barley, the army retreated before the Philistines, 11:14 but then they made a stand in the middle of that area. They defended it and defeated the Philistines; the Lord gave them a great victory.
The author was encouraging the returnees by showing that Israel supernaturally defeated all of their enemies during the time of David. This divine intervention was because David and the Israelite people were obedient to the Lord.
11:15 Three of the thirty leaders went down to David at the rocky cliff at the cave of Adullam, while a Philistine force was camped in the Valley of Rephaim. 11:16 David was in the stronghold at the time, while a Philistine garrison was in Bethlehem. 11:17 David was thirsty and said, “How I wish someone would give me some water to drink from the cistern in Bethlehem near the city gate!” 11:18 So the three elite warriors broke through the Philistine forces and drew some water from the cistern in Bethlehem near the city gate. They carried it back to David, but David refused to drink it. He poured it out as a drink offering to the Lord 11:19 and said, “God forbid that I should do this! Should I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives?” Because they risked their lives to bring it to him, he refused to drink it. Such were the exploits of the three elite warriors.
The author was encouraging the returnees by showing that the people of Israel loved the Lord and they loved their anointed king. They would risk their lives just to give David a cup of water from a Bethlehem spring which was located in dangerous enemy territory. The kings of Israel, Judah, and Babylon never received this kind of love from their people. When the Messianic King arrives at His first coming, He will be rejected. At His second coming, He will be even greater loved than David.
11:20 Abishai the brother of Joab was head of the three elite warriors. He killed three hundred men with his spear and gained fame along with the three elite warriors. 11:21 From the three he was given double honor and he became their officer, even though he was not one of them.
The author was encouraging the returnees by showing that Abishai killed 300 men supernaturally with his spear. These supernatural events were common events during Israel at this time, because David and the people of Israel were obedient to the Lord.
11:22 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a brave warrior from Kabzeel who performed great exploits. He struck down the two sons of Ariel of Moab; he also went down and killed a lion inside a cistern on a snowy day. 11:23 He even killed an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet tall. The Egyptian had a spear as big as the crossbeam of a weaver’s loom; Benaiah attacked him with a club. He grabbed the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 11:24 Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who gained fame along with the three elite warriors. 11:25 He received honor from the thirty warriors, though he was not one of the three elite warriors. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.
Most people will not go to church when it rains or snows, but David’s warriors were killing lions on snowy days. They were killing Egyptian giants with their own weapons. These kinds of supernatural exploits were happening in Israel during the reign of David when they were obedient to the Lord.
11:26 The mighty warriors were: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo, from Bethlehem, 11:27 Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, 11:28 Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, 11:29 Sibbekai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, 11:30 Maharai the Netophathite, Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite, 11:31 Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjaminite territory, Benaiah the Pirathonite, 11:32 Hurai from the valleys of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, 11:33 Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, 11:34 the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan son of Shageh the Hararite, 11:35 Ahiam son of Sakar the Hararite, Eliphal son of Ur, 11:36 Hepher the Mekerathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, 11:37 Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai son of Ezbai, 11:38 Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar son of Hagri, 11:39 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah, 11:40 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 11:41 Uriah the Hittite, Zabad son of Achli, 11:42 Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, leader of the Reubenites and the thirty warriors with him, 11:43 Hanan son of Maacah, Joshaphat the Mithnite, 11:44 Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel, the sons of Hotham the Aroerite, 11:45 Jediael son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite, 11:46 Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite, 11:47 Eliel, and Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.
The author listed the mighty men of Israel who served in David’s elite army. These men could have defeated the entire Babylonian army who captivated Judah, only because they believed in God and they believed in His anointed king. The list of these men was an encouragement to Israel. If the returnees believed in God and kept the Mosaic Law, then no foreign power could ever defeat them again. God could raise up supernatural soldiers from within the returning Israelites who would be able to defend the land from any foreign power.
Notice that at least three of David’s “mighty men” were non-Israelites—Zelek the Ammonite, Uriah the Hittite and Ithmah the Moabite. This was an encouraging note to the Gentile proselytes that God could use them for His kingdom just as well as He could use Jewish believers. It also showed that God did yank out His elect not just from Israel, but from other nations as well.