KJV King James Version
Was he not most honourable of three? therefore he was their captain: howbeit he attained not unto the [first] three.
VERSE STUDY • KJV
2 Samuel 23:19
Was he not most honourable of three? therefore he was their captain: howbeit he attained not unto the [first] three.
Read it in 5 translations
BSB Berean Standard Bible
Was he not more honored than the Three? And he became their commander, even though he was not included among the Three.
WEB World English Bible
Wasn’t he most honorable of the three? therefore he was made their captain: however he didn’t attain to the three.
ASV American Standard Version
Was he not most honorable of the three? therefore he was made their captain: howbeit he attained not unto the first three.
YLT Young’s Literal Translation
Of the three is he not the honoured? and he becometh their head; and unto the first three he hath not come.
Surrounding context — 2 Samuel 23
16 And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, 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.
17 And he said, Be it far from me, O LORD, that I should do this: [is not this] the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men.
18 And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief among three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred, [and] slew [them], and had the name among three.
19 Was he not most honourable of three? therefore he was their captain: howbeit he attained not unto the [first] three.
20 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, who had done many acts, he slew two lionlike men of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow:
21 And he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear.
22 These [things] did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had the name among three mighty men.
Topics connected to this verse
Original-language word links
These Hebrew/Greek tokens are linked by Strong's number. Click one for its lexicon definition and other occurrences.
Cross-references
Matthew 13:23But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth [it]; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.Matthew 13:8But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.1 Chronicles 11:25Behold, he was honourable among the thirty, but attained not to the [first] three: and David set him over his guard.1 Corinthians 15:41[There is] one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for [one] star differeth from [another] star in glory.2 Samuel 23:16And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, 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.2 Samuel 23:9And after him [was] Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, [one] of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines [that] were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away:2 Samuel 23:13And three of the thirty chief went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam: and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the valley of Rephaim.
HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION
Compare classic commentaries on 2 Samuel 23:19
Put Matthew Henry, Adam Clarke, Calvin, Wesley, Barnes, Jamieson–Fausset–Brown, Aquinas’ Catena and other public-domain sources beside the passage.
Compare commentaries →