Now three of the thirty captains went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the host of the Philistines encamped in the valley of Rephaim.

And three of the thirty captains went down to the rock, wherein David was, to the cave of Odollam, when the Philistines encamped in the valley of Raphaim.

And three of the thirty chiefs went down to the rock to David, to the cave of Adullam, when the army of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.

And three of the thirty heads go down on the rock unto David, unto the cave of Adullam, and the host of the Philistines is encamping in the valley of Rephaim,

And three of the thirty went down to David, to the rock, into the strong place of Adullam; and the army of the Philistines had taken up their position in the valley of Rephaim.

Three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the army of the Philistines were camped in the valley of Rephaim.

Then three from the thirty leaders descended to the rock where David was, to the cave of Adullam, when the Philistines had made camp in the Valley of the Rephaim.

Now three of the (d) thirty captains went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the host of the Philistines encamped in the valley of Rephaim.
(d) That is, Eleazar and his two companions.

David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink . . . of the well of Beth-lehem--(See on 2-Samuel 23:15). This chivalrous act evinces the enthusiastic devotion of David's men, that they were ready to gratify his smallest wish at the risk of their lives. It is probable that, when uttering the wish, David had no recollection of the military posted at Beth-lehem. It is generally taken for granted that those who fought a way to the well of Beth-lehem were the three champions just mentioned [see on 1-Chronicles 11:13]. But this is far from being clear. On the contrary, it would seem that three different heroes are referred to, for Abishai (1-Chronicles 11:20) was one of them. The camp of the Philistines was in the valley of Rephaim (1-Chronicles 11:15), which lay on the west of Jerusalem, but an outpost was stationed at Beth-lehem (1-Chronicles 11:16), and through this garrison they had to force a passage.

In 1-Chronicles 11:15-19 (cf. 2-Samuel 23:13-17) there follows an exploit of three others of the thirty, whose names have not been handed down. ראשׁ השּׁלושׁים, the thirty chiefs (not, as Thenius wrongly interprets the words, these three knights the chief parts, i.e., these three chief knights), are David's heroes hereafter mentioned, the thirty-two heroes of the third class named in 1-Chronicles 11:26-40 (or vv. 24-39 of Samuel). That three others, different from the before-mentioned Jashobeam, Eleazar, and Shammah are intended, is plain from the omission of the article with שׁלושׁה; for if these three were spoken of, we would have השׁלושׁה, as in 1-Chronicles 11:18. For further remarks on this exploit, which was probably performed in the war treated of in 1-Chronicles 14:8., and in 2-Samuel 5:17., see on 2-Samuel 23:13-17. The words וגו האנשׁים הדם, 1-Chronicles 11:19, are to be translated, "The blood of these men shall I drink in their souls? for for their souls (i.e., for the price of their souls, at the risk of their life) have they brought it." The expression "blood in their souls" is to be understood according to Genesis 9:4 and Leviticus 17:14 (הוּא בנפשׁו דּמו, "his blood is in the soul," is that which constitutes his soul). As there blood and soul are used synonymously (the blood as seat of and container of the soul, and the soul as floating in the blood), so here David, according to our account of his words, compares the water, which those heroes had brought for the price of their souls, to the souls of the men, and the drinking of the water to the drinking of their souls, and finally the souls to the blood, in order to express his abhorrence of such a draught. The meaning therefore may be thus expressed: "Shall I drink in this water the souls, and so the blood, of these men; for they have brought the water even for the price of their souls?"