He arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand froze to the sword; and Yahweh worked a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to take plunder.
Parallel Translations
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He arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand froze to the sword; and Yahweh worked a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to take plunder.
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He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the LORD wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil.
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he stood firm, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand did cleave unto the sword; and the LORD wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to strip the slain.
Cross-references (17)
Passages linked to 2 Samuel 23:10 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 1 Samuel 11:13 Saul said, “No man shall be put to death today; for today Yahweh has rescued Israel.”
- 1 Samuel 19:5 for he put his life in his hand, and struck the Philistine, and Yahweh worked a great victory for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause?”
- Joshua 10:10 Yahweh confused them before Israel. He killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth Horon, and struck them to Azekah and to Makkedah.
- Joshua 10:42 Joshua took all these kings and their land at one time because Yahweh, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.
- Joshua 11:8 Yahweh delivered them into the hand of Israel, and they struck them, and chased them to great Sidon, and to Misrephoth Maim, and to the valley of Mizpah eastward. They struck them until they left them no one remaining.
- Judges 15:14 When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him. Then Yahweh’s Spirit came mightily on him, and the ropes that were on his arms became as flax that was burned with fire; and his bands dropped from off his hands.
- Judges 15:18 He was very thirsty, and called on Yahweh and said, “You have given this great deliverance by the hand of your servant; and now shall I die of thirst, and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”
- 1 Samuel 14:6 Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come! Let’s go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that Yahweh will work for us; for there is no restraint on Yahweh to save by many or by few.”
- 1 Samuel 14:23 So Yahweh saved Israel that day; and the battle passed over by Beth Aven.
- 2 Kings 5:1 Now Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honorable, because by him Yahweh had given victory to Syria: he was also a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.
- Psalms 68:12 “Kings of armies flee! They flee!” She who waits at home divides the plunder,
- Psalms 108:13 Through God, we will do valiantly. For it is he who will tread down our enemies.
- Psalms 144:10 You are he who gives salvation to kings, who rescues David, his servant, from the deadly sword.
- Isaiah 53:12 Therefore I will give him a portion with the great. He will divide the plunder with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death and was counted with the transgressors; yet he bore the sins of many and made intercession for the transgressors.
- Romans 15:18 For I will not dare to speak of any things except those which Christ worked through me, for the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed,
- 2 Corinthians 4:5 For we don’t preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake,
- Ephesians 6:10-18 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace, above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints:
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (11 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain By a cramp which came of weariness and striving.
By a cramp which came of weariness and striving.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 2Sa 23:10 He arose, and smote the Philistines until…
2Sa 23:10 He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the LORD wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil.
Ver. 10. Until his hand was weary.] Scanderbeg fought against the Turks with such earnestness, that the blood burst out at his lips, as he was slaying them.
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And his hand clave unto the sword.] By the contraction of his sinews, through the pains he had taken. Spasmus est tendonum contractio: quae aliquando fit, quum prae nimio sudore tendones siccescunt.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain He arose, i. e. he undertook the work, as…
He arose, i. e. he undertook the work, as that word sometimes is used. Or, he stood (as it sometimes signifies) when the rest fled.
His hand clave unto the sword; either through sweat or blood, or by a contraction of the sinews. Or thus, yet did his hand cleave to his sword, i.e. though he was weary, he did not desist, but continued fighting.
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Only to spoil i.e. to pursue the enemy, whom he had discomfited, and to take their spoil.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand…
He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary,.... He rose up when the Israelites fled, and stood his ground alone, and fought with the Philistines, and smote them with his sword, until his hand was weary with smiting:
and his hand clave unto the sword; which was contracted by holding it so long, and grasping it so hard, that it could not easily be got out of it; or through the quantity of blood which ran upon his hand, as it was shed, so Josephus (t); and which being congealed, and dried, caused his hand to stick to the hilt of his sword, so that they were, as it were, glued together by it; or the sense may be only, that though weary, he did not drop his sword, but held it fast till he had destroyed the enemy:
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and the Lord wrought a great victory that day; for to him it must be ascribed, and not to the strength and valour of the man:
and the people returned after him only to spoil; they that fled, when they saw what a victory was obtained by him, returned and came after him; not to help him in smiting, but to spoil those that were slain, and strip them of what they had.
(t) Antiqu. l. 7. c. 12. sect. 4.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Sword; holding it, and exerting himself so long; (Sanctius)…
Sword; holding it, and exerting himself so long; (Sanctius) or on account of the blood, which glued, as it were, his hand to the sword. (Josephus) (Menochius) --- This verse, and as far as troop in the following, is omitted in 1 Paralipomenon; so that Semma is not so much as mentioned, (Haydock) and of course the number thirty seven cannot be found. (Kennicott) --- Perhaps Samaoth may be the same hero, 1 Paralipomenon ii. 17., and xxvii. 8. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 10. He arose — Took a bold, defiant position;…
10. He arose — Took a bold, defiant position; resolved to maintain his ground.
His hand clave unto the sword — So long and so firmly had he grasped its hilt that his hand became benumbed and cramped, yet firmly fixed in its grasp. Some think his hand was stuck fast to his sword by the blood which was on it.
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Returned after him only to spoil — That is, after they had retreated from him, and he was left alone to fight with the foe, and they saw at a distance the mighty victory wrought through him, they returned again and followed after him, not now to help him, but only to gather up the spoil.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 10. his hand clave unto the sword] At the…
10. his hand clave unto the sword] At the close of the massacre of the Christians of Mount Lebanon by the Druses, in 1860, Sheikh Ali Amad’s hand so clave to the handle of his sword that he could not open it until the muscles were relaxed by fomentation of hot water. Van Lennep’s Bible Lands, II. p. 679.
wrought a great victory] Lit. wrought a great deliverance or salvation. Cp. 1Sa_11:13; 1Sa_19:5.
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returned after him] Were turning after him, were following him: not necessarily implying that they had fled previously.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (10) Clave unto the sword.—Instances are rare, but well…
(10) Clave unto the sword.—Instances are rare, but well authenticated, of a sort of cramp following excessive exertion, so that the hand could only be released from the sword by external appliances.
Returned after him.—Does not imply that they had at any time deserted him, but only that they turned wherever he went to gather the spoil of the men he slew.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Victory; Hebrew, salvation; and so also in ver. 12…
Victory; Hebrew, salvation; and so also in ver. 12 and 1Sa_11:13 1Sa_19:5. Returned after him. This does not imply that they had fled, but simply that they turned in whichever way he turned, and followed him. Battles in old time depended very much upon the prowess of the leaders.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain His hand clave unto the sword.
2Sa_23:10
His hand clave unto the sword.
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A heroic sword-grasp
In the roll of honour of King Davids army, there was one, Eleazor by name, who was counted worthy to stand with the first three mighty men of David, because he arose and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword, and the Lord wrought a great victory that day, and the people returned after him only to spoil. In this account we see that his heroic sword-grasp was looked upon as a proof of his valour, and was made the mark of his honour and of his reward.
I. We observe that Eleazars grasp shows his appreciation of the sword as a weapon both for defence and for aggression.
1. We cannot do much with a weapon in which we have little or no confidence.
2. The sword of the Spirit is the only weapon by which we can gain a great victory.
3. The efficiency of Gods Word does not consist in the mere letter, but in the doctrines and duties which it teaches, and in the virtues which it commends such as truthfulness, justice, purity, benevolence, holiness. Our grasp of these shows cur appreciation of them.
II. Eleazar grasped his sword firmly, and did not relax his hold.
1. The enemy, knowing the power of the sword, will seek to wrest it from ones grasp. If the grasp be weak, a sly thrust at the Mistakes of Moses, or a bold, materialistic blow at the Miracles of Jesus, may break the grasp, and then we are helpless.
2. Worldliness, or avarice, or appetite, or lust, or malice, may so loosen our grasp upon the principles of the Word that we shall be compelled to surrender.
3. It requires true heroism to hold on to principle when the men of Israel are gone away, and the Philistines are arrayed against us.
4. A true soldier will die rather than lose his sword.
III. Eleazars grasp was made firmer by the conflict.
1. Heroic conflict requires and produces an heroic sword-grasp.
2. A true hero does not stop to count the enemy nor to consider a compromise, nor to hide himself through fear of ridicule or other evil weapons; but putting his strength into his sword he rushes on to victory.
3. Christian conflict is not controversy, but an heroic Christian life which requires and produces a firm grasp on the words and the principles of the Gospel.
4. Jesus With this sword met and repulsed Satan. (Mat_4:10.)
5. When we are alone, as Jesus was and as Eleazar was, we can gain our greatest victories.
IV. Eleazars firmness of grasp, and fierceness of conflict, made his sword cleave unto his hand.
1. Whatever we cling to, shapes the grasp, and will, in proportion to the strength of the grasp, cleave unto the hand.
2. The more firmly we grasp, and the more efficiently we use, the words and the principles of the Word, the more deeply will they be impressed into our nature and cleave unto us.
3. When the sword cleaves unto the hand, and the hand grows weary, we can still fight on.
4. The sword of the Spirit has adhered so firmly to the hand of many a hero in Gods army that even death could not break the grasp.
V. Eleazars heroic sword-grasp was made the mark of his heroism and of his reward.
1. The true marks of honour are obtained through conflict and suffering.
2. The cleaving of the sword unto the hand is the mark of Gods greatest heroes: the prophets, apostles, martyrs, reformers, missionaries, and others.
3. Clinging to the true and the right until the true and the right cleave unto us, is as heroic in the peculiar temptations of our day as was Eleazars conflict.
4. The marks of our sword-grasp will be our badge of honour in eternity. Let us, then, be assured that if we rightly appreciate the sword of the Spirit, grasp it firmly, and use it efficiently until it cleave unto the hand, we also shall gain a great victory in the conflicts of life, and in the kingdom of heaven a glorious reward. (J. Saxtell.)
The warriors scars
I want you to hold the truth with undetachable grip, and I want you to strike so hard for God that it will react, and while you take the sword, the sword will take you. Soldiers coming together are very apt, to recount their experiences, and to show their scars. Here is a soldier who pulls up his sleeve and says, There I was wounded. I have had no use of that limb since the gunshot fracture. Oh, when the battle of life is over, and the resurrection has come, and our bodies rise from the dead, will we have on us any scars of bravery for God? Christ will be there all covered with scars. And all heaven will shout aloud as they look at those scars. Ignatius will be there, and he will point out the place where the tooth and the paw of the lion seized him in the Coliseum; and John Huss will be there, and he will show where the coal first scorched the foot on that day when his spirit took wing of flame from Constance. McMillan, and Campbell, and Freeman, American missionaries in India, will be there--the men who with their wives and children went down in the awful massacre at Cawnpore, and they will show where the daggers of the Sepoys struck them. The Waldenses will be there, and they will show where their hones were broken on that day the Piedmontese soldiery pitched them over the rocks. And there will be those there who took care of the sick and who looked after the poor, and they will have evidences of earthly exhaustion. And Christ, with His scarred hand waving over the scarred multitude, will say, You suffered with Me on earth; now be glorified with Me. (T. De Witt Talmage.)
The sword of the valiant
Of the old hero the minstrel sung, With his Yemen sword for aid, ornament it carried none but the notches on the blade. What nobler declaration of honour can any good man seek after than his scar of service, his losses for the cross, his reproaches for Christs sake, his being worn out in the Masters service. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The sword for use
The glittering sword with its keen edge and jewelled hilt is an object of beauty as a work of art, yet it is harmless. But in the muscular grip of a soldiers hand and swung with a purpose and an aim, it is a dread weapon. So with truth wielded with skill and power by the consecrated preacher.
Hitting hard
It is told of Abraham Lincoln that once, when quite a young man, he saw men and women put on the block, exhibited for sale, and bought like cattle. He saw the humbling and degrading familiarities which the buyers took with file human chattels, saw the looks of dumb and piteous agony which stole across the poor black faces as wives were sold away from their husbands, and children torn from their mothers arms; and he forced his way out the ring and with flaming eyes, and voice husky with suppressed passion, said to a companion, gripping him by the arm, If ever I get a chance to hit at this thing Ill hit hard, by the Eternal God. My chance has come, he exclaimed, later in life, and I mean to hit hard.
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 23:10 to collect the plunder: Cp. 1 Sam 30:9-10,…
23:10 to collect the plunder: Cp. 1 Sam 30:9-10, 21-25.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.