2 Samuel 23:15

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
David was extremely thirsty and said, “If only someone would bring me water to drink from the well at the city gate of Bethlehem!”

Hebrew Names Version
David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me water to drink of the well of Beit-Lechem, which is by the gate!

King James Version
And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!

English Standard Version
And David said longingly, "Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!"

New Century Version
David had a strong desire for some water. He said, "Oh, I wish someone would get me water from the well near the city gate of Bethlehem!"

New English Translation
David was thirsty and said, "How I wish someone would give me some water to drink from the cistern in Bethlehem near the gate!"

Amplified Bible
And 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!"

New American Standard Bible
And 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!"

Geneva Bible (1587)
And Dauid longed, and said, Oh, that one would giue me to drinke of the water of the well of Beth-lehem, which is by the gate.

Legacy Standard Bible
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!"

Contemporary English Version
and he was very thirsty. He said, "I wish I had a drink from the well by the gate at Bethlehem."

Complete Jewish Bible
David had a craving and said, "I wish someone could give me water to drink from the well by the gate of Beit-Lechem!"

Darby Translation
And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me to drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is in the gate!

Easy-to-Read Version
David was thirsty for some water from his hometown, so he said, "Oh, if only I could have some water from that well by the gate in Bethlehem."

George Lamsa Translation
And David longed for water and said, O that one would give me a drink of water from the great well which is in the city of Beth-lehem!

Good News Translation
David grew homesick and said, "How I wish someone would bring me a drink of water from the well by the gate at Bethlehem!"

Lexham English Bible
David said longingly, "Oh that someone would bring me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem that is at the gate."

Literal Translation
And David longed, and said, Who shall give me drink from the water of the well of Bethlehem beside the gate?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Dauid was desyrous, and sayde: Wolde God yt some man wolde fetch me a drynke of water out of the well at Bethleem vnder the gate.

American Standard Version
And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me water to drink of the well of Beth-lehem, which is by the gate!

Bible in Basic English
And David, moved by a strong desire, said, If only someone would give me a drink of water from the water-hole of Beth-lehem, by the doorway into the town!

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Dauid longed, & saide: Oh that I had of the water that is in the wel by the gate of Bethlehem for to drynke.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And David longed, and said: 'Oh that one would give me water to drink of the well of Beth-lehem, which is by the gate!'

King James Version (1611)
And Dauid longed, and said, Oh that one would giue mee drinke of the water of the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And David longed, and said, Who will give me water to drink out of the well that is in Bethleem by the gate? now the band of the Philistines was then in Bethleem.

English Revised Version
And David longed and said, Oh that one would give me water to drink of the well of Beth–lehem which is by the gate!

Berean Standard Bible
David longed for water and said, "Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor Dauid desiride water of the lake, and seide, If ony man wolde yyue to me drynk of watir of the cisterne, which is in Bethleem, bisidis the yate.

Young's Literal Translation
and David longeth and saith, `Who doth give me a drink of the water of the well of Beth-Lehem, which [is] by the gate?'

Update Bible Version
And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me water to drink of the well of Beth-lehem, which is by the gate!

Webster's Bible Translation
And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Beth-lehem, which [is] by the gate!

World English Bible
David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me water to drink of the well of Beth-lehem, which is by the gate!

New King James Version
And David said with longing, "Oh, that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!"

New Living Translation
David remarked longingly to his men, "Oh, how I would love some of that good water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem."

New Life Bible
David had a desire and said, "If only someone would give me water to drink from the well by the gate of Bethlehem!"

New Revised Standard
David said longingly, "O that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And David longed, and said, - Who will give me to drink water out of the well of Bethlehem, that is within the gate?

Douay-Rheims Bible
And David longed, and said: O that some man would get me a drink of the water out of the cistern, that is in Bethlehem, by the gate.

Revised Standard Version
And David said longingly, "O that some one would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
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!"

Contextual Overview

⁸ This is the listing of David's top men. Josheb-Basshebeth, the Tahkemonite. He was chief of the Three. He once put his spear to work against eight hundred—killed them all in a day. ⁹Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite was the next of the elite Three. He was with David when the Philistines poked fun at them at Pas Dammim. When the Philistines drew up for battle, Israel retreated. But Eleazar stood his ground and killed Philistines right and left until he was exhausted—but he never let go of his sword! A big win for God that day. The army then rejoined Eleazar, but all there was left to do was the cleanup. ¹¹Shammah son of Agee the Hararite was the third of the Three. The Philistines had mustered for battle at Lehi, where there was a field full of lentils. Israel fled before the Philistines, but Shammah took his stand at the center of the field, successfully defended it, and routed the Philistines. Another great victory for God ! ¹³One day during harvest, the Three parted from the Thirty and joined David at the Cave of Adullam. A squad of Philistines had set up camp in the Valley of Rephaim. While David was holed up in the Cave, the Philistines had their base camp in Bethlehem. David had a sudden craving and said, "Would I ever like a drink of water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem!" So the Three penetrated the Philistine lines, drew water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But David wouldn't drink it; he poured it out as an offering to God , saying, "There is no way, God , that I'll drink this! This isn't mere water, it's their life-blood—they risked their very lives to bring it!" So David refused to drink it. This is the sort of thing that the Three did. ¹⁸Abishai brother of Joab and son of Zeruiah was the head of the Thirty. He once got credit for killing three hundred with his spear, but he was never named in the same breath as the Three. He was the most respected of the Thirty and was their captain, but never got included among the Three. ²⁰Benaiah son of Jehoiada from Kabzeel was a vigorous man who accomplished a great deal. He once killed two lion cubs in Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he climbed down into a pit and killed a lion. Another time he killed a formidable Egyptian. The Egyptian was armed with a spear and Benaiah went against him with nothing but a walking stick; he seized the spear from his grip and killed him with his own spear. ²²These are the things that Benaiah son of Jehoiada is famous for. But neither did he ever get ranked with the Three. He was held in greatest respect among the Thirty, but he never got included with the Three. David put him in charge of his bodyguard. ²⁴"The Thirty" consisted of: Asahel brother of Joab; Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem; Shammah the Harodite; Elika the Harodite; Helez the Paltite; Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite; Abiezer the Anathothite; Sibbecai the Hushathite; Zalmon the Ahohite; Maharai the Netophathite; Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite; Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjaminites; Benaiah the Pirathonite; Hiddai from the badlands of Gaash; Abi-Albon the Arbathite; Azmaveth the Barhumite; Eliahba the Shaalbonite; Jashen the Gizonite; Jonathan son of Shammah the Hararite; Ahiam son of Sharar the Urite; Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maacathite; Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite; Hezro the Carmelite; Paarai the Arbite; Igal son of Nathan, commander of the army of Hagrites; Zelek the Ammonite; Naharai the Beerothite, weapon bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah; Ira the Ithrite; Gareb the Ithrite; Uriah the Hittite. Thirty-seven, all told.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

longed: Numbers 11:4, Numbers 11:5, Psalms 42:1, Psalms 42:2, Psalms 63:1, Psalms 119:81, Isaiah 41:17, Isaiah 44:3, John 4:10, John 4:14, John 7:37

Bethlehem: Bethlehem signifies the "house of bread," and the place was likewise noted for excellent water. There Christ was born, who is the "bread of life," and who also gives us the "water of life." "The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." John 4:14

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 12:20 - I will Joshua 19:15 - Bethlehem 1 Kings 21:16 - Ahab rose up 1 Chronicles 11:17 - longed Proverbs 25:25 - cold John 4:7 - Give Romans 1:11 - I long

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And David longed, and said,.... It being harvest time, the summer season, and hot weather, and he thirsty:

oh, that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem,

which [is] by the gate! which he was well acquainted with, being his native place; and which might make it the more desirable, as well as its waters might be peculiarly cool and refreshing, and very excellent, as Kimchi suggests. This well was about a mile from Bethlehem, now called David's well, as some travellers say y. It is said to be a very large well, with three mouths, and lies a little out of the road z; and that there is now near Rachel's grave a good rich cistern, which is deep and wide; wherefore the people that go to dip water are provided with small leathern buckets, and a line, as usual in those countries a; but Mr. Maundrell b says it is a well, or rather a cistern, supplied only with rain, without any excellency in its waters to make them desirable; but it seems, he adds, David's spirit had a further aim. Some think he meant by this to get Bethlehem out of the hands of the Philistines, and obtain the possession of it; others, as Jarchi, that he intended to ask some question of the sanhedrim that sat there; and others, that his desire was after the law of God, called waters, as in Isaiah 55:1; and some Christian writers, both ancient and modern c, are of opinion, that not literal but spiritual water was desired by him, and that he thirsted after the coming of the Messiah, to be born at Bethlehem, and the living water which he only can give, John 4:10.

y Egmont and Heyman's Travels, vol. 1. p. 363. z Le Bruyn's Voyage to the Levant, ch. 52. p. 204. a Rauwolff's Travels, part 3. p. 317, 318. b Journey from Aleppo, &c. p. 90. c Ambros. Apolog. David l. 1. c. 7. gloss. ordinar. & Schmidt in loc. Pfeiffer. Difficil. Loc. Script. cent. 2. loc. 91. Horn. Dissert. de desiderio David. sect. 10.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A cistern of deep, clear, cool water, is called by the monks, David’s Well, about three-quarters of a mile to the north of Bethlehem. Possibly the old well has been filled up since the town was supplied with water by the aqueduct.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 23:15. The water of the well of Bethlehem — This was David's city, and he knew the excellence of the water which was there; and being near the place, and parched with thirst, it was natural for him to wish for a draught of water out of that well. These three heroes having heard it, though they received no command from David, broke through a company of the Philistines, and brought away some of the water. When brought to David he refused to drink it: for as the men got it at the hazard of their lives, he considered it as their blood, and gave thereby a noble instance of self-denial. There is no evidence that David had requested them to bring it; they had gone for it of their own accord, and without the knowledge of David.