2 Samuel 23 · Verse 15

2 Samuel 23:15

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!

2 Samuel 23:15, King James Version

2 Samuel 23:15 in other translations

BSB	David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!”
WEB	David said longingly, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!”
ASV	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!
YLT	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?'
DARBY	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!
BBE	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!
Webster	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!

What does 2 Samuel 23:15 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Samuel 23:15-16

15-16. the well of Beth-lehem--An ancient cistern, with four or five holes in the solid rock, at about ten minutes distance to the north of the eastern corner of the hill of Beth-lehem, is pointed out by the natives as Bir-Daoud; that is, David's well. Dr. Robinson doubts the identity of the well; but others think that there are no good grounds for doing so. Certainly, considering this to be the ancient well, Beth-lehem must have once extended ten minutes further to the north, and must have lain in times of old, not as now, on the summit, but on the northern rise of the hill; for the well is by or (1Ch 11:7) at the gate. I find in the description of travellers, that the common opinion is, that David's captains had come from the southeast, in order to obtain, at the risk of their lives, the so-much-longed-for water; while it is supposed that David himself was then in the great cave that is not far to the southeast of Beth-lehem; which cave is generally held to have been that of Adullam. But (Jos 15:35) Adullam lay "in the valley"; that is, in the undulating plain at the western base of the mountains of Judea and consequently to the southwest of Beth-lehem. Be this as it may, David's men had in any case to break through the host of the Philistines, in order to reach the well; and the position of Bir-Daoud agrees well with this [Van De Velde].

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 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.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Samuel 23:8-39

David once earnestly longed for the water at the well of Bethlehem. It seems to be an instance of weakness. He was thirsty; with the water of that well he had often refreshed himself when a youth, and it was without due thought that he desired it. Were his valiant men so forward to expose themselves, upon the least hint of their prince's mind, and so eager to please him, and shall not we long to approve ourselves to…

Read the full comment on 2 Samuel 23:8-39 →

2 Samuel 23:15 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיִּתְאַוֶּ֥הvai.yit.'a.Vehand he desiredH183

דָוִ֖דda.VidDavidH1732

וַיֹּאמַ֑רvai.yo.Marand he saidH559

מִ֚יmiwho?H4310

יַשְׁקֵ֣נִיyash.Ke.niwill he give to drink meH8248

מַ֔יִםMa.yimwaterH4325

מִבֹּ֥ארmi.Borfrom [the] well ofH877

בֵּֽית\־beit-Beth-H1035

לֶ֖חֶםLe.chem-lehemH1035

אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.SherwhichH834

בַּשָּֽׁעַר\׃ba.Sha.'ar[is] at the gateH8179

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Samuel 23:15

John 4:14
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Psalms 42:1-2
To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
Isaiah 44:3
For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:
John 4:10
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Isaiah 41:17
When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
Numbers 11:4-5
And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:
Psalms 63:1
A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
John 7:37
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
Psalms 119:81
כ CAPH. My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

longed.
Nu 11:4,5; Ps 42:1,2; 63:1; 119:81; Isa 41:17; 44:3; Joh 4:10,14
Joh 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."
Joh 4:14

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

2 Samuel 23:14
And David was then in an hold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Beth–lehem.
2 Samuel 23:15
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!
2 Samuel 23:16
And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth–lehem, 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.

Read all of 2 Samuel 23

2 Samuel 23:15 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y David tuvo deseo, y dijo: ¡Quién me diera á beber del agua de la cisterna de Beth-lehem, que está á la puerta!
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et David convoita, et dit: Qui me fera boire de l’eau du puits de Bethléhem, qui est près de la porte?
German Elberfelder 1871	Und David hatte ein Gelüste und sprach: Wer wird mich mit Wasser tränken aus der Cisterne von Bethlehem, die am Tore ist?
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Desideravit ergo David, et ait: O si quis mihi daret potum aquæ de cisterna quæ est in Bethlehem juxta portam!