There are passages of scripture in the Bible that are worded in a most confusing manner, and which make it difficult for the reader to fully comprehend the details in question. One of these places is the description of David’s mighty men given in 2 Samuel chapter 23 and 1 Chronicles chapter 11. There we read of David’s elite force of mighty men who helped David establish his kingdom.
These mighty men were collectively known as “the thirty” even though their number totaled thirty-seven men in all (2 Samuel 23:39). Like any standing military unit, the membership was fluid, as some men died and were replaced by others, thus the names given in the two passages of scripture are those who were part of “the thirty” at one time or another.
Of David’s thirty mighty men, there were two squads of three warriors among them, each having a squad leader, but the second squad was not as renowned as the first. The first squad consisted of Jashobeam (the squad leader; 1 Chronicles 11:11), Eleazar, and Shammah (2 Samuel 23:8-12). These are the three that broke through the Philistine lines in order to fetch David water from the well of Bethlehem (2 Samuel 23:13-17).
The second squad of three consisted of Abishai (the squad leader and brother to Joab, the commander of David’s army), Benaiah (the future captain of David’s guard and future commander of Solomon’s army), and a third member who remains nameless (2 Samuel 23:18-23). These three men of the second squad were very skillful and among the most honorable men of the thirty, but they did not reach the same level of renown as the first squad.
Once we understand that David’s elite mercenary guard consisted of thirty men, among which were two outstanding squads of three men in each, then understanding the phrasing of 2 Samuel chapter 23 and 1 Chronicles chapter 11 makes perfect sense. The first squad of three men was the finest of all David’s mighty warriors, whilst the second squad of three men was also great, but did not achieve the same level of greatness as the first squad.