The chief of the mighty men of David lifted up his spear and killed how many men at one time?
You can purchase my book looking into contradictions in the Bible on Amazon
2 Samuel 23:8 These be the names of the mighty men whom David had: The Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite: he lift up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time.
1 Chronicles 11:11 And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had; Jashobeam, an Hachmonite, the chief of the captains: he lifted up his spear against three hundred slain by him at one time.
Here it is asserted that the same man is recorded as having slain both 800 and 300 men at the same time and thus a contradiction between the two recorded narratives.
However, this is not only not a contradiction, it is actually a total misrepresentation of the Biblical records themselves.
These two verses are not even referring to the same person let alone are they referring to the same event. It would seem, at least, that Shabir has not even bothered to investigate the context in which these two verses can be found, as had he done so, I am sure that he would not have included these within his list of contradictions, he would not have been able to had he wished to remain honest anyway.
The assertion comes based on the reference to chief amongst the captains (2 Samuel) and the chief of the captains ( 1 Chronicles). It is then read into these two verses that they must be referring to the same person. Of course, this on its own would be an incorrect thing to do, there are many people in the Bible that are referred to as having the same title, such as being called King, just as there are many called High Priest. We should not automatically assume that when the Bible refers to someone as either of these that it is always in reference to the same person, this would be a mistake and create all kinds of problems that simply are not there. Neither should the different totals of men being killed at one time, 800 and 300, create any such contradiction. It is perfectly legitimate for the Bible to record that both numbers of men were killed. If 800 were killed at one time and 300 were killed at another then both numbers would be recorded correctly and would not refer to the same time and so the difference in numbers would create no contradiction. It would only constitute a possible contradiction if both these numbers were referring to the exact same event at the exact same time by the exact same man. This is not the case in this occurrence.
We must also notice that in 1 Chronicles we are told that the 300 were killed when Jashobeam lifted up his spear.
1 Chronicles 11:11 And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had; Jashobeam, an Hachmonite, the chief of the captains: he lifted up his spear against three hundred slain by him at one time.
In the account recorded in 2 Samuel no actual weapon is recorded.
2 Samuel 23:8 These be the names of the mighty men whom David had: The Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite: he lift up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time.
The words “he lift up his spear” do not appear in the Hebrew. They have been added to the text in the KJV.
אֵ֛לֶּה שְׁמֹ֥ות הַגִּבֹּרִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר לְדָוִ֑ד יֹשֵׁ֨ב בַּשֶּׁ֜בֶת תַּחְכְּמֹנִ֣י רֹ֣אשׁ הַשָּׁלִשִׁ֗י ה֚וּא עֲדִינֹ֣ו [הָעֶצְנֹו כ] (הָֽעֶצְנִ֔י ק) עַל־ שְׁמֹנֶ֥ה מֵאֹ֛ות חָלָ֖ל בְּפַ֥עַם [אֶחָד כ] (אֶחָֽת׃ ק) ס
While many versions also add these words such as the the NIV and ESV, (for the sake of understanding in English and almost certainly based on the passage in 1 Chronicles where the spear is mentioned) many other versions take a more literal translation approach and do not include the words, such as:
2 Samuel 23:8 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-Basshebeth the Tachmonite, chief among the captains. He was called Adino the Eznite, because he had killed eight hundred men at one time. NKJV
2 Samuel 23:8 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth, a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains; he was called Adino the Eznite because of eight hundred who were killed by him at one time. NASB
Therefore, even though it is not the answer which I myself would postulate, it could easily be argued that the man in question killed 800 in total of which 300 were killed with his spear, the other 500 killed by other means. (We will see later on in this book examples where the Bible will record different information of the same event in different ways in different accounts.)
A simple and basic reading of these two verses in context will show that they are not the same person in reference, nor can they be. The man in reference in 2 Samuel is named as being יֹשֵׁ֨ב Yashab the Tachmonite who was also known as Adino the Eznite. This man slew 800 men at one time, as the records clearly show.
2 Samuel 23:8 These be the names of the mighty men whom David had: The Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite: he lift up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time.
The KJV translation does not translate יֹשֵׁ֨ב into a name, although it clearly refers to the chief among the captains as the Tachmonite. יֹשֵׁ֨ב means to sit, the KJV renders this as “The Tachmonite that sat”. This Tachmonite man was also known as Adino the Eznite.
Other versions do translate the Hebrew יֹשֵׁ֨ב into a name, I shall just cite the NIV and ESV here:
2 Samuel 23:8 These are the names of David’s mighty warriors: Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter. NIV
2 Samuel 23:8 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the three. He wielded his spear against eight hundred whom he killed at one time. ESV
The JPS Tanakh 1917 also records the name of the man as Josheb
2 Samuel 23:8 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite; [he lifted up his spear] against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time.
Rabbi Rashi does not refer to this man as Josheb or the Tachmonite but rather simply refers to him by the name he is also known as, Adino the Eznite:
That were with Dovid, who sat in the council. Who sat in the Sanhedrin Court. That is [alluded to by the word] wisdom. “He was a leader in three [distinct areas],” He was first in beauty, wisdom and strength. He was the leader in these three categories as it is written “[A man] of understanding of attractive build and a strong soldier.
Adino the Etzonite. When he was studying Torah he would fold and bind himself up like a worm as [we find, this word in the verse] “The bonds of Pleiades.” And when he went out to war he was as hard as wood and would kill eight hundred men in one battle.
Rabbi Rashi on 2 Samuel
What is evident is that this man, the Tachmonite who was also known as Adino the Eznite is the man that is recorded as being the chief amongst the captains and having killed 800 men at one time.
The man in 1 Chronicles, however, is named as Jashobeam who was a Hachmonite, or more accurate to the Hebrew yā-šā-ḇə-‘ām ben- ḥaḵ-mō-w-nî,, he was the son of Hakmowni. It is this man that slew 300 men at once
1 Chronicles 11:11 And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had; Jashobeam, an Hachmonite, the chief of the captains: he lifted up his spear against three hundred slain by him at one time. KJV
Again I shall cite the NIV and ESV versions
1 Chronicles 11:11 this is the list of David’s mighty warriors: Jashobeam, a Hakmonite, was chief of the officers; he raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter. NIV
1 Chronicles 11:11 This is an account of David’s mighty men: Jashobeam, a Hachmonite, was chief of the three. He wielded his spear against 300 whom he killed at one time. ESV
And also the JPS Tanakh 1917
1 Chronicles 11:11 And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had: Jashobeam, the son of a Hachmonite, the chief of the captains; he lifted up his spear against three hundred and slew them at one time.
Rabbi Rashi has the two different men as being father and son. The father being stronger than the son and so the father is recorded as having killed 800 men while the son is recorded as having killed 300.
and Joab restored the rest of the city Heb. יְחַיֶּה. He built and strengthened [it] by building [i.e., repairing] the cracks in the wall. A similar instance [is found] with Ezra (Neh. 3:34): “Will they revive (הַיְּחַיּוּ) the stones from the heaps of dust?” the head of the mighty men רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁלִישִׁים like (Exod. 14:7): “and mighty men וְשָׁלִשִׁים over them all.” he stirred his spear When he was engaged in battle, he would not return from the battle until he had slain three hundred men with his spear. the son of Hachmoni In Samuel (II 23:8), it is written: “Tahkemoni.” He is his father, and the father was stronger than the son, for it is written concerning him: “against eight hundred slain at one time.”
Rabbi Rashi on 1 Chronicles.
Matthew Poole notes this in his commentary (#3) while also offering 2 other possible explanations:
Object. But this man is said to have slain only three hundred in 1 Chronicles 11:11.
Answ. 1. Possibly he slew eight hundred at one time, and three hundred at another; whereof the former is related here, as being most considerable; and the latter in the Book of Chronicles, which supplies many passages omitted in the former writings.
- He slew three hundred with his own hands; and the other five hundred, though killed by his men, are said to be slain by him, because he was the chief cause of all their deaths; for he, by his undaunted courage, killing three hundred, put the rest to flight, who were easily slain by his soldiers in the pursuit.
- Some of the Hebrew writers affirm that these were two distinct persons, being called by differing names; the one the father, and the other the son, who succeeded his father, as in strength and valour, so also in his place of honour and trust.
Matthew Poole commentary on 2 Samuel 23:8
It is also worthy of note here that unlike in other differences between two recorded accounts, the Septuagint numerically reads the same as the Hebrew, 800 and 300, while also recording two different names
2 Samuel 23:8 These are the names of the mighty men of David: Jebosthe the Chananite is a captain of the third part: Adinon the Asonite, he drew his sword against eight hundred soldiers at once.
1 Chronicles 11:11 And this is the list of the mighty men of David; Jesebada, son of Achaman, first of the thirty: he drew his sword once against three hundred whom he slew at one time.
How anyone can fail to notice the two different men in reference is beyond me. I can only assume that the context has not been studied or this is a deliberate attempt to try and create a contradiction based simply on a similarity in the records that at some point the records show two men who killed different numbers of people with a spear. This supposed contradiction can only be asserted by those that have not bothered to read, or are deliberately misrepresenting the text itself and have simply taken 2 verses that record similar information and incorrectly identify them as referring to one and the same person, which is clearly shown false.
This contradiction didn’t even take going beyond the 2 verses cited to demonstrate this as being false.
But we shall delve even deeper.
I would now like us to also take a closer look at the context of 2 Samuel. We are explicitly told that there were 3 mighty men, yet in both accounts we only get 2 names recorded,
Adino and Eleazar the son of Dodo in 2 Samuel:
2 Samuel 23:8 These be the names of the mighty men whom David had: The Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite: he lift up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time.9 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away:
Eleazar the son of Dodo, who is called a Ahohite , is also mentioned in 1 Chronicles alongside Joshobeam. Again he is called one of the 3 mighties (mighty men) and yet only the 2 are mentioned.
1 Chronicles 11:10 These also are the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom, and with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel. 11 And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had; Jashobeam, an Hachmonite, the chief of the captains: he lifted up his spear against three hundred slain by him at one time. 12 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighties. 13 He was with David at Pasdammim, and there the Philistines were gathered together to battle, where was a parcel of ground full of barley; and the people fled from before the Philistines.
So it is almost certain that the three mighty men were Adino the Eznite, Jashobeam the Hachmonite and Eleazar the son of Dodo who is mentioned in both accounts.
We then get the information that there were in fact 30 of these captains that David had. This information is provided in both 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles.
2 Samuel 23:13 And three of the thirty chief went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam: and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the valley of Rephaim.
1 Chronicles 11:15 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.
It is here we now need to take a closer look at the Hebrew and we will see that not only do we have 2 different men recorded as having killed the 800 and 300, but there are also 2 different ranks in reference.
The Hebrew of 2 Samuel in relation to Adino the Eznite reads רֹ֣אשׁ הַשָּׁלִשִׁ֗ head a third (head of a third) translate chief among the captains in the KJV.
The Hebrew in 1 Chronicles in relation to Jashobeam the Hachmonite reads,
רֹ֚אשׁ [הַשְּׁלֹושִׁים כ] (הַשָּׁ֣לִישִׁ֔ים ק) head thirty thirty (head of thirty) translated as chief of the captains in the KJV.
Adino was actually of a superior rank than Jashobeam. We can understand this by continuing on the context.
Abushai is also called the chief among three in 2 Samuel:
2 Samuel 23: 18 And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief among three.
The Hebrew here is רֹ֣אשׁ [הַשְּׁלֹשִׁי כ] (הַשְּׁלֹשָׁ֔ה ק) head of a third (chief among three)
What we will see is that he is referred to as the captain of 3 men.
2 Samuel 23:19 Was he not most honourable of three? therefore he was their captain: howbeit he attained not unto the first three.
While he was not part of the first three (the three most mighty men) he was the captain of the 3 men in reference to him, but not the first three.
Again this is recorded in 1 Chronicles:
1 Chronicles 11:20 And Abishai the brother of Joab, he was chief of the three: for lifting up his spear against three hundred, he slew them, and had a name among the three. 21 Of the three, he was more honourable than the two; for he was their captain: howbeit he attained not to the first three.
It would therefore seem that there were 30 Captains. These Captains were divided into groups of three and each three had a head over them. However, there were 3 superior captains over all the other captains, one group of Captains above the other 9 groups.
These superior men were the 3 mighty men recorded, Adino the Eznite, Jashobeam the Hachmonite and Eleazar the son of Dodo
But even in this superior group of three one man was head over them, and that was Adino the Eznite, who would therefore be the head over all 30 Captains including the 2 other men within his own 3 who were head over the other 9 groups of captains.
There are numerous ways in which this supposed contradiction can be answered. Yet again there is no contradiction at all when the text is actually analysed and we allow the biblical information given to explain what the text actually says.
If you liked this study please subscribe here
You can buy my books on Amazon there is a link here
Help me keep this site free for all. Join our Patreon membership
here
0 Comments