From the millo until the saviv. A millo is an area near the wall of a city; it is a plaza where the people assemble. That is why it is called a millo, as in he’asefu mal’u (=come together, assemble; cf. Jer 4:5). He built from there inward, until the area surrounding (seviv) the tower: that is the meaning of “until the seviv.” That is also the meaning of “from the millo va-baytah (toward the house)” in the book of Samuel (2 Sam 5:9); that is, from the millo inward. Solomon built upon this millo, as it says, “Solomon built upon the millo” (1 Kgs 11:27).

And Joab revived the rest of the city. This means: He built the rest of the city, which was demolished. The use of “reviving” for building is a metaphor. The same is true for: “Can they revive those stones out of the dust heap?” (Neh 3:34). “He healed the damaged altar of the Lord” (1 Kgs 18:30) is similarly a metaphor.

**Jashobeam (Yashov‘am) son of Hachmoni.*But in the book of Samuel [it says], “yoshev ba-shevet Tahchemoni” (2 Sam 23:8)! Perhaps his father’s name was Tahchemoni, akin to the phrase here “son of Hachmoni,” whereas his name was Adino (ibid.); and he used to sit in session (yoshev ba-shevet) with the king, for he was among his advisors. This, then, is why he was calledYashov‘am*; for he would sit (yoshev) on the king’s advisory panel opposite the people (‘am) or on matters concerning the people. And when the text there says “against eight hundred” and here against three hundred, one refers to the father and the other to the son. Alternatively, they might both refer to one of them, but to two different wars: in one he wielded his spear against three hundred, and in the other against eight hundred.

He was one of the three war-heroes. The three war-heroes were the son of Hachmoni, Eleazar son of Dodo, and Shammah son of Age (2 Samuel 23:11). Even though the text does not mention Eleazar’s heroic deed here, it does mention it in Samuel: “He struck down Philistines until his arm grew tired” (2 Sam 23:10). But when it says here, “He was with David at Pas Dammim” (v.13), it does not refer to Eleazar, but rather to Shammah; for it says in Samuel with respect to Shammah, “He took his stand in the middle of the plot and defended it” (2 Sam 23:12). Even though it says “he” without mentioning Shammah, it is as though it had mentioned him; for it refers to the three war-heroes, and Shammah was the third. It might be, though, that Eleazar was with him; for it says here, “they took their stand in the middle of the plot” (v. 14). Still, Shammah was the main one in that war, as it says in the book of Samuel (ibid. v. 11–12).

At Pas (פס) Dammim. In the book of Samuel, concerning the war of Goliath the Philistine, it says “at Ephes (אפס) Dammim” (1 Sam 17:1), which is the same place where this war was. Concerning this war, it says in Samuel “And the Philistines had gathered to the ḥayyah” (2 Sam 23:11), which means an open city, one without a wall. That was the place called Ephes Dammim—or Pas Dammim, for they are one and the same.

There was a plot of ground full of barley there. But in the book of Samuel [it says], “full of lentils” (ibid.)! Perhaps the plot was filled with bundles because it had already been harvested, and they had gathered into it bundles from other fields also. The bundles thus consisted of both lentils and barley, and it was filled with them. So the text here says “full of barley,” and there “full of lentils.”

Three of the thirty chiefs went down. [This means]: of the thirty who were David’s chief warriors.

To the rock. The text says “they went down … to the rock” because the place where they had been, from which they went down, was higher than this rock that was at the cave of Adullam. The same is true for: “I will go down upon the hills” (Judg 11:37), and for: “and he went down to the rock” (1 Sam 23:25).

Among the three, [Abshai] was more highly regarded than the other two (ba-shenayim nikhbad). For he was among the three warriors who brought water, and he was more highly regarded than his two colleagues: this is the meaning of ba-shenayim nikhbad. When it says in the book of Samuel, “he was the most highly regarded among the three” (2 Sam 23:19), it is also referring to those three.

But he did not attain to the three. [This means]: to those other three: Tahchemoni, Eleazar, and Shammah.

The two ari’el Mo’av. [This means]: the two gibborei Mo’av (=Moabite warriors). The Targum on the book of Samuel (ibid. v. 20) similarly renders: “the two Moabite chiefs (ravrevei Mo’av).” The text refers to warriors as ari’el because the lion (ari) is strong and powerful, and the sense of el is also strength.

A man of dimensions (ish middah). In the book of Samuel (ibid. v. 21) [it says], “a man to behold (ish mar’eh),” meaning he had both a huge face and enormous dimensions.

Like a weaver’s beam. This is the piece of wood that a weaver uses for folding a garment.

[Benaiah] was more highly regarded than the thirty. He was not among the thirty but was even more highly regarded than they were.

But he did not attain to the three. [This means]: to the first three: Tahchemoni, Eleazar, and Shammah.