2 Samuel 23:8–17 (ESV)

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.

And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the son of Dodo, son of Ahohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel withdrew. He rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword. And the LORD brought about a great victory that day, and the men returned after him only to strip the slain.

And next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the men fled from the Philistines. But he took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines, and the LORD worked a great victory.

And three of the thirty chief men went down and came about harvest time to David at the cave of Adullam, when a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. And David said longingly, “Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and carried and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it. He poured it out to the LORD and said, “Far be it from me, O LORD, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

The Hebrew word in the first sentence that’s translated as “chief” (רֹאשׁ, rosh) is literally “head.” When combined with ha-shannah (the year) we get rosh hashanah—the head of the year (the Jewish new year). Josheb-basshebeth was head of the three “mighty men.” These three are the chiefs of all the others.

The word rosh is again translated as “chief” in verse 13 in reference to the thirty chief men.

The point is that David’s mighty men weren’t just great fighters; they were leaders.

The incident with the water from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate can be puzzling. David’s actions look, at first glance, to be insulting to the men who brought him the water. But note that this was not about being thirsty; they had plenty of water. The water from the well of Bethlehem might be tasty but not in any way that matters. David asking for a taste of it was either a flippant comment or some kind of a “mission impossible” challenge.

The mighty men who broke through enemy lines to get a drink of water were not meeting a need that David had. They were trying to achieve something mighty. The text doesn’t say whether David put them up to it or if they brashly decided to take an unserious comment seriously.

In either case, David pouring out the water to the LORD is showing great respect for their heroic feat.