Bible Strands
2 Samuel 23:26
Helez the Paltite, Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — This verse appears within a military catalog of David’s elite warriors, listing two commanders between the preceding Harodites and the following Anathothite and Hushathite. It functions as a straightforward roster entry without narrative commentary.
The words — חֶלֶץ (Helez) and הַפַּלְטִי (the Paltite) identify the first man, while עִירָא בֶן־עִקֵּשׁ הַתְּקוֹעִי (Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite) identifies the second. The geographic suffixes denote regional origin, anchoring each commander to a specific locality.
The thread — The parallel roster in 1 Chronicles 11:27 lists Helez the Pelonite alongside Shammoth, while 1 Chronicles 27:9 identifies Ira as commander of the sixth monthly division with twenty-four thousand men. The Tekoite designation echoes 2 Samuel 14:2, where Joab sends agents to recruit a wise woman from that same town.
Why it lands — The text records these figures solely by name and tribal-geographic marker, requiring the reader to observe the structured, locality-based organization of David’s forces. It asks the reader to note how biblical authorship formally preserves local identity and administrative duty without embellishment.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,
Cross-references
- 2 Samuel 14:2 So Joab sent to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, “Please pretend to be a mourner; put on clothes for mourning and do not anoint yourself with oil. Act like a woman who has mourned for the dead a long time.
- 1 Chronicles 11:27 Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite,
- 1 Chronicles 27:9 The sixth, for the sixth month, was Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite. There were 24,000 men in his division.