Text: 1 Chronicles 11:18-19
OT Text Referred to: 2 Samuel 23:16-17
Subject: water poured out as offering from Bethlehem's well
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): None
Significance: These parallel accounts of the Bethlehem well incident preserve David's refusal to drink water brought at the risk of his warriors' lives. David poured it out before the LORD (וַיַּסֵּךְ אֹתָם לַיהוָה, vayyassekh otam laYHWH), treating it as a drink offering. Both texts record David's identical declaration that drinking would be equivalent to consuming the blood of his men. The Chronicler reproduces this story nearly verbatim, reflecting its importance in establishing David's character as a king who honored the sacrificial devotion of his warriors. The pouring-out gesture echoes the language of Israelite libation offerings, elevating the warriors' courageous act to the realm of sacred service.