Lexical Summary Yashen: Jashen Original Word: יָשֵׁן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Jashen The same as yashen; Jashen, an Israelite -- Jashen. see HEBREW yashen NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom yashen Definition one of David's heroes NASB Translation Jashen (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs II. יָשֵׁן proper name, masculine one of David's heroes, 2Samuel = הָשֵׁם 1 Chronicles 11:34 (in both strike out בְּנֵי as dittograph, We Dr Bu); see הָשֵׁם, and גוּנִי. Topical Lexicon Biblical Occurrence2 Samuel 23:32 records “Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan”. This single notice places יָשֵׁן (Jashen) within the roll of David’s “mighty men,” the elite warriors who secured the king’s reign and defended Israel from her enemies. Historical Setting The catalogue of mighty men in 2 Samuel 23:8-39 recounts exploits spanning David’s wilderness years through his established monarchy. During this period Israel transitioned from tribal confederacy to centralized kingdom. Jashen’s sons, like the other mighty men, would have been forged in the hardships of frontier warfare, loyal to David before and after he came to the throne (2 Samuel 5:4-5). Their valor contributed to the stability that allowed David to extend Israel’s borders, prepare for Solomon’s peaceful reign, and thus advance the outworking of the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants. Family Line and Parallel Text In the parallel list of 1 Chronicles 11:34 the father’s name appears as “Hashem the Gizonite.” The divergence is likely the result of orthographic variation or a copyist transposition of similar consonants. Such differences do not alter the historical reality that one father produced warriors who served David faithfully. The plural expression “sons of Jashen” suggests at least two brothers, but only Jonathan is specifically named in 2 Samuel. Chronicles may preserve an alternate branch of the family, or the Chronicler may have grouped the brothers under the more widely recognized title “Hashem.” Either way, Scripture consistently testifies that this household produced men of exceptional courage. Military Role David’s mighty men were divided into three tiers: the “Three,” a secondary trio occasionally called “the Thirty” in aggregate, and an extended corps also labeled “the Thirty.” Jashen’s sons belong to the larger unit. Though not in the top echelon, they stood among warriors who, under God’s enablement, slew giants (2 Samuel 21:15-22), broke Philistine lines to bring David water (2 Samuel 23:16), and defended Israel’s fields when others fled (2 Samuel 23:11-12). Their inclusion underscores that the Lord prizes faithfulness at every level of service (1 Samuel 2:30). Theological Reflections 1. Covenant Loyalty. By risking their lives for God’s anointed king, the sons of Jashen exemplified 1 Chronicles 12:18: “Your God is with you.” Their allegiance mirrored covenant loyalty to the Lord Himself (Psalm 18:50). Ministry Applications • Encourage fathers to nurture children for kingdom service, trusting small acts of faithfulness may yield mighty impact. Christological Foreshadowing David’s mighty men prefigure the followers of the greater Son of David, Jesus Christ, who calls believers into spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:10-18). As Jashen’s sons stood by their king, so disciples stand by Christ, empowered to “demolish strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4). The remembrance of such minor figures assures Christians that every act of loyalty to the Messiah is recorded in heaven (Luke 10:20). Forms and Transliterations יָשֵׁ֖ן ישן yā·šên yāšên yaShenLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 2 Samuel 23:32 HEB: הַשַּׁ֣עַלְבֹנִ֔י בְּנֵ֥י יָשֵׁ֖ן יְהוֹנָתָֽן׃ ס NAS: the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, KJV: of the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, INT: the Shaalbonite the sons of Jashen Jonathan |
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