[¹] Hebrew revived.
8. from Millo even round about] Literally “the Millo,” meaning perhaps “The filling up,” was some part of the defences of the “city of David,” either a solid tower or perhaps an armoury, or a piece of supplementary work intended to strengthen an existing wall (LXX. 2 Chronicles xxxii. 5, ἀνάλημμα, “support”). See Smith, Jerusalem II. 40 f.
Joab] This tradition about Joab is not mentioned in Samuel.
repaired the rest of the city] literally revived, compare Nehemiah iv. 2 (= Hebrew iii. 34). Peshitṭa translates: “Joab gave his right hand to the rest of the men who were in the city”; and it has been proposed to render the clause spared or kept alive the rest of the city (i.e. the remaining people, the Benjamites who dwelt there with the Jebusites [Judges i. 21]). The rendering repaired is to be preferred.
10–41a (compare 2 Samuel xxiii. 8–39).
David’s Mighty Men and their Deeds.
This section seems to consist of elements drawn from different sources and brought together (probably by the author of Samuel) in order to give as complete a list as possible of the heroes who at different times in David’s career did good service to Israel.
The names of twelve of these heroes reappear in chapter xxvii. as the commanders of David’s twelve “courses.”
Verses 11–14 (= 2 Samuel xxiii. 8–12) deal with two (in Samuel three) heroes otherwise unknown.
Verses 15–19 (= 2 Samuel xxiii. 13–17) are independent of the foregoing and narrate an exploit of three unnamed heroes.
Verses 20–25 (= 2 Samuel xxiii. 18–23) seem in turn to be independent of 15–19, and verses 21, 25 in particular seem to be quoted from some lost poem. These verses contain the eulogy of Abishai and Benaiah.