Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Chronicles 11:19

"and said, My God forbid it me, that I should do this: shall I drink the blood of these men that have put their lives in jeopardy? for with [the jeopardy of] their lives they brought it. Therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men." — 1 Chronicles 11:19 (ASV)

Shall I drink the blood of these men? —Literally, am I to drink the blood of these men in their lives (souls)?

Their lives appears to be spurious here, as it occurs again immediately and is read only once in Samuel. David regards the water as blood: it had been obtained at the hazard of life, and the life is the blood (Genesis 9:4). The question in Samuel reads: The blood of the men who went in (that is, at the risk of) their lives? The verb seems to have fallen out by accident.

For with the jeopardy of their lives they brought it. —Literally, in their lives. This remark is not found in Samuel and looks like an explanation of the words, shall I drink the blood of these men?

These things did these three mightiest. —Rather, these things did the three mighty men (or, warriors). The Hebrew text of this narrative presents only a few verbal differences from 2 Samuel 23:13–17.