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1 Chronicles 27 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
Listed among the commanders of war was a very intriguing man by the name of Benaiah.
This Benaiah was the mighty man of the thirty, and had charge of thirty; and over his division was Ammizabad his son.
1 Chronicles 27:6 NASB
When David was fleeing from Saul and living in Philistia, he attracted warriors from the area. We know that those men were placed under the authority of Benaiah. We also know that Benaiah was considered one of the mighty men but he had a much greater role.
He led an elite group of mercenaries who provided special detail for David including serving as his personal bodyguard. It was not uncommon for David to send these men on special missions. The group was similar to the U.S. Navy’s SEAL Team 6. Today, this prominent group’s role includes hostage rescue, special reconnaissance, personal security, and other specialized missions.
It seems whenever we read a story about Benaiah, he’s doing something incredible. In 2 Samuel 23, he is noted for killing 2 sons of Ariel in Moab. On the surface, this may seem like just two guys who decided to pick a fight. However, no one knows who Ariel is. The OT word ‘Ariel’ is very similar to lion. Some scholars believe these were ferocious, lion-hearted warriors. Benaiah took out not just one of them, but both. And oh, by the way, in the very next verse it says he also killed an ACTUAL lion in a pit on a snowy day. Yes, it really says that.
Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day.
2 Samuel 23:20 NASB
In addition, Benaiah took down a 7-foot Egyptian with his own spear, and also defended Solomon’s right to being king by killing off all the men who opposed him, including David’s former military commander, Joab!
The point is, Benaiah was a man of courage and integrity. He stood up for what was right. He used his skill to the best of his ability in order to support the men whom the Lord had chosen.