Son of a valiant man.--"Son" is probably a spurious addition here, as elsewhere. The Syriac has "Benaiah son of Joiada, a strong warrior." The LXX., however, reads, "son of a mighty man."
Who had done many acts.--The margin is correct. This poetic phrase only occurs in this and the parallel passage.
He slew two lionlike men of Moab.--See 1 Chronicles 18:2. So the Syriac: "He slew two giants of Moab." The Hebrew has, "He smote the two Ariel of Moab." Ariel, "lion of God"--a title of heroes with the Arabs and Persians--appears to be used as an appellative (Isaiah 33:7): "Lo, the heroes ('arielim) cry without!" (Heb.) The LXX. of 2 Samuel 23:20 reads, "The two sons of Ariel of Moab;" whence some think that Ariel denotes here the king of Moab; but the former sense is better.
Also he went down and slew a lion.--Literally, And he (it was who) went down and smote the lion in the middle of the cistern in the day of snow. The article pointedly refers to some well-known feat of Benaiah's.
Verse 22. - Benaiah, His father Jehoiada was chief priest (1 Chronicles 27:5). Benaiah was, therefore, a Levite by tribe, though Kabzeel (Joshua 15:21) was in Judah far south. He was "captain of the host for the third month... and in his course were twenty and four thousand" (1 Chronicles 27:5). When in our ver. 25 it is said that "David set him over his guard," the allusion probably is to his uniform and prolonged command of "the Cherethites and Pelethites" (2 Samuel 8:18; 2 Samuel 20:23; 1 Kings 1:38; 1 Chronicles 18:17). His fidelity and influence remained into Solomon's time (1 Kings 1:8, 10, 32, 38, 44; 1 Kings 2:35; 1 Kings 4:4).
11:10-47 An account is given of David's worthies, the great men who served him. Yet David reckoned his success, not as from the mighty men that were with him, but from the mighty God, whose presence is all in all. In strengthening him, they strengthened themselves and their own interest, for his advancement was theirs. We shall gain by what we do in our places for the support of the kingdom of the Son of David; and those that are faithful to Him, shall find their names registered much more to their honour, than these are in the records of fame.
And inquired not of the Lord,.... For though he did inquire in some sense in an external, careless, and hypocritical manner, yet not done seriously, sincerely, and heartily, nor with constancy; it was accounted as if he inquired not at all, 1 Samuel 28:6 the Targum adds another reason of his death, because he killed the priests of Nob; but that is not in the text:
therefore he slew him; or suffered him to be slain:
and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse; translated the kingdom of Israel out of Saul's family, upon his death, into Jesse's, even unto David; for the sake of which observation this short account is given of the last end of Saul.
Son of a valiant man.--"Son" is probably a spurious addition here, as elsewhere. The Syriac has "Benaiah son of Joiada, a strong warrior." The LXX., however, reads, "son of a mighty man."
Kabzeel.--A town of southern Judah, site unknown (Joshua 15:21); Nehemiah 11:25 (Jekabzeel).
Who had done many acts.--The margin is correct. This poetic phrase only occurs in this and the parallel passage.
He slew two lionlike men of Moab.--See 1 Chronicles 18:2. So the Syriac: "He slew two giants of Moab." The Hebrew has, "He smote the two Ariel of Moab." Ariel, "lion of God"--a title of heroes with the Arabs and Persians--appears to be used as an appellative (Isaiah 33:7): "Lo, the heroes ('arielim) cry without!" (Heb.) The LXX. of 2 Samuel 23:20 reads, "The two sons of Ariel of Moab;" whence some think that Ariel denotes here the king of Moab; but the former sense is better.
Also he went down and slew a lion.--Literally, And he (it was who) went down and smote the lion in the middle of the cistern in the day of snow. The article pointedly refers to some well-known feat of Benaiah's.
therefore he slew him; or suffered him to be slain:
and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse; translated the kingdom of Israel out of Saul's family, upon his death, into Jesse's, even unto David; for the sake of which observation this short account is given of the last end of Saul.