Bible Strands
1 Chronicles 18:17
Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were chief officials at the king’s side.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Chronicler records David’s administrative appointments during his reign, listing the commanders and officials who served in his court.
The words — `עַל־` (al-) means over or in command of, while `הַכְּרֵתִי` (ha-kereti) identifies the Cherethite troops. These terms specify Benaiah’s direct authority over a specialized military unit.
The thread — The same Cherethites and Pelethites appear as David’s personal guard in 2 Samuel 8:18, 2 Samuel 15:18, and 2 Samuel 20:7. These passages track their consistent role as loyal troops surrounding the king.
Why it lands — The text states Benaiah commanded the Cherethites and Pelethites while David’s sons held chief official positions at the king’s side. It requires the reader to acknowledge how royal authority was distributed through appointed commanders and family members rather than through unchecked personal rule.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and the sons of David were chief about the king.
Cross-references
- 2 Samuel 8:18 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were priestly leaders.
- 2 Samuel 15:18 and all his servants marched past him—all the Cherethites and Pelethites, and six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath.
- 2 Samuel 20:7 So Joab’s men, along with the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the mighty men, marched out of Jerusalem in pursuit of Sheba son of Bichri.
- 2 Samuel 20:23 Now Joab was over the whole army of Israel; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and Pelethites;
- 2 Samuel 23:19 Was he not more honored than the Three? And he became their commander, even though he was not included among the Three.
- 1 Kings 1:38 Then Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites and Pelethites, went down and set Solomon on King David’s mule, and they escorted him to Gihon.
- 1 Kings 1:44 And with Solomon, the king has sent Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites and Pelethites, and they have set him on the king’s mule.
- 1 Kings 2:34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up, struck down Joab, and killed him. He was buried at his own home in the wilderness.
- 1 Chronicles 23:28 but their duty was to assist the descendants of Aaron with the service of the house of the LORD, being responsible for the courts and chambers, the purification of all the holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God,
- Zephaniah 2:5 Woe to the dwellers of the seacoast, O nation of the Cherethites! The word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines: “I will destroy you, and no one will be left.”