BENAIAH
(Be·naiʹah) [Jehovah Has Built].
1. Son of a Levitical chief priest named Jehoiada, and father of at least two sons, Ammizabad and Jehoiada. (1Ch 27:5, 6, 34) Benaiah was a mighty warrior of great valor and courage, “distinguished even more than the thirty” mighty men of David’s forces, though “to the rank of the three he did not come.”—2Sa 23:20-23.
Benaiah demonstrated his prowess in a threefold way: by striking down two of Moab’s powerful heroes, by fearlessly descending into a water pit and killing a lion, and by overcoming exceptional odds to slay an Egyptian giant with the victim’s own spear. (1Ch 11:22-24) David put this courageous man over his personal bodyguard. (1Ch 11:24, 25) The Cherethites and Pelethites, headed by Benaiah, remained loyal to the king during the rebellions of Absalom and Adonijah. (2Sa 8:18; 15:18; 20:23; 1Ki 1:8, 10, 26; 1Ch 18:17) Additionally, Benaiah was appointed over the third rotating division of the army, a force of 24,000 men. (1Ch 27:5, 6) In David’s old age Benaiah and the Cherethites and Pelethites supported the coronation of Solomon. (1Ki 1:32-40) Later, under Solomon’s reign Benaiah was assigned to carry out the execution of Adonijah, Joab, and Shimei, and he was also put in command of the army by Solomon.—1Ki 2:24, 25, 28-46; 4:4.
2. One of David’s mighty men, commander of the 11th rotational army division; a Pirathonite of the tribe of Ephraim.—2Sa 23:30; 1Ch 11:31; 27:14.
3. A Levite musician who played his stringed instrument accompanying the ark of the covenant when it was brought to Jerusalem and placed in the tent David had prepared for it.—1Ch 15:18, 20; 16:1, 5.
4. A priest who played a trumpet when the Ark was brought to Jerusalem during David’s reign.—1Ch 15:24; 16:6.
5. A Levite descendant of Asaph.—2Ch 20:14.
6. A Simeonite, possibly a contemporary of King Hezekiah.—1Ch 4:24, 36-43.
7. A Levite appointed by Hezekiah to help care for the bounteous contributions to Jehovah’s house.—2Ch 31:12, 13.
8. Father of Pelatiah, one of the wicked princes seen in Ezekiel’s vision.—Eze 11:1, 13.
9, 10, 11, 12. Four men who, at Ezra’s admonition, dismissed their foreign wives and sons. These four were descendants of Parosh, Pahath-moab, Bani, and Nebo respectively.—Ezr 10:25, 30, 34, 35, 43, 44.