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Benaiah [Bēnā'iah]—jehovah hath built or is intelligent.
1. A Levite, son of Jehoiada of Kabzeel in Judah, whose father was a priest, and one of David’s heroes (2 Sam. 8:18; 20:23; 23:20, 23; 1 Kings 1).
I. Benaiah was inspired by a noble ambition. He came of a noble ancestry, whose forefathers had left their impress upon the history of the nation. Born well, Benaiah sought to live well. Absalom became a traitor to his godly father and broke his heart. The sons of priestly Eli lived in sin and died in disgrace. Benaiah, privileged with the example of godly parentage, looked upon life as a challenge to personal and individual responsibility.
II. He was fearless in his destruction of Israel’s foes. Born in an age of warfare, when youths were valiant in fight and middle-aged men were veterans, Benaiah had been valiant in many a campaign against hostile nations. This grandson of a valiant man of Kabzeel had many mighty deeds to his credit (1 Chron. 11:22-25 RV). Three glimpses are given of Benaiah’s bravery. He confronted two lionhearted men of Moab—giants among their fellows—either of whom would have been more than a match for any ordinary soldier; but Benaiah took them both on and was the victor. Then he attacked the Egyptian of “great statute” but although this dark-skinned giant carried a spear “like a weaver’s beam” Benaiah met him with an ordinary staff and left the field victorious.
Benaiah’s next exploit finds him attacking not “lionhearted men” but an actual lion that had alarmed the people. A pit was dug to trap the marauding lion, and snow fell and hid the trap in a most effective way. The lion fell into the pit and vainly tried to extricate itself. Benaiah, the hero who had vanquished a giant and conquered two lionhearted Moabites, descended the pit on a snowy day and single-handed slew the lion. No wonder David, who also had slain a lion, gave Benaiah the chief place among the favored three. A greater than Benaiah dealt a death blow at our three great foes—the world, the flesh, the devil.
2. Another of David’s valiant men from Pirathon (2 Sam. 23:30; 1 Chron. 11:31; 27:14).
3. The head of a Simeonite family (1 Chron. 4:36).
4. One of David’s priests in Jerusalem (1 Chron. 15:18, 24; 16:5, 6).
5. The father of one of David’s counselors (1 Chron. 27:34).
6. The grandfather of Jahaziel (2 Chron. 20:14).
7. A Levite overseer of Temple offerings in Hezekiah’s time (2 Chron. 31:13).
8. One of the family of Parosh (Ezra 10:25).
9. A son of Pahath-moab (Ezra 10:30).
10. A son of Bani (Ezra 10:35).
11. A son of Nebo (Ezra 10:43).
12. Father of Pelatiah, a Judahite prince (Ezek. 11:1, 13).