And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, son of a valiant man, great in exploits, of Kabzeel he it was that smote two lions of Moab; and he went down and smote a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day.
The verse gives three names: the man, his father, and his hometown. One writer reads them together as a portrait of the fighter God prepares.
We must be very careful when we interpret the meaning of Scripture names. Yet they often hold very instructive lessons. In this passage the combination of the different names is remarkable. Benaiah means "Whom God has built"; Jehoiada, "The Lord knows"; and Kabzeel, "God has gathered." Put these meanings together, and we learn this. Benaiah was the son of one whom the Lord knew ("I know my sheep"). He had been built up in the truth by God Himself. And he knew his place in God's assembly.
Commentators see the believer's three great opponents in the foes Benaiah met.
He is specially singled out for his victories over (1) two men of Moab; (2) a lion; and (3) an Egyptian. How these three remind us of (1) the flesh; (2) Satan; and (3) the world. It is a great day when, in the service of our Lord Jesus Christ, we accept the condemnation of the cross upon sin in the flesh. From then on we walk and war after the Spirit.
Translators have read the phrase behind "two ariels of Moab" in more than one way. Older translations rendered it "two lion-like men."
In 2 Samuel 23:20 and 1 Chronicles 11:22 we read that Benaiah killed two "lion-like men." Some prefer to translate this "two sons of Ariel." The Hebrew is literally "two lions of God."
The same writer draws out what each enemy stands for.
Moab means "progeny." That which is born of the flesh is flesh. Since these men were lion-like, this was the flesh under full Satanic power. He also killed a lion in the middle of a pit in the time of snow. Peter compares Satan to a roaring lion, and so Benaiah was able to overcome Satan himself on his own ground.
The snow tells you the odds. One writer sets that against the first battle ever lost.
Benaiah's killing of the lion in the pit surely speaks to us of one who has overcome the wicked one... This happened on a snowy day. The circumstances of the fight were all against Benaiah, yet he was victorious. When Adam fell, the circumstances of Eden were all in his favour. But when Christ met the foe — in the temptations, in Gethsemane, at the cross — how different the circumstances were from those of the first man when he fell before the enemy.
Benaiah did not wait for the lion to come out. He went down into the pit — and writers see Christ in that descent.
He went down into a pit to kill a lion. This is surely a lovely picture of the One who descended into the lower parts of the earth, having gone down into death... When Benaiah went down into the pit it was "the time of snow." Everything was in the grip of winter, without a trace of life anywhere. So it was with the blessed Lord Jesus when He went down into death to destroy the one who had the power of death... Benaiah came up out of the pit victorious, having killed the lion. In the same way the blessed Lord rose out of death, having burst its iron gates and destroyed its power for ever.
One writer brings Benaiah's fight into the present.
He did not hesitate on a snowy day to go down into a pit and kill a lion. He is like the faithful today. They sometimes have to enter into the closest conflict with Satan under the most distressing circumstances, and overcome him by the sword of the Spirit.
Benaiah's deeds copy his king's own history. One writer notes what that walk earned him.
Benaiah walks faithfully in his master's steps. His great affection for David leads him to copy his model's traits. Such a walk finds its reward: "David set him in his council" — a place of confidence, intimacy and communion. Benaiah shares his master's secrets, is told his plans, and sees the king's face at all times.
- Built — the name Benaiah means "whom God has built." God gave the strength this verse celebrates.
- Three — Moab, the lion, the Egyptian stand for the flesh, Satan and the world. Believers meet the same three, and overcome by the sword of the Spirit.
- Snow — the worst possible conditions. Adam fell with everything in his favour; Christ won with everything against Him.
- Down — Benaiah did not wait at the edge. He went down into the pit, onto the enemy's own ground, as Christ went down into death.
- Council — the reward of copying the king was nearness to him: a seat in his confidence, and his face always in view.
He also smote the Egyptian, an imposing man and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear.
David's list of mighty men gives this soldier a fuller record. Benaiah goes down against an armed Egyptian with nothing but a staff, and kills the man with his own weapon. Commentators read the scene as a picture of victory over the world, won through what looks like weakness.
The record opens with three names: Benaiah, his father Jehoiada, and his home town Kabzeel. One writer reads them together as a description of the man:
Benaiah means "Whom God has built"; Jehoiada, "Jehovah knows"; and Kabzeel, "God has gathered." Put these meanings together, and we learn this. Benaiah was the son of one whom the Lord knew ("I know my own"). God Himself had built him up in the truth. And he knew his place in God's assembly (Kabzeel).
Why does the verse name the man's nation instead of just calling him an enemy? One writer answers from what Egypt stood for, and links this fight to a victory Christ had already won:
The third exploit we see here is Benaiah's victory over the Egyptian. Do we not see the glory of the world, and its bondage for the people of God in Egypt? But we read of One Who said, "I have overcome the world" (John 16:33)... Benaiah kills the Egyptian with his own spear, just as we read of the Lord's great triumph in Hebrews: "that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death" (Heb. 2:14). If the Lord has overcome the world, He can enable us to overcome it also.
The verse sets the two weapons side by side. One writer sizes up that mismatch and links Benaiah's bare staff to the cross:
The Egyptian was a huge man, and he carried a spear like a weaver's beam. Yet Benaiah defeated him with only a staff in his hand... We get the victory over the world through the cross of Christ. It comes by faith in the Son of God, who makes the Father's love known to us. The world lifted up its hand against Christ. Yet the death He died defeated the world for faith.
Benaiah does not bring a weapon of his own; he takes the enemy's. Commentators compare this with David beheading Goliath with the giant's sword, and see in the spear what death itself became in God's hands:
He also killed an Egyptian, a handsome man — the picture of the world at its most attractive... The spear, like the sword, is a symbol of the power of death. As another writer has remarked, "Death is the best weapon in the arsenal of God when it is wielded by the power of life." This was Benaiah's experience in his conflict with the world (the Egyptian).
The detail of the captured spear is not left in the past. One writer reads it as something believers may still watch unfold:
He also killed an Egyptian with the Egyptian's own spear. We can sometimes see the same thing now. A worldly man opposes God's servants and God's truth, and the very weapon he used against them defeats him. So God turns the wrath of man to praise Him.
Benaiah does not invent his tactic. He fights the way David fought, and that likeness brings him a reward:
He killed the Egyptian just as David had struck down Goliath. David took the giant's own sword and cut off his head; in the same way, Benaiah put the Egyptian to death with his own spear. Benaiah walks faithfully in his master's steps, and his deep love for David leads him to copy the traits of the man he follows. Such a walk finds its reward: "David set him in his council" (v. 23), a place of confidence, intimacy, and communion.
- Built — Benaiah's name means "Whom God has built." God built him up in the truth before he ever fought.
- Faced — the Egyptian pictures the world: its glory, its beauty, and its power to hold God's people in bondage.
- Weak — he went down with a staff against a spear like a weaver's beam. The victory comes through the cross, not through strength.
- Turned — the enemy's own spear killed him. Death is the best weapon in God's arsenal when the power of life wields it.
- Rewarded — Benaiah fought as David fought, so David set him in his council. Likeness to the master ends in nearness to him.
These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he had a name among the three mighty men.
Benaiah's record closes with a summary: everything he had done won him a name. Yet that name stands beside the three mighty men, not among them. So what was it worth? And why write down a lion, a pit and a snowy day at all?
Each of Benaiah's exploits has a twin in David's own life. One writer reads them that way, and follows where such copying led.
Next we find Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. He fought the enemies from outside, Moab and Egypt. He killed two Moabite heroes. Like David, he fought a lion all by himself. He killed the Egyptian just as David had struck down Goliath. David had cut off the giant's head with the giant's own sword, and in the same way Benaiah put the Egyptian to death with his own spear. Benaiah walks faithfully in his master's steps, and his great love for David leads him to reproduce his model's traits. Such a walk finds its reward: a place of confidence, closeness and fellowship. Benaiah shares his master's secrets, knows his plans, and sees the king's face at all times. If we love the Lord Jesus, and obey and serve Him, we will be rewarded with a nearness like that of John, the beloved disciple, whose place was at Jesus' side.
One writer reads the victories as a picture of the enemies a believer faces. Moab stands for the flesh. Satan is the lion, waiting in his own stronghold.
Satan acts upon the flesh, and the two men of Moab were "lion-like", but the one who was "with David" killed them both. The lion himself lived in a pit, and no doubt went about looking for what he could devour when he was not in his stronghold. Benaiah would win the gratitude of many for his victory on that snowy day.
The Egyptian stands for the third enemy: the world. The same writer traces the pattern of that fight into the Lord's own triumph, and then into ours.
Do we not see the glory of the world, and its slavery for the people of God, in Egypt? The Egyptian is killed with his own spear. We read the same in the Lord's great triumph in Hebrews: "that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death" (Heb. 2:14). If the Lord has overcome the world, He can enable us to overcome it also. Of this we have divine assurance in 1 John 5:4-5.
The weather is not decoration. Everything was against Benaiah that day. One writer sets that beside Adam's day in Eden.
A good many years ago, I remember a well-known man saying this: "You see Benaiah going down to where the lion was. The Lord Jesus went down into death in the same way, to meet the power of the enemy. Who is going to be triumphant? Who is coming up out of the pit? Is it to be Benaiah or the lion? It was Benaiah! So it was with Christ: He rose triumphant from the grave, and He annulled the power of the enemy." It happened on a snowy day. Everything about the fight was against Benaiah, yet he won. When Adam fell, everything in Eden was in his favour. But when Christ met the foe — in the temptations, in Gethsemane, at the cross — the circumstances were nothing like those of the first man when he fell before the enemy.
Benaiah's name stands beside the three without joining them. One writer makes the same point about Abishai, who ranked below the top three.
Abishai secures his distinguished place by his own courage and skill. His great feat did not reach the height of the Tachmonite's, yet the same spirit of power still marked him. We cannot attain to the faithfulness and spiritual power that marked the apostle Paul and other great servants of the Lord. But the same divine grace can mark us with the same spirit, in our own measure.
No human record keeper would have saved a fight in a pit on a snowy day. The list exists because the King remembers.
David's men had to bear much toil and weariness because they belonged to him. But love made it all light and easy to them. Their names and deeds were written down and faithfully remembered when David was at rest in his kingdom. None were forgotten… These acts may not be seen, known, or thought of by men; but Jesus knows them, and will publicly declare them from the throne of His glory. Who would ever have known the acts of David's worthy men if the Holy Spirit had not recorded them? Who would have known of the slaying of a lion in a pit, in the time of snow?
- Love copies. Benaiah's exploits mirror David's own — the lion, the giant, the enemy's weapon turned back on him. Love for a person reproduces that person's character — and it brought Benaiah close to the king.
- Love fights. The three victories answer the three enemies: the flesh, Satan, the world.
- Love wins on bad days. The snow marks a day when everything was against him. Eden was the opposite. Christ went down into death and came up.
- Love has its measure. A name beside the three is real honour. No one has to match Paul; grace can mark us with the same spirit.
- Love is recorded. The Holy Spirit wrote down deeds no one else would have heard of. The King will declare them from His throne.
He was honoured above the thirty, but he did not attain to the [first] three. And David set him in his council.
Benaiah's record ends with a ranking and a promotion, not with another exploit. Two questions follow: why do some servants rise higher than others, and what was the post David gave him?
The chapter grades David's heroes. It keeps the second group of three clear of the first.
Benaiah is another one of the second three, a man who showed unusual courage whether he fought men or beasts. We are not told the name of the third man in this group. But verse 23 reminds us that the first three receive higher honour than the second three or all that follow them.
The gap is not about raw achievement. Abishai matched a first-three feat and still fell short:
These three men's brave deeds did not match those of the first three. First there is Abishai. Like Joseb-Bassebeth, he raised his spear against three hundred men and killed them. But he did not have the same perseverance of faith.
Benaiah did not just fight bravely. He fought the way David fought.
Like David, he fought a lion all by himself. He killed the Egyptian just as David had struck down Goliath, and just as David had taken the giant's sword to cut off his head, so Benaiah put the Egyptian to death with the Egyptian's own spear. Benaiah walks faithfully in his master's steps and his great affection for David leads him to reproduce his model's traits. Such a walk finds its reward: "David set him in his council" (v. 23), a place of confidence, intimacy, and communion. Benaiah shares his master's secrets, hears his plans, and sees the king's face at all times. What a blessed portion! If we love the Lord Jesus, obey Him and serve Him, He will reward us with a nearness like John's — the disciple Jesus loved, whose place was close to His heart.
Rossier's version reads "in his council" where the ESV has "over his bodyguard". Benaiah never climbed over anyone to reach that place.
Still, this man has no ambition except to stay faithful to his king and to imitate him. He is not like Joab who takes the stronghold of Zion to win first place. No, he is humble, because his whole purpose is to reproduce David in the way he lives.
Translations split on the last phrase: a seat in the king's council, or command of the royal bodyguard. The word behind it has a telling root:
Mishmaath, from a word for "obedience": a bodyguard. 2 Sam. 23:23; 1 Chr. 11:25.
Either way, David gave the post to a man he had tested for years.
Benaiah was with David when many were against him, and he was with him when the crowds acknowledged him as king and bowed before him. His fellowship with God's anointed seems never to have broken. It held in hard times and in good, in the cave and on the throne, in wars with countless enemies and in the governing of God's people. No wonder David set him over his guard. He would be glad to have such a man close to himself.
The bodyguard post was not Benaiah's ceiling. It was his proving ground.
"With David" in his rejection and his battles. "With David" as captain of his bodyguard. "With David" in his kingdom in positions of honour. Now he was raised higher still, to be captain of the army of Israel with David's son Solomon, sharing his glorious reign when the wars were over. Tried and proved trustworthy, he reaped a rich and blessed reward.
A verse that ranks servants raises a question: is God's love rationed too? No:
Each will receive his own reward according to his own labour (1 Corinthians 3:8). In the kingdom, as the parable teaches (Luke 19), one is to have authority over ten cities, another over five. But the Father's house rises far above such differences, and His children share it alike with Christ. It is the answer, not to their services, but to His redemption, His infinite love and His glory.
- Ranked — verse 23 puts the first three above the second three and all who follow. Courage alone does not close the gap.
- Perseverance — Abishai matched a feat of the first three, but not their perseverance of faith. The list rewards staying power, not one great day.
- Imitation — Benaiah fought a lion and killed a champion as David had. Love for his master shaped him, and he reached for no first place of his own.
- Nearness — that walk won him a place of confidence, intimacy and communion. He saw the king's face at all times.
- Forever — tested in the cave, the guardroom and the throne room, he ended as captain of the army in the reign of peace.