Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the army; Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
This verse names three men at the top of Solomon's court: a soldier who now commands the army, and two priests. One line holds a promotion, a demotion, and a promise kept.
Benaiah's Reward
Benaiah's place over the army was not a sudden appointment. He had followed David through rejection and battle. One writer traces the path from bodyguard to top command:
H J VineJoab was out of step with David's thoughts about Solomon sitting on the throne. Benaiah shared the king's God-given desires, along with others of David's mighty men. Rebellion broke out against King Solomon. Adonijah was its head, Joab its energy, and Shimei had cursed David. It is remarkable that all three fell at last by the sword of Benaiah. He was "with David" in his rejection and his battles. He was "with David" as captain of his bodyguard. He was "with David" in his kingdom in positions of honour. Now he was raised 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 reward.
The man given that command wanted nothing for himself:
H. L. RossierIn David's time he already held a leading place in service (1 Chronicles 27:5). He is not like Joab who takes the stronghold of Zion to gain the leading place. No, he is humble, for his whole purpose is to reproduce David in his conduct.
"Priests" — Not "The Priests"
The wording here is careful, and the small change of article carries the whole story of Abiathar's fall:
Michael HardtHere in 1 Kings 4:4 the text calls Zadok and Abiathar priests again — though not "the priests", as before (2 Samuel 15:35; 19:11). There is no doubt that Solomon had removed Abiathar from office: "Solomon expelled Abiathar from being priest to the LORD" (1 Kings 2:27). Abiathar had been faithful in the past. So it seems Solomon did not want to strip him of the dignity of priesthood, even though he had removed him from the office.
Kindness to a Fallen Man
Losing the office did not mean losing all honour. The reason reaches back to David's years of affliction:
H. L. RossierAbiathar himself (v. 4) had been driven from the priesthood, yet his name stands among the princes alongside Zadok. He had carried the ark and shared all David's afflictions. Though he had lost his office, his lord did not wish to take his dignity from him. He was giving that dignity to all who had suffered with the rejected king.
Zadok and an Old Promise Kept
Zadok's place reaches back to a promise made long before, and forward to a day still ahead:
William KellyIn that day the LORD will choose the sons of Zadok to come near to Him in ministry (Ezekiel 40:46; 43:19; 44:15; 48:11). This was the branch of Aaron's line that came forward in the day of David (1 Chronicles 12:28). For hundreds of years the wrong line had held the high priesthood with no right to it. Eli belonged to the younger branch of Aaron's family. That branch took the high priesthood for itself, in the face of the LORD's solemn promise to Phinehas (Numbers 25:12-13). But restoration came in the person of Zadok, in David and Solomon's time. The LORD stays faithful despite man's failure and hostility. In the last days that Ezekiel speaks of, the sons of Zadok will appear again in the priestly line, and the LORD's first "covenant of peace" with Phinehas will stand (Ezekiel 40:44-46).
The Order of the List
The order of the names matters:
Leslie M. GrantIt is good to see the priest mentioned first, then the scribes and the recorder, before the officers of the army. Then the two priests come again, Zadok and Abiathar (v. 4). This shows that the kingdom's relationship to the Lord came first. Yet the armed forces were necessary, as is true in Christianity if we are to "fight the good fight of the faith."
Of the offices in this list, one belongs to everyone who serves the true King:
Michael VogelsangAll servants of the "true David" are priests. In the Old Testament, God chose one family to carry out the priestly tasks among the people of Israel. In the New Testament assembly of God, every believer may enter the sanctuary.
Glory Still Incomplete
Even at its height, Solomon's court falls short of the full number:
H. L. RossierNow everything is in order and worthy of this glorious reign, but we find only eleven princes (vv. 2-6). The number twelve stands for perfect order in government on earth. That order had not yet come. It would come only with the arrival of One greater than Solomon.
Summary
- Loyalty rewarded. Benaiah followed David in rejection and stood by Solomon in rebellion. Command of the army rewarded a man who only wanted to copy his king.
- Loyalty remembered. Abiathar lost the office but kept the honour. He had carried the ark and shared David's suffering.
- Promise kept. Zadok's place fulfils God's word about the priestly line. He stays faithful where men fail.
- Priests first. Priests open and close the list of officials. The kingdom's tie to God comes before its army.
- Not yet twelve. Eleven princes, not twelve. The reign is glorious but not yet perfect. Full order waits for One greater than Solomon.