2 Samuel 8 · Verse 18

2 Samuel 8:18

And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were chief rulers.
2 Samuel 8:18, King James Version

2 Samuel 8:18 in other translations

BSBBenaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were priestly leaders.
WEBBenaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were chief ministers.
ASVand Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were chief ministers.
YLTand Benaiah son of Jehoiada is over both the Cherethite and the Pelethite, and the sons of David have been ministers.
DARBYand Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were chief rulers.
BBEAnd Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were priests.
WebsterAnd Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were chief rulers.

What does 2 Samuel 8:18 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
18. Cherethites--that is, Philistines (Zep 2:5). Pelethites--from Pelet (1Ch 12:3). They were the valiant men who, having accompanied David during his exile among the Philistines, were made his bodyguard.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 18 Benaiah - The chief of the second class of David's worthies. We shall meet with him again. The Cherethites and the Pelethites - The former supposed to be those who accompanied David when he fled from Saul; the latter, those who came to him at Ziklag. But the Targum translates these two names thus, the archers and the slingers; and this is by far the most likely. It is not at all probable that David was without a company both of archers and slingers. The bow is celebrated in the funeral lamentation over Saul and Jonathan; and the sling was renowned as the weapon of the Israelites, and how expert David was in the use of it we learn from the death of Goliath. I take for granted that the Chaldee paraphrast is correct. No weapons then known were equally powerful with these; the spears, swords, and javelins, of other nations, were as stubble before them. The bow was the grand weapon of our English ancestors; and even after the invention of firearms, they were with difficulty persuaded to prefer them and leave their archery.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Samuel 8:15-18

David neither did wrong, nor denied or delayed right to any. This speaks his close application to business; also his readiness to admit all addresses and appeals made to him. He had no respect of persons in judgment. Herein he was a type of Christ. To Him let us submit, his friendship let us seek, his service let us count our pleasure, diligently attending to the work he assigns to each of us. David made his sons…

Read the full comment on 2 Samuel 8:15-18 →

2 Samuel 8:18 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וּבְנָיָ֙הוּ֙u.ve.na.Ya.huand BenaiahH1141
בֶּן\־ben-[the] son ofH1121
יְה֣וֹיָדָ֔עye.Ho.ya.Da'JehoiadaH3077
וְהַכְּרֵתִ֖יve.ha.ke.re.Tiand the Kerethite[s]H3774
וְהַפְּלֵתִ֑יve.ha.pe.le.Tiand the Pelethite[s]H6432
וּבְנֵ֥יu.ve.Neiand [the] sons ofH1121
דָוִ֖דda.VidDavidH1732
כֹּהֲנִ֥יםko.ha.Nim[were] priestsH3548
הָיֽוּ\׃\ \פha.Yuthey wereH1961

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Samuel 8:18

  • 1 Samuel 30:14

    We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.

  • 2 Samuel 20:7

    And there went out after him Joab’s men, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men: and they went out of Jerusalem, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.

  • 1 Chronicles 18:17

    And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and the sons of David were chief about the king.

  • 2 Samuel 20:23

    Now Joab was over all the host of Israel: and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites:

  • 2 Samuel 15:18

    And all his servants passed on beside him; and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men which came after him from Gath, passed on before the king.

  • 1 Kings 1:38

    So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David’s mule, and brought him to Gihon.

  • 1 Kings 1:44

    And the king hath sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have caused him to ride upon the king’s mule:

  • 2 Samuel 23:20-23

    And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, who had done many acts, he slew two lionlike men of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow: And he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but 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. These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had the name among three mighty men. He was more honourable than the thirty, but he attained not to the first three. And David set him over his guard.

  • Zephaniah 2:5

    Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the Lord is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.

  • 1 Kings 4:4

    And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the host: and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests:

  • 1 Kings 2:34-35

    So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him: and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room over the host: and Zadok the priest did the king put in the room of Abiathar.

  • 2 Samuel 20:26

    And Ira also the Jairite was a chief ruler about David.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Benaiah.
1Ki 1:44; 2:34,35; 1Ch 18:17
the Cherethites.
15:18; 20:7,23; 23:20-23; 1Sa 30:14; Eze 25:16; Zep 2:5
chief rulers. or, princes.
20:26

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 2 Samuel 8:17

    And Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, were the priests; and Seraiah was the scribe;

  • 2 Samuel 8:18

    And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were chief rulers.

Read all of 2 Samuel 8

2 Samuel 8:18 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y Benahía hijo de Joiada, era sobre los Ceretheos y Peletheos; y los hijos de David eran los príncipes.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
et Benaïa, fils de Jehoïada, était chef des Keréthiens et des Peléthiens; et les fils de David étaient les principaux officiers.
German
Elberfelder 1871
und Benaja, der Sohn Jojadas, war über die Kerethiter und die Pelethiter; und die Söhne Davids waren Krondiener.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Banaias autem filius Jojadæ super Cerethi et Phelethi: filii autem David sacerdotes erant.