SEV Biblia, Chapter 8:18
y Benaía hijo de Joiada, era sobre los cereteos y peleteos; y los hijos de David eran los príncipes.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 8:18
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.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 18. And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada [was] over both the Cherethites and Pelethites , etc.] These, according to Josephus f154 , were the king’s bodyguards, and this man is expressly said to be set over his guards, ( Samuel 23:22,23); and which some think were of the nation of the Philistines, famous for archery, and slinging of stones; and so the Targum renders it, “was appointed over the archers and slingers;” so “choriti” in Virgil are quivers for arrows; the great use of which in fighting David had observed, and therefore got a select company of these men, partly to teach Israel, and partly to guard himself: but others are of opinion that David would never suffer such as were Heathens to be so near his person, and therefore take them to be Israelites; and so some Jewish writers say they were two families in Israel; which is much better than to interpret them as others do of the sanhedrim, and even of the Urim and Thummim, as in the Targum on ( 1 Chronicles 18:17); (see Gill on “ Zephaniah 2:5”); and it is most probable that they were Israelites, who were David’s guards, and consisted of the chiefs that were with him in Philistia, and particularly at Ziklag, which lay on the south of the Cherethites, ( 1 Samuel 30:14); and so had their name from thence; and among the chief of those that came to him at Ziklag there was one named Peleth, from whence might come the Pelethites, and they were all of them archers; (see 1 Chronicles 12:2,3); and David’s sons were chief rulers ; princes, princes of the blood, or “chief about the king”, as in ( 1 Chronicles 18:17); they were constant attendants at court, waiting on the king, ready at hand to do what he pleased to order; they were the chief ministers, and had the management of the principal affairs at court. Abarbinel thinks that this respects not only David’s sons, but Benaiah, and the family of the Cherethites and Pelethites, who had none of them particular posts assigned them, which were settled and known, as those before mentioned had, but were always near at hand, to do whatsoever the king commanded them; and which seems better to agree with the literal order and construction of the words; which are, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and Pelethites , and the sons of David, [were] princes , or chief rulers; or priests, who according to Gussetius brought the offerings or presents to the king, and did that to him the priests did to the Lord.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 15-18 - David neither did wrong, nor denied or delayed right to any. Thi speaks his close application to business; also his readiness to admi 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 mad his sons chief rulers; but all believers, Christ's spiritual seed, ar better preferred, for they are made kings and priests to our God, R 1:6 __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
ובניהו 1141 בן 1121 יהוידע 3077 והכרתי 3774 והפלתי 6432 ובני 1121 דוד 1732 כהנים 3548 היו׃ 1961
