Person Old Testament
Benaiah
Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was a mighty warrior in David's army and later served as the commander of Solomon's army and a key advisor to the king. Mentioned in 23 verses across 3 books, first at 2 Samuel 8:18.
Why it matters. Son of Jehoiada, a mighty warrior and loyal supporter of David and Solomon.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Benaiah
Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was a prominent figure during the reigns of King David and King Solomon. He is first mentioned as one of David's mighty men, known for his bravery and military prowess (2Sa.23.20-23; 1Ch.11.22-25). Benaiah's exploits included killing two warriors of Moab, a lion in a pit on a snowy day, and an Egyptian giant. He was highly respected and held leadership positions in David's army, such as being the head of the king's bodyguard (2Sa.8.18; 20.23). During the succession crisis at the end of David's reign, Benaiah remained loyal to Solomon and played a crucial role in establishing him as king (1Ki.1.8, 10, 32-44). He carried out Solomon's orders to execute Adonijah, Joab, and Shimei, effectively removing potential threats to the new king's reign (1Ki.2.25, 29-46). Under Solomon's rule, Benaiah served as the commander of the army (1Ki.4.4) and was part of the king's inner circle of advisors. His loyalty, military skills, and unwavering support for the Davidic dynasty made him an invaluable asset to both David and Solomon.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
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Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 23 verses across 3 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.