Page:03.BCOT.KD.HistoricalBooks.B.vol.3.LaterProphets.djvu/306

 Jonathan, the דּוד of David. The word דּוד generally denotes a father's brother; but since a Jonathan, son of Shimea, the brother of David, occurs 1Ch 20:7 and 2Sa 21:21, Schmidt and Bertheau hold him to be the same as our Jonathan, when דּוד would be used in the general signification of “relative,” here of a nephew. Nothing certain can be ascertained in reference to it. He was יויץ, councillor, and, as is added, a wise and learned man. סופר is here not an official designation, but signifies literatus, learned, scholarly, as in Ezr 7:6. Jehiel, the son of Hachmon, was with the children of the king, i.e., was governor of the royal princes.

Verse 33
Ahithophel was also, according to 2Sa 15:31; 2Sa 16:23, David's confidential adviser, and took his own life when Absalom, in his conspiracy against David, did not regard his counsel (2 Sam 17). Hushai the Archite was also a friend and adviser of David (2Sa 15:37 and 2Sa 16:16), who caused Absalom to reject Ahithophel's counsel (2 Sam 17).

Verse 34
After Ahithophel, i.e., after his death, was Jehoiada the son of Benaiah (scil. counsellor of the king), and Abiathar. As Benaiah the son of Jehoiada is elsewhere, when named among the public officials of David, called chief of the royal body-guard (cf. 1Ch 18:17), Bertheau does not scruple to transpose the names here. But the hypothesis of such a transposition is neither necessary nor probable in the case of a name which, like Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, so frequently occurs (e.g., in 1Ch 27:5). Since sons not unfrequently received the name of the grandfather, Jehoiada the son of the hero Benaiah may have been named after his grandfather Jehoiada. Abiathar is without doubt the high priest of this name of Ithamar's family) 1Ch 15:11, etc.; see on 1Ch 6:1-4), and is here mentioned as being also a friend and adviser of David. As to Joab, see on 1Ch 18:15. David's Last Directions, and His Death - 1 Chronicles 28-29 In order to give over the throne before his death to his son Solomon, and so secure to him the succession, and facilitate his accomplishment of the great work of his reign, the building of the temple, David summoned the estates of his kingdom, the court officials, and the heroes of the people in Jerusalem. In a solemn address he designated Solomon as his divinely chosen successor on the throne, and exhorted him to keep the commandments