1Ch 27:32-34 | KD | STEP | David’s councillors . This catalogue of the king’s officials forms a supplementary companion piece to the catalogues of the public officials, , and and -26. Besides Joab, who is met with in all catalogues as prince of the host, i.e., commander-in-chief, we find in our catalogue partly other men introduced, partly other duties of the men formerly named, than are mentioned in these three catalogues. From this it is clear that it is not the chief public officials who are enumerated, but only the first councillors of the king, who formed as it were his senate, and that the catalogue probably is derived from the same source as the preceding catalogues. 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 and , 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.

‏ 1 Chronicles 27:32-34

1Ch 27:32 David’s councillors. This catalogue of the king’s officials forms a supplementary companion piece to the catalogues of the public officials, 1Ch 18:15-17, and 2Sa 8:15-18 and 2Sa 20:25-26. Besides Joab, who is met with in all catalogues as prince of the host, i.e., commander-in-chief, we find in our catalogue partly other men introduced, partly other duties of the men formerly named, than are mentioned in these three catalogues. From this it is clear that it is not the chief public officials who are enumerated, but only the first councillors of the king, who formed as it were his senate, and that the catalogue probably is derived from the same source as the preceding catalogues. 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. 1Ch 27:33

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). 1Ch 27:34

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 of God, to serve the Lord with devoted heart, and to build Him a house for a sanctuary (1Ch 28:1-10). He then committed to Solomon the sketches and plans for the sacred buildings and sacred objects of various sorts, with the confident promise that he, by the help of God, and with the co-operation of the priests and of the people, would complete the work (1Ch 28:11-21). Finally, he announced, in the presence of the whole assembly, that he gave over his treasures of gold and silver to this building, and called upon the chiefs of the people and kingdom for a voluntary contribution for the same purpose; and on their freely answering this call, concluded with a solemn prayer of thanks, to which the whole assembly responded, bowing low before God and the king (29:1-20). This reverence they confirmed by numerous burnt-offerings and thank-offerings, and by the repeated anointing of Solomon to be king (1Ch 29:21 and 1Ch 29:22).

David summoned the estates of the kingdom, and presented Solomon to them as his divinely chosen successor on the throne.