2Sa 20:25 | KD | STEP | David’s Ministers of State. - The second section of the history of David’s reign closes, like the first (2Sa 8:16.), with a list of the leading ministers of state. The author evidently found the two lists in his sources, and included them both in his work, for the simple reason that they belonged to different periods, as the difference in the names of some of the officers clearly shows, and that they supplemented on another. The list before us belongs to a later period of David’s reign than the one in -18. In addition to the office-bearers mentioned in 2 Samuel 8, we find here Adoram over the tribute, and Ira the Kairite a confidential counsellor ( cohen : see at ), in the place of the sons of David noticed in 2Sa 8:18. The others are the same in both lists. The Chethib הכרי is to be read הכּרי (cf. 2Ki 11:4, 2Ki 11:19), from כוּר, perfodit , and is synonymous with הכּרתי (see at ). Adoram is the same person as Adoniram, who is mentioned in 1Ki 4:6 and 1Ki 5:14 as overseer over the tributary service in the time of Solomon; as we may see from the fact, that the latter is also called Adoram in 1Ki 12:18, and Hadoram in 2Ch 10:18. Hadoram is apparently only a contracted form of the name, and not merely a copyist’s mistake for Adoniram. But when we find that, according to the passage cited, the same man filled this office under three kings, we must bear in mind that he did not enter upon it till the close of David’s reign, as he is not mentioned in 2Sa 8:16., and that his name only occurs in connection with Rehoboam’s ascent of the throne; so that there is no ground for assuming that he filled the office for any length of time under that monarch. המּס does not mean vectigal , i.e., tribute or tributary service, but tributary labourers. The derivation of the word is uncertain, and has been disputed. The appointment of a special prefect over the tributary labourers can hardly have taken place before the closing years of David’s reign, when the king organized the internal administration of the kingdom more firmly than before. On the tributary labourers, see at 1Ki 5:13. Ira the Jairite is never mentioned again. There is no ground for altering Jairi (the Jairite) into Jithri (the Jithrite), as Thenius proposes, since the rendering given in the Syriac (“from Jathir”) is merely an inference from ; and the assumption upon which this conclusion is founded, viz., that Ira , the hero mentioned in , is the same person as Ira the royal cohen , is altogether unfounded.

‏ 2 Samuel 20:25

David’s Ministers of State. - The second section of the history of David’s reign closes, like the first (2Sa 8:16.), with a list of the leading ministers of state. The author evidently found the two lists in his sources, and included them both in his work, for the simple reason that they belonged to different periods, as the difference in the names of some of the officers clearly shows, and that they supplemented on another. The list before us belongs to a later period of David’s reign than the one in 2Sa 8:16-18. In addition to the office-bearers mentioned in 2 Samuel 8, we find here Adoram over the tribute, and Ira the Kairite a confidential counsellor (cohen: see at 2Sa 8:18), in the place of the sons of David noticed in 2Sa 8:18. The others are the same in both lists. The Chethib הכרי is to be read הכּרי (cf. 2Ki 11:4, 2Ki 11:19), from כוּר, perfodit, and is synonymous with הכּרתי (see at 2Sa 8:18). Adoram is the same person as Adoniram, who is mentioned in 1Ki 4:6 and 1Ki 5:14 as overseer over the tributary service in the time of Solomon; as we may see from the fact, that the latter is also called Adoram in 1Ki 12:18, and Hadoram in 2Ch 10:18. Hadoram is apparently only a contracted form of the name, and not merely a copyist’s mistake for Adoniram. But when we find that, according to the passage cited, the same man filled this office under three kings, we must bear in mind that he did not enter upon it till the close of David’s reign, as he is not mentioned in 2Sa 8:16., and that his name only occurs in connection with Rehoboam’s ascent of the throne; so that there is no ground for assuming that he filled the office for any length of time under that monarch. המּס does not mean vectigal, i.e., tribute or tributary service, but tributary labourers. The derivation of the word is uncertain, and has been disputed. The appointment of a special prefect over the tributary labourers can hardly have taken place before the closing years of David’s reign, when the king organized the internal administration of the kingdom more firmly than before. On the tributary labourers, see at 1Ki 5:13. Ira the Jairite is never mentioned again. There is no ground for altering Jairi (the Jairite) into Jithri (the Jithrite), as Thenius proposes, since the rendering given in the Syriac (“from Jathir”) is merely an inference from 2Sa 23:38; and the assumption upon which this conclusion is founded, viz., that Ira, the hero mentioned in 2Sa 23:38, is the same person as Ira the royal cohen, is altogether unfounded.