IV. — DAVID’S PRIVY COUNCIL 1 Chronicles 27:32-34).
(32) Also Jonathan David’s uncle was a counsellor. — A son of David’s brother Shimeah was named Jonathan (1 Chronicles 20:7; 2 Samuel 21:21). Nothing further is known of the present Jonathan than what is here related.
A wise man, and a scribe. — Rather, a sage and a scholar was he. The word rendered “scribe” (sôphçr) usually answers to the γραμματὲυς of the New Testament, and so the LXX. gives it here. We may remember that in the rude epochs of society mere writing has been esteemed an art, so that a king of England who could write was dubbed Beauclerc, “fine scholar.” Charles the Great never got so far as signing his own name, though he made great efforts to do so. But writing goes back to a very ancient period among Semitic races, and sôphçr probably means here, as in Ezra 7:6, “a man of letters,” or “skilled in the sacred law.” (See 1 Chronicles 2:55; Isaiah 33:18; Psalms 45:2.) David’s official sôphçr, or scribe, was Shavsha (1 Chronicles 18:16).
Jehiel the son of Hachmoni. — Rather, son of a Hachmonite. (Comp. 1 Chronicles 11:11.)
With the king’s sons — That is, their tutor. The similar lists in 2 Samuel 8:15-18; 1 Chronicles 18:15-17, and 2 Samuel 20:23-26, lack representatives of the two offices mentioned in this verse. Obviously this account is independent of those.
(33) And Ahithophel was the king’s counsellor. — Rather, a counsellor of the king’s — Ahithophel, the faithless adviser, who committed suicide when his treachery proved unsuccessful (2 Samuel 15:31 seq., 2 Samuel 17:23).
Hushai the Archite. — The faithful counsellor, who baffled the wisdom of Ahithophel (2 Samuel 17).
(34) And after Ahithophel — After his death, Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, and Abiathar, the Ithamarite high priest, were David’s advisers. Benaiah’s father was named Jehoiada (see 1 Chronicles 27:5, and 1 Chronicles 11:22; 1 Chronicles 18:17), so that David’s counsellor Jehoiada bore the name of his grandfather — a common enough occurrence. Others assume that the right reading is “Benaiah the son of Jehoiada,” who may have been an adviser of David, as well as captain of his guard.