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Benaiah
A mighty warrior who killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day, captain of David's bodyguard and later Solomon's army commander.
What we know — and how we know it
Bible — stated in scripture (with verse) · 1
Scholarly — supported scholarly belief · 1
Family & lineage
Name & titles
ScholarlyBenaiah (Hebrew Benayahu) is a theophoric name meaning "Yahweh has built," combining the verb banah with the divine name. It is a common Iron Age Hebrew name-type that appears on numerous seals and bullae, though no known artifact can be tied specifically to David and Solomon's commander.
Onomastic: Benayahu = banah ("to build") + Yahu; the name-type is well attested in Iron Age Hebrew epigraphy, but no inscription names this individual.
Where in scripture
2 SamuelBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit in a time of snow.
2 Samuel 23:20 — Struck down a lion in a pit
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, a public-domain translation.