2 Samuel 8:14-18

David's Government. 2 Samuel 8:14-18

14 And he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and all they of Edom became David's servants. And the Lord preserved David whithersoever he went.
15 And David reigned over all Israel; and David executed judgment and justice unto all his people.
16 And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder;

17 And Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, were the priests; and Seriah was the spribe;

18 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were chief rulers.

6.

What was the extent of David's Kingdom? 2 Samuel 8:13-14

The land of Edom reached from the southern part of the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqabah. The borders may be set as having extended from south of Akabah to the Euphrates river after David's extensive conquest. No student need wonder at the terrible severity shown with regard to the Edomites when it is remembered that the Edomites and the Israelites had always been enemies. Garrisons were needed in the land of Edom, because it was such an important country. The garrisons would provide means for controlling the country.
Thus it was that under the mighty hand of the warrior David as he was blessed by God the kingdom came to its mightiest influence. The land that was at times subdued first by the Egyptians and then by the Chaldeans, the land that was so important to link together the civilizations of the Nile and the Euphrates valley was now under the control of a people who knew Jehovah and feared him. The Promised Land became a glorious reality to the seed of Abraham.

7.

How did David organize his kingdom? 2 Samuel 8:16-18

In this passage we have a very accurate listing of the offices and officers instituted by David to care for the military, religious, and civil functions of the kingdom. A listing of these officers is as follows:

Joab

Chief of Staff (over the host)

Jehoshaphat

Recorder (Chronicler)

Abiathar (at Zion)

Priests

Zadok (Gibeon)

Seraiah

Secretary of State (Scribe)

Benaiah

Provincial Governor
(over the Cherethites and Pelethites)

David's sons

Chief Ministers

Most interesting is the way in which Seraiah, the scribe is mentioned. With all the other ministers, notice is made of their ancestry. No mention is made of the name of the father of Seraiah. It is possible that he was a foreigner. It was the duty of the recorder to keep the annals of the kingdom and call David's attention to the needs of the kingdom. The scribe's duty was the writing of the official documents. Other men were entrusted with the oversight of subdivisions of the kingdom. The Cherethites and the Pelethites were a part of the Philistine peoples.
Benaiah had been distinguished through his killing of two prominent men of Moab. He had also killed a lion in a pit, the account of which is one of the very interesting sidelights of the Scripture. It was this same Benaiah who met an Egyptian, disarmed him, took his spear from him, and killed him with his own weapon. Benaiah was a descendant of Eleazar, the son of Aaron.

8.

Who was the high priest? 2 Samuel 8:17

The listing of these sames says, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar. This is the mistake of taking the son for the father, for according to 1 Samuel 22:11; 1 Samuel 22:20, Abiathar was the son of Ahimelech.

Keil and Delitzsch in their Commentaries on the Old Testament, suggest that Zadok officiated at the tabernacle at Gibeon (1 Chronicles 16:39), and Abiathar probably tended the Ark of the Covenant upon Mount Zion. Even so, it is very strange to find an Ahimelech named since Abiathar was the son of an Ahimelech, according to 1 Samuel 22:20; and in other passages, Zadok and Abiathar are mentioned as the two high priests under David (2 Samuel 15:24; 2 Samuel 15:35; 2 Samuel 17:15; 2 Samuel 19:12; 2 Samuel 20:25). Some commentators transpose the names and read here Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech. Such a solution to the problem is ruled out by the fact that in 1 Chronicles 24:3-6; 1 Chronicles 24:31, Ahimelech is mentioned along with Zadok as head of the priests of the line of Ithamar. According to verse six, in that reference, an Ahimelech was the son of Abiathar. It would, therefore, be necessary to change the name Ahimelech to Abiathar, and this is too great a change to ascribe to a copyist. It is possible that Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, also had a son named Ahimelech. It is, by no means, uncommon for grandfather and grandson to have the same name (I Chronicles 5:30-41). The younger Ahimelech may have performed the duties of the high priest in connection with his father who was still living at the beginning of Solomon's reign (1 Kings 2:27). Probably Ahimelech is mentioned here as the titular holder of the office, but since he was killed by Doeg, in the days of Saul, his son was serving in his place. Later references then attribute the office of priest to Abiathar.