^8:16Joab son of Zeruiah was general in command of³⁰ the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was secretary; ^8:17Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar³¹ were priests; Seraiah was scribe; ^8:18Benaiah son of Jehoida supervised³² the Kerithites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were priests.³³

Read in Logos

Footnotes

29 Heb “and David was doing what is just and fair for all his people.”
30 Heb “was over.”
31 Here Ahimelech is called “the son of Abiathar,” but , , and reverse this to conform with 1 Sam 22:20. Most recent English versions (e.g., , , , , ) retain the order found in the .
32 The translation follows the , , and in reading “over,” rather than the simple conjunction that appears in . See also the parallel passage in 1 Chr 18:17.
33 That David’s sons could have been priests, in light of the fact that they were not of the priestly lineage, is strange. One must assume either (1) that the word “priest” (כֹּהֵן, kohen) during this period of time could be used in a broader sense of “chief ruler” (); “chief minister” (, ), or “royal adviser” (), perhaps based on the parallel passage in 1 Chr 18:17 which has “the king’s leading officials”, or (2) that in David’s day members of the king’s family could function as a special category of “priests” (cf. “priestly leaders”). The latter option seems to be the more straightforward way of understanding the word in 2 Sam 8:18.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

So David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people. Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder, and Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests, and Seraiah was secretary, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and David’s sons were priests.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people. Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder; Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelek son of Abiathar were priests; Seraiah was secretary; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were priests.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

So David reigned over all Israel, administering justice and righteousness for all his people.

Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army;

Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was court historian;

Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests;

Seraiah was court secretary;

Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites;

and David’s sons were chief officials.

NLTNew Living Translation

So David reigned over all Israel and did what was just and right for all his people. Joab son of Zeruiah was commander of the army. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the royal historian. Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were the priests. Seraiah was the court secretary. Benaiah son of Jehoiada was captain of the king’s bodyguard. And David’s sons served as priestly leaders.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

David reigned over all of Israel, and he was administering justice and righteousness for all his people. Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was secretary. Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests and Seraiah was scribe. Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and the Pelethites, and the sons of David were priests.

KJV 1900King James Version

And David reigned over all Israel; and David executed judgment and justice unto all his people. And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; And Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, were the priests; and Seraiah was the scribe; And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were chief rulers.

Public Domain