1 Chronicles 27:5

1Ch 27:5-6. Jehoiada, a chief priest — Or rather, a chief prince, as the Hebrew word כהן, cohen, often signifies. For it is certain neither Benaiah nor his father was high-priest or second priest. In his course was Ammizabad his son — Who seems to have been his father’s lieutenant, because his father was captain of the king’s guard, (2Sa 18:18,) and therefore needed a deputy in the one or other place.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 5. Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, a chief priest] Why should not this clause be read as it is in the Hebrew? "Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, a captain; and in his course," c. Or, as the Targum has it, "The third captain of the host for the month Sivan was Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, who was constituted a chief." He is distinguished from Benaiah, the Pirathonite, who was over the eleventh month. Some think that the original word הכהן haccohen, which generally signifies priest, should be translated here a principal officer so the margin has it. But, in the Old Testament, כהן cohen signifies both prince and priest; and translating it by the former removes the difficulty from this place, for we well know that Benaiah never was a priest.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(5) The third captain of the host.—Heb., captain of the third host. So Vulg.

Benaiah.—See 1Ch_11:22.

The son of Jehoiada, a chief priest.—Rather, son of Jehoiada the priest, as head, viz., of the third army corps. The term “chief,” or “head,” belongs to Benaiah, not to his father. But perhaps it is an erroneous gloss on Jehoiada. (Comp. 2Ch_23:8.) Both LXX. and Vulg. make Benaiah the priest.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

5. Benaiah] Cp. 1Ch_11:22 ff.

Jehoiada, a chief priest] R.V. Jehoiada the priest, chief, (“chief” referring to Benaiah).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

A chief priest - Rather, “the chief priest” - an expression by which is meant, not the high priest, but probably the high priest’s deputy, who is sometimes called “the second priest” 2Ki 25:18.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Priest. This we read no where else, so that some understand, "a chief officer at court," 2 Kings viii. 18. (Calmet) --- But he might be (Haydock) of the tribe of Levi. (Menochius) --- His exploits are mentioned, chap. xi. 21.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

A chief priest; or, the chief priest; or rather, a chief prince, as this Hebrew word is oft used, as Gen 41:45; Gen 47:22; 2Sa 8:18; 20:26; 1Ki 4:5; 2Ki 10:11, and elsewhere. Probably he was not only a captain of this course, but a great officer in the court and state. For although the priests might take up arms in some special cases; yet it is not likely that such were constant officers in the king’s army, especially seeing the rest of the captains here named were of other tribes. Besides, neither Benaiah nor Jehoiada was high priest at that time, but Zadok or Abiathar, and before them Abimelech, in whom the priesthood had been for a long time together, even in the days of Samuel, and Saul, and David, and Solomon.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

5. A chief priest — Rather, as margin, a principal officer; the private counsellor of the king. Comp. 1Ki_4:5, note, and 2Sa_23:23.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Benaiah (1Ch_11:22-25; 2Sa_23:20-23) To this name Keil thinks the word chief (vaOr), in the succeeding expression, chief priest, belongs. Thus Jehoiada would be named here only priest. Yet seeroh) 1Ch_12:27, where Jehoiada is called dygiGj and 2Ki_25:18; where vaOrh; heKo stands for our vaOr heKoh, as applied to Seraiah. Benaiah was manifestly an Aaronite.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

third month

i.e. June.

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The leader of the third host Heb. שַׂר הַצָּבָא הַשְּׁלִישִי. Because of the honor of Benaiah, he calls him the leader of the host more than the others, with the exception of Jashabeam, who was of the sons of Perez, who is likewise called (verse 3): “the chief of all the leaders of the hosts,” because of David’s honor, who was, like him, [one] of the sons of Perez.

the priest, the chief who was the chief, and some say that he was the high priest, but it is not so, because Zadok and Ebiathar were high priests.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.