13And he put garrisons in Edom; and all the Edomites became servants to David. And the LORD [1]gave victory to David whithersoever he went.
14And David reigned over all Israel; and he executed judgement and justice unto all his people. 15And Joab the soil of Zeruiah was over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was [2]recorder. 16And Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Abimelech the son of Abiathar, were priests; and Shavsha was [3]scribe; 17and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and the sons of David were chief about the king.
Usdum, a hill consisting "almost entirely of pure crystallised salt" (Bädeker, Pal.5, p. 174).
eighteen thousand] Ps. lx. (title), "twelve thousand," not an important variation.
14—17 (= 2 Sam. viii. 15—18; cp. ib. xx. 23—26). David's Officials.
14. unto all his people] David was his own chief justice, but probably the work was too much for one man; cp. 2 Sam. xv. 2—4.
15. recorder] mg., chronicler; LXX., ὑπομνηματογράφος. His business was probably to remind the king of his various duties of state.
16. Abimelech the son of Abiathar] In 2 Sam. viii. 17, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, but read Abiathar son of Ahimelech in both passages. Cp. xv. 11, xxiv. 3, notes; and Kirkpatrick on 2 Sam. viii. 17.
Shavsha] 2 Sam. viii. 17, Seraiah; ib. xx. 25, Sheva; and 1 Kin. iv. 3 (perhaps), Shisha. Shisha and Shavsha probably represent two different attempts to pronounce a foreign name, perhaps Shamsha; Seraiah and Sheva are mere errors of transcription. Foreigners were admitted to posts of authority in the empire of David and Solomon; Ittai the Gittite and Uriah the Hittite are instances.
scribe] mg., secretary. See 2 Kin. xii. 10, xviii. 18, xxii. 3; cp. 2 Kin. xxv. 19, a passage which suggests that there was a second scribe with military duties. The first, the king's scribe, would formulate the king's orders and conduct his correspondence with foreign powers. Shavsha's sons held the office in the reign of Solomon, 1 Kin. iv. 3.
17. Benaiah] Cp. xi. 22—25.
the Cherethites and the Pelethites] David's bodyguard. The Cherethites were almost certainly Philistines (1 Sam. xxx. 14; Ezek. xxv. 16; Zeph. ii. 5), the Pelethites were probably also Philistines (2 Sam. xv. 18). Foreign bodyguards are well-known in history.
chief about the king] Lit., the chief at the kings hand, i.e. formed the executive to carry out his commands; cp. Neh. xi. 24. In 2 Sam.
