Benayahu son of Yehoyada was one of King David’s mightiest warriors and later the commander of King Solomon’s army. The Book of Shmuel (II Samuel 23:20–23) describes his deeds: he struck down two great warriors of Moav, went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion, and defeated an Egyptian giant with the giant’s own spear. David put him in charge of his personal guard.
When Solomon became king, Benayahu supported him and was made head of the army in place of Yoav (I Kings 2). The Talmud (Berachot 18a–b) interprets the verses about him as describing not only physical courage but also greatness in Torah, and reads his father’s name as a sign that he came from a family of Kohanim.
