“B’nayah the son of Y’hoyada, the son of a valiant man of Kavtze’el, was a man of many exploits. He struck down two lion-hearted men of Mo’av. One day, when it was snowing, he went down into a pit and killed a lion.”-2 Samuel 23:20
So we encounter an interesting play on words in verse 20.
In my last post, I talked about how B’nayah, the son of Y’hoyada killed two “lion-hearted” men of Mo’av.
Then, immediately after, we’re told how he went down into a pit and slaughtered a lion.
The Hebrew word used here is ARI, and it does mean a “lion”…as in the animal itself.
This kind of clever wordplay was common in ancient storytelling.
First, B’nayah defeats fierce human enemies on the battlefield.
Then, he faces a beast enemy in the form of a hungry lion.
I can picture it now.
It’s winter.
There’s snow on the ground.
Food is scarce.
A desperate lion wanders into a village looking for food and falls into a water pit.
But obviously, it can’t stay there.
So who do they call?
B’nayah.
Then he goes down into the pit and turns the lion into mincemeat.
The message is clear.
B’nayah fears neither man nor beast.
He’s the epitome of the ultimate Middle Eastern warrior-hero.
Onward.
Next, we’re told how B’nayah slew a giant.
But this time, the giant wasn’t a Philistine.
It was an Egyptian giant.
And the way B’nayah took care of this behemoth should sound familiar.
Do you remember the story of David and Goliath?
David defeated Goliath with just a sling.
Then used the giant’s own sword to finish the job.
Well, B’nayah did something very similar.
He went in with nothing but a stick…
Knocked the Egyptian giant’s spear out of his hand…
And then killed him with his own spear.
The similarities don’t end there.
Both David and B’nayah battled lions…literally!
Now you know why David is called the Lion of Judah.
And it’s also no surprise that David chose B’nayah to lead his personal royal guard…even over his own relatives.
This makes you wonder, were some of these stories shaped to mirror David on purpose?
The answer is…of course!
Even in the Biblical era, it was normal to hype things up by adding a little extra drama to the stories told around the campfire.
So what takeaway can we extract from this?
Here’s what’s coming to me.
The Lord often uses the enemy’s own weapons against them in a holy war.
David beheaded Goliath using his own sword.
B’nayah killed the Egyptian giant with his own spear.
In the story of Esther, Haman was hanged on the very gallows he built for the people of Israel.
That’s how God moves.
He lets the enemy bring the weapon.
He lets the enemy set the trap.
Then He turns it all back on them.
Same God.
Same pattern.
Gotta love it!
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