A chief priest; or, the chief priest; or rather, a chief prince, as this Hebrew word is oft used, as Genesis 41:45 Genesis 47:22 2 Samuel 8:18, 2 Samuel 20:26 1 Kings 4:5 2 Kings 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.

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