Did you ever feel like you needed a bodyguard? Well, David did, but, of course, he was a king
who had enemies even in his own house. His bodyguards were Cherethites and Pelethites,
which is interesting because they were not of Israel.
The Cherethites were people in South Palestine whose territory bordered the territory of
Judah (cf. 1 Sam. 30:14, 16). In Ezekiel 25:16, they are equated with Philistines (cf. Zeph. 2:5).
The Pelethites are always mentioned with the Cherethites and only in the time of King David (cf. 2 Sam. 8:18; 20:23; 1 Chron. 18:17). They were a part of David’s bodyguard under the leadership of Benaiah, but they could also have been couriers, because the word, “Pelethites,” may also mean, “runners.”
The appearances of Cherethites and Pelethites in David’s administration are interesting.
The one at Solomon’s coronation is a case in point. When David was old, David’s son,
Adonijah, “exalted himself, saying, ‘I will be king’” (1 Kings 1:1, 5). To an apparent coronation,
the usurper invited “all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the royal officials of Judah, but he
did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the mighty men or Solomon his brother” (vv. 9,
10). David had sworn to Bathsheba, “Solomon, your son, shall reign after me” (v. 30), and king,
Solomon would be. When it was time for the reveal and coronation of Solomon, Zadok the
priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoida, and the Cherethites and the
Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule…” (v. 38). This must have
been an impressive and intimidating display of the transfer of power in a tense situation. It
worked, for Adonijah and the guests who were with him “trembled” and abandoned their place
(v. 49).
Once again in the Old Testament, we see God’s use of Gentiles to further His cause and
accomplish His will. In all ages, God has been for all people.