Benaiah, son of the priest Jehoiada, was David's general for the army of the Kingdom of Israel and his chief bodyguard (2 Samuel 23:20). The stories of him follow that he once killed a Egyptian with the Egyptian's own spear and a club. He was also said to have killed a lion in a snowy pit.
He was one of David's "mighty men" (1 Chronicles 27:6) who commanded the Cherethites and Pelethites. He was renowned for his heroism; with Zadok and Nathan, he kept his position under Solomon, and was appointed chief of Solomon's army.
Benaiah is also mentioned in 1 Kings 1:8
In Hebrew, his name means "God has built."
Benaiah is the subject of the film and novel series Lion of War.