Ben-hail is a name found in the King James Bible.
Who This Was
Ben-hail was one of the officials King Jehoshaphat of Judah appointed to teach the law of the LORD throughout the cities of Judah. He is named in the list of men commissioned for this work, alongside such figures as Ben-ammi, Zebadiah, Asahel, and others, with priests and Levites also sent to accompany them. This teaching mission is recorded in 2 Chronicles 17, during the reign of a king who “sought to the LORD God of his father, and walked in his commandments.”
Jehoshaphat’s reform was deliberate and organized. Having set his heart to seek God, he sent these officials into “all the cities of Judah” to instruct the people in the book of the law of the LORD. Ben-hail’s role, therefore, was not that of a priest or prophet but of a civil official entrusted with a spiritual task—carrying the word of God to towns and villages throughout the kingdom.
The Scripture does not record Ben-hail’s words, his travels, or the results of his particular labor. He appears only in this single list of names. What is said of him is simply that he was sent, and that he went. His obedience is folded into the larger account of a nation being taught the law of God, and no further detail of his life is preserved.
The Name
The name Ben-hail is a Hebrew compound name. The first element, *ben*, means “son of,” a very common prefix in Hebrew personal names. The second element, *hail*, is less certain in meaning. Some have suggested a connection to a Hebrew root carrying the sense of “strength” or “might,” which would yield a meaning such as “son of strength.” However, the precise derivation and meaning of this name are not clearly established, and scholars differ on the point. It is best to acknowledge that the meaning is uncertain rather than to assert one confidently.
A Closing Thought
Ben-hail is a reminder that much faithful service is anonymous. He was sent to teach, he went, and Scripture remembers only his name in a list. Yet the reform under Jehoshaphat was real, and it took many willing men to carry it out. Most of us will not be remembered by name for our labors in God’s word. But the work is not lost. God knows those who go when they are sent, and He is not forgetful of the quiet obedience that never makes the record of history.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 0