2 Samuel 8:16

“And Joab the son of Zeruiah [was] over the host, etc.] Which was not only owing to his relation to David, being his sister’s son, but to his promise that whoever smote the Jebusites first should be chief and captain; that is, should have the command of the army under him; this Joab did; and so was entitled to this office, and was put into it, and continued in it, (<131106>1 Chronicles 11:6); and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud [was] recorder; of memorable events, who kept a diary of whatsoever remarkable happened, which were digested into a chronicle, history, or annals; (see <170601>Esther 6:1); so the Targum, he “was appointed over the memorials;” or book of memorials, as Kimchi interprets…”

“Joab . . . was over the host--by virtue of a special promise (Sa2 5:8). recorder--historiographer or daily annalist, an office of great trust and importance in Eastern countries.”

“For a similar account of the officers of Solomon’s kingdom, see 1 Kings 4:1-6, where Jehoshaphat is still the recorder, and Benaiah is advanced to be captain of the host in the room of Joab. The recorder seems to have been a high officer of state, a kind of chancellor, whose office was to keep a record of the events of the kingdom for the king’s information, and hence, he would naturally be the king’s adviser. See Esther 6:1-2; Isaiah 36:22; 2 Chronicles 34:8. Such an officer is found among the ancient Egyptians and Persians. Ahimelech the son of Abiathar - According to 1 Samuel 22:9-23, Abiathar, Zadok’s colleague, was the son of Ahimelech. Abiathar the son of Ahimelech continued to be…”

“Recorder - The treasurer, who examined all the accounts, and kept records of them. 2 Kings (2 Samuel) 8:17”

“Joab: Sa2 19:13, Sa2 20:23; Ch1 11:6, Ch1 18:15-17 Jehoshaphat: Kg1 4:3 recorder: or, remembrancer, or writer of chronicles 2 Kings (2 Samuel) 8:17”

“The chief ministers were the following: - Joab (see at Sa2 2:18) was "over the army," i.e., commander-in-chief. Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, of whom nothing further is known, was mazcir, chancellor; not merely the national annalist, according to the Septuagint and Vulgate (ἐπὶ τῶν ὑπομνημάτην, ὑπομνηματόγραφος; a commentariis), i.e., the recorder of the most important incidents and affairs of the nation, but an officer resembling the magister memoriae of the later Romans, or the waka nuvis of the Persian court, who keeps a record of everything that takes place around the king, furnishes him with an account of all that occurs in the kingdom, places his vis upon all the king's…”