Ithai

Ithai son of Ribai is named among David's mighty men, a Benjaminite from Gibeah whose town and patronymic anchor him to Saul's old tribal seat. The two surviving notices preserve the same person under two spellings — Ittai in 2 Samuel and Ithai in 1 Chronicles — both fixing him in the same warrior list and the same family of origin.

Among David's Mighty Men

In the catalogue of David's heroes in 2 Samuel, the entry stands beside the Netophathite Heleb: "Heleb the son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the sons of Benjamin" (2 Sam 23:29). The Chronicler's parallel list keeps the same father, the same town, and the same tribal identification, but renders the name itself as Ithai: "Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the sons of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite" (1 Chr 11:31). The pairing of "Gibeah of the sons of Benjamin" in both verses fixes the man's home in Saul's territory; his presence in David's elite roster shows the king's warriors drawn even from the tribe whose dynasty he displaced.