Amasa

About Amasa

Amasa was the son of Jether, an Ishmaelite, and Abigail, the sister of King David. He was a cousin of Joab, David's military commander. (2Sa.17.25; 1Ch.2.17)

During Absalom's rebellion against David, Amasa was appointed as the commander of Absalom's army. (2Sa.17.25) After Absalom's defeat and death, David sought to reconcile with the rebellious factions and offered Amasa the position of commander over his army, replacing Joab. (2Sa.19.13).

However, when David ordered Amasa to assemble the men of Judah to counter a revolt led by Sheba, Amasa took longer than the allotted time. David then dispatched Abishai to pursue Sheba, with Joab and his men following. (2Sa.20.4-7)

When Amasa caught up with them, Joab approached him as if to greet him, but instead killed him with a sword. Joab then continued the pursuit of Sheba. (2Sa.20.8-13)

Joab's murder of Amasa was likely motivated by jealousy and a desire to maintain his position as David's military commander. David, however, saw this act as a betrayal and later instructed his son Solomon to bring judgment upon Joab for the deaths of Amasa and Abner. (1Ki.2.5-6)

The story of Amasa highlights the complex relationships and power struggles within David's family and his kingdom. It also demonstrates the consequences of loyalty, betrayal, and the struggle for power in the royal court.

Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.