Amasa
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Amasa (עמשא) or Amessai[1] is a person mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. His mother was Abigail (Script error: No such module "Bibleverse".), a sister of King David (Script error: No such module "Bibleverse".). Hence, Amasa was a nephew of David, and cousin of Joab, David's military commander, as well as a cousin of Absalom, David's son. David calls him "my bone and my flesh" (Script error: No such module "Bibleverse".). Amasa's father was Jether (Script error: No such module "Bibleverse"., Script error: No such module "Bibleverse".) who was also called Ithra (Script error: No such module "Bibleverse".). Jether had dual-nationality, being an Ishmaelite and Israelite, although it might be a case of an assimilated Ishmaelite living in Israel. [2]
When Absalom rebelled against David and won over the tribes of Israel (Script error: No such module "Bibleverse".), Absalom appointed Amasa as commander over the army (Script error: No such module "Bibleverse".), in effect replacing Joab, who had served as commander for David.
After the revolt was crushed and Absalom died (Script error: No such module "Bibleverse".), David was invited back to Jerusalem and restored as king. David re-appointed Amasa as his military commander in Joab's stead "from now on" as his military commander (Script error: No such module "Bibleverse".). Other versions translate this status differently: it is given as "permanently" in the Jewish Publication Society 1985 translation[3] and "for life" in the New International Version.[4]
David's appointment of Amasa has been interpreted as "a bold stroke of policy, to promise the post of commander-in chief to the general of the rebel army".[5]
While being fiercely loyal to David, Joab was also suspicious of any potential rivals for Joab's power or threats to David's kingdom, and had no qualms about taking the lives of any who might stand in his way (e.g., Abner: Script error: No such module "Bibleverse"., and Absalom: Script error: No such module "Bibleverse".). So it was not difficult for Joab to also decide to murder Amasa (Script error: No such module "Bibleverse"., Script error: No such module "Bibleverse".). Joab's own justification for killing Amasa may have been because he believed Amasa to be conspiring with Sheba son of Bichri the Benjamite, due to Amasa's slowness to mobilize the army against Sheba's rebels (Script error: No such module "Bibleverse".).
Consequences of the murder for Joab
The murder of Amasa is cited as one of the reasons (beside the murder of Abner, Script error: No such module "Bibleverse".) why David on his deathbed counsels his son Solomon to have Joab executed (Script error: No such module "Bibleverse".). Solomon fulfills this wish (Script error: No such module "Bibleverse".) right after the execution of his own half-brother Adonijah (Script error: No such module "Bibleverse".), a pretender to the throne whom Joab had supported (cf. Script error: No such module "Bibleverse".).
References
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- ↑ Brenton's Septuagint Translation, 2 Samuel 19:13
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Bibleverse". NIV translation
- ↑ Kirkpatrick, A., Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on 2 Samuel 19, accessed 13 August 2017
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