Amasa

The death of Amasà in a woodcut by Christoph Weigel, 1695

Amasa or Amessai is a person mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. His mother was Abigail (2 Samuel 17:25), a sister of King David (1 Chronicles 2:16,17). 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" (2 Samuel 19:13). Amasa's father was Jether (1 Kings 2:5,32, 1 Chronicles 2:17) who was also called Ithra (2 Samuel 17:25).

Quotes

• Amasa was not on his guard and failed to notice the sword in Joab’s left hand. Joab struck him with it in the belly so that his entrails poured forth to the ground. He did not find it necessary to strike a second blow, since Amasa had died instantaneously. Then Joab set forth with his brother Abishai in pursuit of Sheba, son of Bichri.

One of Joab’s men stood on guard next to the body of Amasa, and he shouted: “Follow Joab, all those of you who favor Joab and support David!” Meanwhile Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the road, and the man who had exhorted all of his fellow soldiers to follow Joab saw that everyone was stopping to stare at the body. Therefore, he carried Amasa’s body from the road and placed it in a field, with a garment covering the corpse.

• Secondo Book of Samuel 20:10-12 NCB.

• Absalom had appointed Amasa to be commander of the army in Joab’s place. Amasa was the son of a man called Ithra the Ishmaelite who had married Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and the sister of Joab’s mother Zeruiah.

• 2 Samuel 17:25 NCB.

• Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. The three sons of Zeruiah were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.

Abigail bore Amasa, and Amasa’s father was Jether the Ishmaelite.

• 1 Chronicles 2:16-17 NCB.

• Now, you know what Joab, the son of Zeruiah, did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the army of Israel, to Abner, the son of Ner, and Amasa, the son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood during peacetime as if it were a time of war. The blood of battle is upon the belt around his waist and the sandals upon his feet.

• 1 Kings 2:5 NCB.

• Thus the Lord will bring the blood back upon his own head. He struck down two men who were more righteous and better than he: Abner, the son of Ner, the commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa, the son of Jether, the commander of the army of Judah. He slew them with the sword, even though my father did not know about it.

• 1 Kings 2:32 NCB.