Editing Amasa

{{short description|Biblical nephew of King David and military commander of Israel}}
{{About||the figure during the reign of [[Ahaz]]|Amasa, son of Hadlai|the [[bark beetle]] [[genus]]|Amasa (beetle)}}
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[[File:Death of Amasa.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Woodcut by [[Johann Christoph Weigel]] depicting the death of Amasa, 1695.]]
'''Amasa''' (עמשא) or '''Amessai'''<ref>[http://biblehub.com/sepd/2_samuel/19.htm Brenton's Septuagint Translation, 2 Samuel 19:13]</ref> 
is a person mentioned in the [[Hebrew Bible]]. His mother was [[Abigail (mother of Amasa)|Abigail]] ({{bibleverse|2|Samuel|17:25|HE}}), a sister of King [[David]] ({{bibleverse|1|Chronicles|2:16,17|HE}}). 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" ({{bibleverse|2|Samuel|19:13|KJV}}). Amasa's father was [[Jether]] ({{bibleverse|1|Kings|2:5,32|KJV}}, {{bibleverse|1|Chronicles|2:17|KJV}}) who was also called Ithra ({{bibleverse|2|Samuel|17:25|KJV}}). Jether had [[dual-nationality]], being an [[Ishmaelites|Ishmaelite]] and [[Israelites|Israelite]], although it might be a case of an assimilated Ishmaelite living in Israel. <ref>{{Cite web |date=2024 |title=1 Chronicles 2 Benson Commentary |url=https://biblehub.com/commentaries/benson/1_chronicles/2.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305013345/https://biblehub.com/commentaries/benson/1_chronicles/2.htm |archive-date=March 5, 2024 |website=Biblehub.com}}</ref>

When Absalom rebelled against David and won over the [[Israelites|tribes of Israel]] ({{bibleverse|2|Samuel|15|HE}}), Absalom appointed Amasa as commander over the army ({{bibleverse|2|Samuel|17:25|HE}}), in effect replacing Joab, who had served as commander for David.

After the revolt was crushed and Absalom died ({{bibleverse|2|Samuel|18:1-17|HE}}), 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 ({{bibleverse|2|Samuel|19:13|HE}}). Other versions translate this status differently: it is given as "permanently" in the [[Jewish Publication Society]] 1985 translation<ref>{{Cite web |title=II Samuel 19:15 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/II_Samuel.19.15?lang=bi |access-date=2024-11-17 |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref> and "for life" in the [[New International Version]].<ref>{{bibleverse|2|Samuel|19:13|NIV}} NIV translation</ref>

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".<ref>[[Alexander Kirkpatrick|Kirkpatrick, A.]], [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/2_samuel/19.htm Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges] on 2 Samuel 19, accessed 13 August 2017</ref>

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]]: {{bibleverse|2|Sam|3:27|HE}}, and Absalom: {{bibleverse|2|Sam|18:14|HE}}). So it was not difficult for Joab to also decide to murder Amasa ({{bibleverse|2|Sam|20:10|HE}}, {{bibleverse|1|Kgs|2:5,32|HE}}). 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 ({{bibleverse|2|Sam|20:4,5|HE}}).

==References==
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[[Category:Family of David]]
[[Category:Ancient soldiers]]
[[Category:Ancient Arabs]]