Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Samuel 17:25
And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab: which Amasa [was] a man’s son, whose name [was] Ithra an Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab’s mother.
25. Amasa ] It has been supposed by some that he is the same as Amasai who came to David at Hebron (1Ch 12:16-18). But if so, would not the fact of his relationship to David have been mentioned there?
Ithra an Israelite ] Called in 1Ch 2:17 Jether the Ishmeelite. Jether and Ithra are different forms of the same name: and Ishmaelite should probably be read here in place of Israelite, which has no point. The Alex. MS. of the LXX reads Ishmaelite, the Vatican MS. Jezreelite.
Abigal the daughter of Nahash ] Amasa’s mother Abigal (or Abigail) was David’s sister, and we should naturally infer from 1Ch 2:16-17 that Abigail and Zeruiah were Jesse’s daughters. Who then was Nahash? To this three answers may be given. (1) The obvious one, that she was Jesse’s wife, to which the objection is that Nahash is not a woman’s name. (2) That Nahash is another name for Jesse, which is the Jewish tradition, but is not supported by any evidence. (3) That Nahash was the first husband of Jesse’s wife, so that Abigail and Zeruiah were only step-sisters to David. This view has in its favour the guarded statement of 1Ch 2:16, which does not say that they were Jesse’s daughters, but sisters of his sons. To go on to identify Nahash with the king of the Ammonites defeated by Saul is mere conjecture. It should be noted that Amasa and Joab were cousins.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Ithra an Israelite – Or Jether the Ishmeelite 1Ch 2:17. Ithra and Jether are practically the same names. Israelite in the text is wrong. It should be either Ishmaelite or Jezreelite 2Sa 3:2.
Abigail the daughter of Nahash – If Zeruiah and Abigail were Jesses daughters, the only probable way of reconciling our text with 1Ch 2:16-17, is to suppose that Nahash was Jesses wife. If Zeruiah and Abigail were only sisters of David by the mother, then Nahash might be the name of her first husband.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 25. Amasa captain of the host] From the account in this verse, it appears that Joab and Amasa were sisters’ children, and both nephews to David.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Ithra an Israelite.
Object. He was an Ishmaelite, 1Ch 2:17.
Answ. Not Amasa; but Ithra, or Jether, Amasas father, is there so called, because he was such, either by his birth from such parents, or by his long habitation among them, or for some other reason now unknown. Compare 2Sa 15:18. And Amasa is here called an Israelite, either because he was a proselyte; or in opposition to Joab, who was of the tribe of Judah, as Amasa was of one of the ten tribes; or rather, to intimate, that although he or his parents were called Ishmaelites for some reason, yet as to their extraction they were indeed Israelites; which if Amasa had not been, it is not probable that he could have had so powerful an influence upon the tribe of Judah as he had, 2Sa 19:14.
That went in to Abigail, i.e. lay with her, whether being first married to her, or not, is uncertain.
The daughter of Nahash. Nahash is either another name of Jesse; or rather, the name of Jesses wife; by whom he had this Abigail, as he had Zeruiah by another wife; so they were sisters by the father, but not by the mother; and Nahash is here named to signify so much.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
25. AmasaBy the genealogy itappears that this captain stood in the same relation to David asJoab, both being his nephews. Of course, Amasa was Absalom’s cousin,and though himself an Israelite, his father was an Ishmaelite (1Ch2:17).
Nahashis thought bysome to be another name of Jesse, or according to others, the name ofJesse’s wife.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab,…. Who was along with David:
which Amasa [was] a man’s son whose name [was] Ithra, an Israelite; he is called Jether the Ishmaelite, 1Ch 2:17; either because he was an Ishmaelite by birth, and being proselyted to the Jewish religion, was called an Israelite; or rather he was an Israelite by birth, and having sojourned in the land of Ishmael some time, was called an Ishmaelite, as Uriah the Hittite, and others; and when Amasa is called a “man’s son”, it means a great man, as Kimchi observes:
that went in to Abigail, the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah,
Joab’s mother: so that Joab and Amasa, the generals of David and Absalom, were own cousins, sisters’ children, and David uncle to them both; for Abigail and Zeruiah were David’s sisters, 1Ch 2:16; children of Jesse, whose name is here called Nahash, having two names, or this was his surname; though others think Nahash is the name of a woman, the wife of Jesse, and that these two sisters had two mothers, but one father; it seems by this expression, “went in to”, as if Amasa was not begotten in the conjugal state, but was illegitimate.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Absalom had made Amasa captain over his army instead of Joab, who had remained true to David, and had gone with his king to Mahanaim. Amasa was the son of a man named Jithra, , who had gone in to (i.e., had seduced) Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother. He was therefore an illegitimate cousin of Joab. The description given of Jithra as is very striking, since there was no reason whatever why it should be stated that Amasa’s father was an Israelite. The Seventy have therefore given , i.e., sprung from Jezreel, where David’s wife Ahinoam came from (1Sa 27:3); but they have done so apparently from mere conjecture. The true reading is evidently , an Ishmaelite, according to 1Ch 2:17, where the name is written Jether, a contracted form of Jithra. From the description given of Abigail as a daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah, not of David, some of the earlier commentators have very justly concluded that Abigail and Zeruiah were only step-sisters of David, i.e., daughters of his mother by Nahash and not by Jesse.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
CRITICAL AND EXPOSITORY NOTES.
2Sa. 17:25. An Israelite. Rather, as in 1Ch. 2:17, an Ishmaelite. He was an illegitimate son. From the description here given of Abigail as a daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah, not of David, some of the earlier commentators have very justly concluded that Abigail and Zeruiah were only step-sisters of David, i.e., daughters of his mother by Nahash and not by Jesse. (Keil). Otherwise we must either take Nahash as a womans name or as another name for Davids father.
2Sa. 17:27. Shobi. Possibly a son of Nahash, the deceased king of the Ammonites, and brother of Hanun, who was defeated by David (2Sa. 10:1), and one of those to whom David had shown kindness when Rabbah was taken. (Keil). Maohir. (See 2Sa. 9:4.) Rogelim. Only mentioned here and in 2Sa. 19:32, and otherwise unknown.
2Sa. 17:28. Basons. Metal vessels for cooking.
2Sa. 17:29. Batter. Rather, curdled milk, which being mixed with the honey, forms a light and refreshing beverage. (Song Son. 4:11). (Jamieson). Cheese of kine. Slices of coagulated milk. (Jamieson).
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.2Sa. 17:25-29
DAVID AT MAHANAIM
I. That help is the most effectual which is most fitted to supply the present need. Although the seat of Davids distress at this time was in the mind rather than in the body, the goodwill of his friends in Gilead could have been expressed in no more acceptable manner at this moment than by giving to him and his followers food and the means of bodily rest. The events of the past day must have told greatly upon Davids body, and he, in common with the most ordinary man, must sometimes submit to be at the mercy of his animal organism. He was at this moment most likely incapable of appreciating anything of a spiritual nature so highly as this kindly provision for his material wants. That is the true and real sympathy which discerns the most pressing need of the present moment, and hastens to supply it to the best of its ability. For those wrung with the deepest anguish of soul cannot ignore the demands of the body, and solace to a wounded spirit sometimes enters by this channel. When Elijah, in bitterness of soul, lay down in the wilderness and prayed for death, the first step which God took to restore his spiritual strength was to provide food for his body (1Ki. 19:6-8). The goodwill, also, which is expressed by such a ministration, is a direct balm to a soul in sorrow.
II. Even self-love should prompt men to a generous treatment of those beneath them. The reversals of position which are continually taking place in human life ought to teach men wisdom in this matter. Human beings are continually changing places, the servant becomes the master, and he who rules to-day may soon be at the mercy of those whom he now commands. When David set the crown of Ammon upon his own head (2Sa. 12:30) it did not seem likely that in a few years he would be a fugitive from his kingdom and indebted to the good offices of an Ammonite prince. But this had now come to pass, and any kindness which he then showed to those whom he conquered was now returned with interest, or, if he had upon that occasion been unduly harsh, the magnanimity of Nahash must have smitten him with remorse. If we would in adversity receive the favours of others without self-reproach we must beware lest in prosperity we forget the claims of those over whom for a time God has exalted us.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
The same God that raised enmity to David from his own loins, procured him favour from foreigners: strangers shall relieve him, whom his own son persecutes: here is not a loss, but an exchange of love. Had Absalom been a son of Ammon, and Shobi a son of David, David had found no cause of complaint. If God takes with one hand, he gives with another; while that divine bounty serves us in good meat, though not in our dishes, we have good reason to be thankful. No sooner is David come to Mahanaim, than Barzillai, Machir, and Shobi, refresh him with provisions. Who ever saw any child of God left utterly destitute? Whosoever be the messenger of our aid, we know whence he comes: heaven shall want power, and earth means, before any of the household of faith shall want maintenance.Bp. Hall.
The faithfulness of human love is not only the copy, but also the means and instrument of the Divine love, granted to those who bow humbly beneath Gods hand and wholly trust Him.Langes Commentary.
David was received with kindness in the land of Gilead, on the east of Jordan, at a time when he was driven by his own son out of his own capital, Jerusalem, in his own tribe. The Jews rejected Christ, but the gospel was gladly received by Samaritans (Act. 8:4-6) and by the Gentiles (Act. 13:46-48; Act. 28:28).Wordsworth.
It has been conjectured with much probability that as the first sleep of that evening was commemorated in the fourth Psalm, so in the third is expressed the feeling of Davids thankfulness at the final close of those twenty-four hours, of which every detail has been handed down, as if with the consciousness of their importance at the time. He had laid him down in peace that night and slept; for in that great defection of man the Lord alone had caused him to dwell in safety. The tradition of the Septuagint ascribes the 143rd Psalm to the time when his son was pursuing him. Some at least of its contents might well belong to that night (2Sa. 17:2; 2Sa. 17:8). There is another group of Psalms, the 41st, the 55th, the 69th, and the 109th, in which a long popular belief has seen an amplification of Davids bitter cry, O Lord, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. Many of the circumstances agree. The dreadful imprecations in these Psalmsunequalled for vehemence in any other part of the sacred writingscorrespond with the passion of Davids own expressions. The greatness, too, of Ahithophel himself in the history is worthy of the importance ascribed to the object of those awful maledictions. That oracular wisdom which made his house a kind of shrine (2Sa. 15:31) seems to move the spirit of the sacred writer with an involuntary admiration. Everywhere he is treated with a touch of awful reverence. When he dies, the interest of the plot ceases, and his death is given with an awful grandeur, quite unlike the mixture of the terrible and the contemptible which has sometimes gathered round the end of those whom the religious sentiment of mankind has placed under its ban. When he hanged himself, and died he was buried, not like an excommunicated outcast, but like a venerable Patriarch in the sepulchre of his father.Stanley.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
David Helped by the Gileadites. 2Sa. 17:25-29
25 And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab: which Amasa was a mans son, whose name was Ithra an Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joabs mother.
26 So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead.
27 And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim,
28 Brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentils, and parched pulse,
29 And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat: for they said, The people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness.
13.
What was the relationship between Absalom and Amasa? 2Sa. 17:25
These two men were cousins. A question may be raised with regard to the mother of Joab and Abishai. Zeruiah was Davids sister. By taking into consideration 1Ch. 2:15-16, some ask how her sister could be the daughter of Nahash. Genealogies of the period are difficult to trace for us today, and some commentators take Nahash to be Jesses other name.
Another question is raised with regard to the two titles of Ithra. 1Ch. 2:14-18 must be compared with the passage in II Samuel. There is a confusion between Ithra the Israelite, and Jethro the Ishmaelite, but the reference is probably to an Israelite who dwelt with the Ishmaelites and was known among them by another form of his Israelite name.
14.
Why was Shobi friendly? 2Sa. 17:27
When one country conquered another, the conqueror often left a native king on the throne. David had made Shobi friendly to him by putting him on the throne of the conquered kingdom (2Sa. 10:1-6). When David fled to his territory, Shobi was quite willing to aid him. He joined with others of his area to back David in his war against Absalom.
15.
Who were Davids other helpers? 2Sa. 17:27 b
Machir was the man who had befriended Mephibosheth and from whose home David had called the lame prince when he wanted to reinstate him in his family home. Davids kind treatment of Mephibosheth would have inclined Machir to align himself with David (2Sa. 9:4). Barzillai was an octogenarian of apparent wealth who lived in a place that is otherwise unmentioned in the Scriptures and unknown to modern archaeologists. The town must have been a spot in Gilead, not too far from where the battle was pitched between Absalom and David. These men brought the necessary provisions for an army in the fieldbeds, cups, vessels of various kinds, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans, lentils, parched garden vegetables, honey, butter, sheep, and cheese. The long listing of the materials was impressive and indicated the abundant way in which the supplies were made available to the men in the field. Such assistance must have been invaluable to David and his weary men.
16.
How were the leading men of Israel divided?
Although the conspiracy led by Absalom was described as being strong (2Sa. 15:12) and the people with him increased continually, most of the leading men stayed with David. Joab, his captain, remained faithful, as did his brother Abishai. Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, were with David. Ittai, the Gittite, a valiant soldier, remained faithful. Jonathan and Ahimaaz, the young sons of the priests were on Davids side as were the leading men in GileadShobi, Machir, and Barzallai. Ahithophel was the outstanding man who backed Absalom. With him was Amasa, a descendant of the family of Jesse who became Absaloms captain. Shimei, the man of Benjamin, was opposed to David and may be considered as a supporter of Absalom. Ziba and Mephibosheth both avowed their loyalty to David at one time or another; but as David left the city, Ziba said that Mephibosheth had stayed behind, hoping that he could receive the throne since he was a descendant of Saul. The realization of such aspirations would be highly improbable, and Ziba must have been attempting to ingratiate himself with David by the report which he brought to him. On the surface Israel was badly divided, but the larger number of important men supported David.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(25) Amasa.Joab having adhered to David and gone away with him, Absalom chose his cousin to succeed him as commander-in-chief.
Ithra an Israelite.Called in 1Ch. 2:17. Jether the Ishmeelite. Jether and Ithra are merely different forms of the same name; but Israelite is probably an error for Ishmeelite. The LXX. has, in the Alexandrian copy, Ishmaelite, and in the Vatican, Jezreelite.
Abigail the daughter of Nahash.Since this Abigail is said to be sister to Zeruiah, and in 1Ch. 2:16 both Abigail and Zeruiah are said to be the sisters of Jesses sons, it follows, either that sister is used in the sense of half-sister, or else that Nahash, usually a mans name, was the name of Jesses wife. It is impossible to decide certainly. The Jewish tradition that Nahash is another name for Jesse has no support.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2Sa 17:25 And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab: which Amasa [was] a man’s son, whose name [was] Ithra an Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab’s mother.
Ver. 25. Ithra an Israelite, ] sc, For his faith and religion, as by nature he was an Ishmaelite. 1Ch 7:17
That went in to Abigail,
The daughter of Nahash.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
made = set, or appointed.
captain of = captain over.
Ithra an Israelite = Jether an Ishmeelite. See 1Ch 2:17.
went in to. Probably meaning seduced. If so, it would be during David’s stay in Moab (1Sa 22:3, 1Sa 22:4 Abigail. David was probably half-brother to Abigail, and Zeruiah, having the same mother; he having Jess for his father, they having Nahash.
sister to Zeruiah. Implying that she was not sister to David.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Amasa: 2Sa 19:13, 2Sa 20:4, 2Sa 20:9-12
Ithra: 1Ch 2:16, 1Ch 2:17, Jether the Ishmaelite
Abigail: Heb. Abigal
Nahash: or, Jesse. 1Ch 2:13, 1Ch 2:16
Reciprocal: 2Sa 20:12 – General 1Ki 2:5 – Jether 1Ki 2:32 – Jether 1Ch 12:18 – came upon Amasai
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Sa 17:25. Absalom made Amasa captain of the host Amasa was another of Davids nephews, the son of his sister Abigail. The daughter of Nahash Nahash was one of Jesses wives, by whom he had this Abigail, the mother of Amasa, as he had Zeruiah, the mother of Joab, by another wife; so that they were sisters by the father, but not by the mother, and Joab and Amasa were cousins.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
17:25 And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab: which Amasa [was] a man’s son, whose name [was] Ithra an Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of {n} Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab’s mother.
(n) Who was also called Jesse, David’s father.