4 13. The pursuit of Sheba. Amasa murdered by Joab<\/p>\n
4<\/strong>. to Amasa<\/em> ] The commission was given to Amasa in fulfilment of the promise privately made to him (ch. 2Sa 19:13<\/span>).<\/p>\n Assemble me the men of Judah<\/em> ] Clearly then “the men of Judah” in 2Sa 20:2<\/em><\/span> were only a small body of representatives.<\/p>\n To Amasa … – <\/B>Evidently feeling his way toward fulfilling the promise to Amasa (marginal reference).<\/P><\/p>\n Verse 4<\/span>. Then said the king to Amasa<\/B><\/I>] Thus he invests him with the command of the army, and sends him to collect the men of Judah, and to come back to receive his orders in relation to Sheba, in three days. It appears that Amasa found more difficulty in collecting his country-men than was at first supposed; and this detaining him beyond the three days, David, fearing that Sheba’s rebellion would get head, sent Abishai, who it appears was accompanied by Joab, to pursue after Sheba.<\/P> <\/P> Amasa, it seems, got up with them at Gibeon, 2Sa 20:8<\/span>, where he was treacherously murdered by the execrable Joab.<\/P> <\/p>\n Assemble me the men of Judah, <\/B>and march in the head of them as their general, as I have promised thee, 2Sa 19:13<\/span>. <\/P> Within three days; <\/B>which he supposed Amasa, having been their late general, could easily do; and the business required haste. <\/P> Be thou here<\/B> present within that time to receive orders and instructions from me. <\/P> <\/p>\n 4. Then said the king to Amasa,Assemble me the men of Judah within three days<\/B>Amasa is nowinstalled in the command which David had promised him. The revolt ofthe ten tribes, probably, hastened the public declaration of thisappointment, which he hoped would be popular with them, and Amasa wasordered within three days to levy a force from Judah sufficient toput down the insurrection. The appointment was a blunder, and theking soon perceived his error. The specified time passed, but Amasacould not muster the men. Dreading the loss of time, the king gavethe commission to Abishai, and not to Joaba new affront, which, nodoubt, wounded the pride of the stern and haughty old general. But hehastened with his attached soldiers to go as second to his brother,determined to take the first opportunity of wreaking his vengeance onhis successful rival.<\/P><\/p>\n Then said the king to Amasa<\/strong>,…. Whom he had promised to make general of his army, 2Sa 19:13<\/span>; and by the following order declared him such:<\/p>\n assemble me the men of Judah within three days<\/strong>; which was done by the sound of the trumpet, or by the proclamation of a herald; it seems that the men of Judah, who attended David to Jerusalem, were gone to their respective cities and places of abode, or there would have been no occasion for such a summons; though it is strange they should, when the men of Israel appeared so inclinable to a new rebellion:<\/p>\n and be thou here present<\/strong>; to take the command of them.<\/p>\n Amasa’s Death.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/I><\/span><\/P> <\/TD> B. C.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN> 1023.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P> <\/TD> <\/TR> <\/TABLE> 4 Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah within three days, and be thou here present. 5 So Amasa went to assemble the men of<\/I> Judah: but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him. 6 And David said to Abishai, Now shall Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than did<\/I> Absalom: take thou thy lord’s servants, and pursue after him, lest he get him fenced cities, and escape us. 7 And there went out after him Joab’s men, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men: and they went out of Jerusalem, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri. 8 When they were<\/I> at the great stone which is<\/I> in Gibeon, Amasa went before them. And Joab’s garment that he had put on was girded unto him, and upon it a girdle with<\/I> a sword fastened upon his loins in the sheath thereof; and as he went forth it fell out. 9 And Joab said to Amasa, Art<\/I> thou in health, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him. 10 But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was<\/I> in Joab’s hand: so he smote him therewith in the fifth rib,<\/I> and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again; and he died. So Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri. 11 And one of Joab’s men stood by him, and said, He that favoureth Joab, and he that is<\/I> for David, let him go<\/I> after Joab. 12 And Amasa wallowed in blood in the midst of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he removed Amasa out of the highway into the field, and cast a cloth upon him, when he saw that every one that came by him stood still. 13 When he was removed out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.<\/P> We have here Amasa’s fall just as he began to rise. He was nephew to David (ch.<\/I><\/span> xvii. 25<\/span>), had been Absalom’s general and commander-in-chief of his rebellious army, but, that being routed, he came over into David’s interest, upon a promise that he should be general of his forces instead of Joab. Sheba’s rebellion gives David an occasion to fulfil his promise sooner than he could wish, but Joab’s envy and emulation rendered its fulfillment of ill consequence both to him and David.<\/P> I. Amasa has a commission to raise forces for the suppressing of Sheba’s rebellion, and is ordered to raise them with all possible expedition, v.<\/I><\/span> 4<\/span>. It seems, the men of Judah, though forward to attend the king’s triumphs, were backward enough to fight his battles; else, when they were all in a body attending him to Jerusalem, they might immediately have pursued Sheba, and have crushed that cockatrice in the egg. But most love a loyalty, as well as a religion, that is cheap and easy. Many boast of their being akin to Christ that yet are very loth to venture for him. Amasa is sent to assemble the men of Judah within three days; but he finds them so backward and unready that he cannot do it within the time appointed (v.<\/I><\/span> 5<\/span>), though the promotion of Amasa, who had been their general under Absalom, was very obliging to them, and a proof of the clemency of David’s government.<\/P> II. Upon Amasa’s delay, Abishai, the brother of Joab, is ordered to take the guards and standing forces, and with them to pursue Sheba (2Sa 20:6<\/span>; 2Sa 20:7<\/span>), for nothing could be of more dangerous consequence than to give him time. David gives these orders to Abishai, because he resolves to mortify Joab, and degrade him, not so much, I doubt, for the blood of Abner, which he had shed basely, as for the blood of Absalom, which he had shed justly and honourably. “Now (says bishop Hall) Joab smarteth for a loyal disobedience. How slippery are the stations of earthly honours and subject to continual mutability! Happy are those who are in favour with him in whom there is no shadow of change.” Joab, without orders, though in disgrace, goes along with his brother, knowing he might be serviceable to the public, or perhaps now meditating the removal of his rival.<\/P> III. Joab, near Gibeon, meets with Amasa, and barbarously murders him, v.<\/I><\/span> 8-10<\/span>. It should seem, the great stone in Gibeon was the place appointed for the general rendezvous. There the rivals met; and Amasa, relying upon his commission, went before, as general both of the new-raised forces which he had got together, and of the veteran troops which Abishai had brought in; but Joab there took an opportunity to kill him with his own hand; and, 1. He did it subtilely, and with contrivance, and not upon a sudden provocation. He girded his coat about him, that it might not hang in his way, and girded his belt upon his coat, that his sword might be the readier to his hand; he also put his sword in a sheath too big for it, that, whenever he pleased, it might, upon a little shake, fall out, as if it fell by accident, and so he might take it into his hand, unsuspected, as if he were going to return it into the scabbard, when he designed to sheath it in the bowels of Amasa. The more there is of plot in a sin the worse it is. 2. He did it treacherously, and under pretence of friendship, that Amasa might not be upon his guard. He called him brother,<\/I> for they were own cousins, enquired of his welfare (Art thou in health?<\/I>) and took him by the beard,<\/I> as one he was free with, to kiss him, while with the drawn sword in his other hand he was aiming at his heart. Was this done like a gentleman, like a soldier, like a general? No, but like a villain, like a base coward. Just thus he slew Abner, and went unpunished for it, which encouraged him to do the like again. 3. He did it impudently, not in a corner, but at the head of his troops, and in their sight, as one that was neither ashamed nor afraid to do it, that was so hardened in blood and murders that he could neither blush nor tremble. 4. He did it at one blow, gave the fatal push with a good-will, as we say, so that he needed not strike him again; with such a strong and steady hand he gave this one stroke that it was fatal. 5. He did it in contempt and defiance of David and the commission he had given to Amasa; for that commission was the only ground of his quarrel with him, so that David was struck at through the side of Amasa, and was, in effect, told to his face that Joab would be general, in spite of him. 6. He did it very unseasonably, when they were going against a common enemy and were concerned to be unanimous. This ill-timed quarrel might have scattered their forces, or engaged them one against another, and so have made them all an easy prey to Sheba. So contentedly could Joab sacrifice the interest both of king and kingdom to his personal revenge.<\/P> IV. Joab immediately resumes his general’s place, and takes care to lead the army on in pursuit of Sheba, that, if possible, he might prevent any prejudice to the common cause by what he had done. 1. He leaves one of his men to make proclamation to the forces that were coming up that they were still engaged in David’s cause, but under Joab’s command, v.<\/I><\/span> 11<\/span>. He knew what an interest he had in the soldiery, and how many favoured him rather than Amasa, who had been a traitor, was now a turn-coat, and had never been successful; on this he boldly relied, and called them all to follow him. What man of Judah would not be for his old king and his old general? But one would wonder with what face a murderer could pursue a traitor; and how, under such a heavy load of guilt, he had courage to enter upon danger. Surely his conscience was seared with a hot iron. 2. Care is taken to remove the dead body out of the way, because at that they made a stand (as ch.<\/I><\/span> ii. 23<\/span>), and to cover it with a cloth, 2Sa 20:12<\/span>; 2Sa 20:13<\/span>. Wicked men think themselves safe in their wickedness if they can but conceal it from the eye of the world: if it be hidden, it is with them as if it were never done. But the covering of blood with a cloth cannot stop its cry in God’s ear for vengeance, or make it the less loud. However, since this was no time to arraign Joab for what he had done, and the common safety called for expedition, it was prudent to remove that which retarded the march of the army; and then they all went on after Joab, while David, who no doubt had notice soon brought him of this tragedy, could not but reflect upon it with regret that he had not formerly done justice upon Joab for the death of Abner, and that he now had exposed Amasa by preferring him. And perhaps his conscience reminded him of his employing Joab in the murder of Uriah, which had helped to harden him in cruelty.<\/P> <\/p>\n Amasas Indolence. 2Sa. 20:4-9<\/span><\/p>\n 4 Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah within three days, and be thou here present. 6 And David said to Abishai, Now shall Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Absalom: take thou thy lords servants, and pursue after him, lest he get him fenced cities, and escape us.<\/p>\n 7 And there went out after him Joabs men, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men: and they went out of Jerusalem, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri. 9 And Joab said to Amasa, Art thou in health, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him.<\/p>\n 4.<\/p>\n Why was Amasa sent against Sheba? 2Sa. 20:4<\/span><\/p>\n Amasa had been made captain of the host under David, when Joab was deposed. Amasa proved to be not as prompt as Joab; and while he tarried, Abishai was sent to do his work. The men under Abishai met Amasa at Gibeon, a city north of Mizpah and six miles north of Jerusalem, where Amasa was up among the people of Benjamin gathering forces. This means that some of the men of Benjamin were helping David. 5.<\/p>\n Why did David think Sheba would do great harm? 2Sa. 20:6<\/span><\/p>\n Davids future was hanging in the balance as Sheba led all the other tribes, except Judah, to revolt against David. It was imperative that immediate action be taken to remedy the situation; and when Amasa took longer than the three days appointed for mustering the troops, David knew that allowing Sheba additional time would give him opportunity to gain more strength. He would be able to establish himself in the cities that were fenced and were provided with gates to keep out any invading armies. He could thoroughly permeate the Israelite society with his political opposition and David would not be able to ferret out all his followers. He would thus be able to escape detection and punishment.<\/p>\n 6.<\/p>\n How did Joab trick Amasa? 2Sa. 20:8<\/span><\/p>\n Joab had no responsibilities whatever with regard to the mustering of the troops, but he was probably in the company which was commanded by Amasa or else he had gone with Abishai to assist in the matter. When he met Amasa, he was clothed with a garment that had a girdle around the middle. This large belt had a sheath attached to it, and in the sheath was Joabs sword. He allowed this sword to fall out, leading Amasa to believe that he was unarmed. Joab threw Amasa off his guard by greeting him in a friendly way making inquiry about his health and calling him his brother. Being naturally right handed, he took Amasa by the beard to draw him to himself to kiss him. Joab had a sword in his other hand, probably behind his back; and when Amasa was close enough to him to permit him to stab him, Joab plunged the blade into the abdomen of Amasa. The one blow was sufficient to wound him mortally. Once again, Joab had struck without sufficient reason, except for a matter of personal honor and vengeance.<\/p>\n (4) To Amasa.<\/strong>Thus David begins the fulfilment of his promise of 2Sa. 19:13<\/span>. It proved an act of very doubtful expediency at this crisis.<\/p>\n 4<\/strong>. <\/strong> Said the king to Amasa <\/strong> So he speedily carried out his pledge to this man. See 2Sa 19:13<\/span>. But this rash purpose, conceived in anger, proved to Amasa fatally abortive.<\/p>\n The Failure And Death Of Amasa (20:4-10a). <\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n Amasa, David’s close relative and new commander-in-chief, was now called on by David to gather together the men of Judah ‘within three days’ so as to deal rapidly with the threat being caused by Sheba, so that they would be able to act before he could become a real danger. Amasa was, however, clearly either inefficient or careless for he failed to achieve David’s target, or to report back at the proper time, possibly partly because men were reluctant to follow the general who led them to defeat when fighting for Absalom, but also partly because he did not treat his position seriously enough. There is no doubt that he unquestionably and completely failed in his duty. The result was that David then turned to the faithful Abishai, who had previously led one of David’s three units against Israel, and was standing by him, and called on him to gather David’s troops and pursue Sheba before he could establish himself. We must undoubtedly see his command to Abishai as arising because Abishai was close at hand, and immediately available, and therefore also as including his brother when he could be contacted. It was thus a request that he go with his brother (when he could make contact with him) so that they might both go and pursue Sheba. This is evident from what follows. <\/p>\n Accordingly Abishai swiftly gathered together Joab’s men (presumably the standing army always held at the ready), together with David’s bodyguard and mighty men, and set off in pursuit of Sheba, and was at some point joined by Joab. And when they reached the great stone at Gibeon they came across Amasa who, seemingly unconcernedly, came to meet them. This put them under a huge dilemma. Their mission was now extremely urgent and there was no time for negotiating with or arguing with the official commander-in-chief who had already proved so negligent and inefficient. Nor did they want to have to do battle with any men who were with him. So Joab made a swift decision, and presumably on the grounds of treason and failure to observe the king’s commands, summarily executed him. He would no doubt argue afterwards that it had been necessary because of the urgency of the situation. He had proved himself unfit to command and had actually been subordinate in that he had not reported back to David. Thus Joab and Abishai, entrusted with the king’s urgent command, had had no alternative. <\/p>\n a <\/strong> Then the king said to Amasa, “Call me the men of Judah together within three days, and be you present here.” So Amasa went to call the men of Judah together, but he lingered longer than the set time which he had appointed him (2Sa 20:4-5<\/span>). <\/p>\n b <\/strong> And David said to Abishai, “Now will Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than Absalom did. You take your lord’s servants, and pursue after him, lest he obtain for himself fortified cities, and tear out our eye” (2Sa 20:6<\/span>). <\/p>\n c <\/strong> And there went out after him Joab’s men, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men, and they went out of Jerusalem, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri (2Sa 20:7<\/span>). <\/p>\n b <\/strong> When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. And Joab was girded with his war clothing which he had put on, and on it was a girdle with a sword fastened on his loins in its sheath, and as he went forth it fell out (2Sa 20:8<\/span>). <\/p>\n a <\/strong> And Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. But Amasa paid no heed to the sword that was in Joab’s hand. So he smote him with it in the body, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again, and he died (2Sa 20:9-10<\/span>). <\/p>\n Note that in ‘a’ Amasa carelessly ignored the injunction that had been urged on him by David, and in the parallel he carelessly ignored the sword that was in Joab’s hand. In ‘b’ David declares that Amasa’s lateness and carelessness might well be responsible for great harm which Sheba might cause, and calls on Abishai to prepare David’s servants to chase after Sheba, and in the parallel Amasa arrives too late, and meanwhile Joab, Abishai’s brother, has prepared himself for the chase. Centrally in ‘c’ Abishai leads out Joab’s men, and David’s bodyguard and mighty men. <\/p>\n 2Sa 20:4<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ‘<\/strong> Then the king said to Amasa, “Call me the men of Judah together within three days, and be you present here.” ’ <\/p>\n Having appointed Amasa as commander-in-chief of the armies of Israel\/Judah ‘the king’ called on him to muster the men of Judah ‘within three days’ and to personally report back to him. (Three days may in fact have indicated ‘a few days’, as it so often does, but it was nevertheless specific. It did not justify delay). The point was that promptness and speed were essential, for David recognised that this was an emergency situation, and having been caught out by Absalom, he did not intend also to be caught out by Sheba. <\/p>\n 2Sa 20:5<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ‘<\/strong> So Amasa went to call the men of Judah together, but he lingered longer than the set time which he had appointed him.’ <\/p>\n So Amasa set about mustering the army of Judah. But he did not do it with sufficient urgency. Thus when the time limit arrived the forces were nowhere to be seen, and nor was Amasa, who was supposed to have reported back. He was seemingly not astute enough as a general to recognise, as David himself had, the need for all speed before the rebellion could be established. It must therefore be appreciated that his failure to report back by the time allotted was gross dereliction of duty. It was indeed to treat the king with unforgivable casualness. Amasa was thus gravely at fault and liable for severe punishment however we look at it. <\/p>\n 2Sa 20:6<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ‘<\/strong> And David said to Abishai, “Now will Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than Absalom did. You take your lord’s servants, and pursue after him, lest he obtain for himself fortified cities, and tear out our eye.” ’ <\/p>\n Having waited in vain for Amasa’s appearance with the army of Judah David was now extremely concerned. Consequently he turned to Abishai, who as we have seen from past incidents was constantly in attendance on him (e.g. 2Sa 16:9<\/span>; 2Sa 21:17<\/span>; 1Sa 26:6-9<\/span>), and expressing that concern, pointed out that this delay could well prove disastrous for the kingdom. It could even result in Sheba doing more harm to the kingdom than Absalom had done. It was therefore necessary that something be done immediately in order to try to rectify the situation. <\/p>\n So he looked to the man who was immediately to hand, to Abishai, one of his chief generals, to do it. We may reasonably assume that Joab was temporarily absent from the court for some reason. However, while his command to Abishai was in the singular it must necessarily be seen as including Joab, once he could be contacted, for Joab was not in disgrace, and Abishai and Joab had always worked in collusion in maintaining David’s armed strength (2Sa 10:9-10<\/span>; 2Sa 18:2<\/span>). Furthermore Joab was seemingly still in command of the standing army now known as ‘Joab’s men’. Abishai would thus recognise that he was being expected to carry out the king’s command in the usual way, in conjunction with his brother when he could be contacted, and that David was looking to him to act personally with all speed with the forces that they had immediately available. The command was addressed to him because it would appear that Joab was simply not at present immediately to hand, and the task was urgent. The urgency of the situation demanded that Abishai take the matter in hand. <\/p>\n And that task was simple. To pursue and destroy Sheba before he had time to consolidate and establish fortified cities, thus putting himself in a position to tear out the kingdom’s very eye. To tear out the eye (the literal translation) was to render the opponent helpless, or at the least to make him severely handicapped. <\/p>\n 2Sa 20:7<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ‘<\/strong> And there went out after him Joab’s men, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men, and they went out of Jerusalem, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.’ <\/p>\n So Abishai immediately left the king’s presence, summoned Joab’s men (the standing army), the king’s elite troops and bodyguard (the Cherethites and Pelethites), and David’s chief officers and mighty men, who would all be close by and could be immediately called on, and left Jerusalem in order to pursue Bichri, being joined at some stage by his brother whom he had no doubt urgently summoned by messenger. Unlike Amasa they were both experienced commanders and fully aware of the urgency of the situation. <\/p>\n The fact that it does not say ‘Joab and his men’ can be seen as confirming that for some reason Joab was temporarily absent, possibly on affairs of state, for it is quite unnecessary to assume that there had been a rift between him and David however unhappy Joab was at losing his position as commander of ‘All Israel’. David would undoubtedly have given him another comparably high position in his court. <\/p>\n 2Sa 20:8<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ‘<\/strong> When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. And Joab was girded with his war clothing which he had put on, and on it was a girdle with a sword fastened on his loins in its sheath, and as he went forth it fell out.’ <\/p>\n When, in carrying out their pursuit, they arrived at the great stone of Gibeon (which was in Benjamin and was some miles\/kilometres north of Jerusalem), Amasa came to meet them. We are given no details of his situation and do not know whether he had the men of Judah with him. On the other hand he would arrive as the official commander-in-chief, and would undoubtedly have wished, in view of his superior rank, to take over the pursuit. We are not told anything about how far he had accomplished the task that David had set him of mustering the men of Judah, nor why he was at Gibeon, rather than in the south where the mustering of the men of Judah would have had to take place, nor why he had not reported back to David when he was supposed to. It is possible that he had learned of the pursuit being carried out by Joab and Abishai while still mustering the troops, and so had himself hastened to meet them with a view to exerting his command, leaving whatever troops he had mustered to follow behind, hoping thereby to preserve his status. But it is equally possible that his presence there indicated how far he was failing is his urgent task of mustering the men of Judah. After all, what was he doing in Benjamin? <\/p>\n By now Joab had joined up with Abishai, and was clad for war, wearing over his ‘war clothing’ a belt into which was tucked the scabbard which contained his sword. And as he went out to meet Amasa his scabbard fell out from his belt. Knowing Joab we may suspect that this was not in fact accidental. Joab could certainly not draw his sword as he approached Amasa, but to have in his hand a sword and scabbard which had fallen from his belt would not appear at all suspicious, just careless (unless you knew Joab really well). <\/p>\n 2Sa 20:9<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ‘<\/strong> And Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.’ <\/p>\n Then Joab greeted Amasa, and asked him how he did, after which he took Amasa by the beard with his right hand, seemingly in order to greet him with a kiss of welcome. It would appear that in that society to take the beard in this way was, like a formal handshake, an act of friendship. Possibly it contained the same idea behind it as a handshake, in that it demonstrated that the sword hand was empty. This act of laying hold of the beard in order to give a kiss of friendship was, in fact, still customary among Arabs and Turks as a sign of friendly welcome even in more recent days. <\/p>\n As we are given nothing of the background, and as there were no repercussions on Joab later as a result of what followed, it seems reasonable to assume that Joab considered that he had some good reason for thinking that Amasa’s failure to muster the troops quickly enough, and to report back, was due either to an act of open treachery, or to an act of clear insubordination, or at the best to an act of gross negligence sufficient to endanger the kingdom. And, whichever it was, his failure to report back to the king within the time allotted was in itself almost treason. He was certainly to be seen as due for severe punishment, for the kingdom was at stake. This would no doubt explain why Joab felt himself justified in executing him, lest in his treachery, or gross negligence, or perverseness he in some way sought to hinder the pursuit, thus causing unnecessary delay. We must recognise that there was no time here for niceties, and they could not stop to argue, nor to do battle with him if he proved intransigent. Joab thus saw himself as executing someone while on active service because of his failure to obey the king’s commands. (Nevertheless we do not need to dismiss the suggestion that he almost certainly had a dual motive, for we have already come to recognise that anyone who sought to take over Joab’s position as commander of the armies of Israel was in grave danger of his life (compare Abner in 2Sa 3:27<\/span>). Even Joab, however, could not have murdered either of them out of hand without an ostensibly good reason). <\/p>\n 2Sa 20:10<\/strong><\/span> a <\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n ‘But Amasa paid no heed to the sword that was in Joab’s hand. So he smote him with it in the body, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again, and he died.’ <\/p>\n Amasa revealed his own military naivete by paying no heed to the sword that was in Joab’s left hand. He did not appear to have considered the fact that he had committed gross folly. It was probably the same lack of military astuteness that had caused him to delay in the mustering of the troops. Thus he was taken completely by surprise when Joab’s kiss of friendship ended up by being a sword in the body, which resulted in his bowels coming out and falling on the ground. We note that Joab did not need to strike twice. There was nothing inefficient about his military expertise. And in consequence Amasa died a traitor’s death. <\/p>\n It is made clear later that David did not approve of this execution (1Ki 2:5<\/span>), for when he could he preferred to exercise mercy, but there can be little doubt that he recognised that to quite some extent Joab had been justified in what he did the light of the urgency of a war situation. It was presumably that fact that prevented Joab from being punished. Considerable leeway had to be given to a successful general who had constant life and death decisions to make, even if it was stored up in the mind in order to affect future decisions. <\/p>\n (4) Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah within three days, and be thou here present. (5) So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah: but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The tardiness of the men of Judah, confirms the idea that David was not well received by them.<\/p>\n 2Sa 20:4 Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah within three days, and be thou here present.<\/p>\n Ver. 4. Within three days.<\/strong> ] This task was long; the time short; but the necessity was pressing. Semper nocuit differre.<\/p>\n Amasa: 2Sa 17:25, 2Sa 19:13, 1Ch 2:17 <\/p>\n Assemble: Heb. Call <\/p>\n Reciprocal: 2Sa 20:8 – Amasa 2Sa 20:11 – for David 1Ch 12:18 – came upon Amasai<\/p>\n 2Sa 20:4-5. Assemble me the men of Judah David here made good his promise to Amasa, which was a great encouragement to others in the tribe of Judah to adhere to him. And by this means also the seditious Israelites might be the sooner brought to reason, when they saw their old general in the field against them. He tarried longer than the set time Finding some difficulty in the business, either because the people, being wearied out by the late war, were not forward to engage in another; or because the soldiers had more affection to Joab than to their new general.<\/p>\n 20:4 Then said the king to {e} Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah within three days, and be thou here present.<\/p>\n (e) Who was his chief captain in Joab’s place, 2Sa 19:13.<\/p>\n Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah within three days, and be thou here present. 4 13. The pursuit of Sheba. Amasa murdered by Joab 4. to Amasa ] The commission was given to Amasa in fulfilment of the promise privately made to him (ch. 2Sa 19:13). Assemble me the … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Samuel 20:4”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8570","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8570"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8570\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
5 So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah: but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.<\/p>\n
8 When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa went before them. And Joabs garment that he had put on was girded unto him, and upon it a girdle with a sword fastened upon his loins in the sheath thereof; and as he went forth it fell out.<\/p>\n
Joab was not a man to be deposed by anybody. He slew Amasa by trickery and immediately assumed control, leaving a man to tell the people to follow on after Joab and David.<\/p>\nFuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"