Lives of Scripture

Amasa, David's nephew through his sister Abigail, commanded Absalom's army during the rebellion against David (2 Samuel 17:25; 1 Chronicles 2:16-17). After Absalom's defeat, David, working to reunite the kingdom, extraordinarily offered to make Amasa his own army commander in place of Joab, telling him "you are my bone and my flesh" (2 Samuel 19:13). When Sheba's revolt broke out shortly after, David ordered Amasa to muster Judah's forces, but Amasa was delayed beyond the appointed time, so David sent Abishai and Joab after Sheba instead (20:4-6). Amasa caught up with them at Gibeon; Joab, wearing a sword concealed at his side, greeted Amasa warmly, took hold of his beard as if to kiss him, and struck him fatally in the stomach with the hidden blade, killing him instantly in an act of premeditated murder driven by jealousy over his replacement (20:8-10). Joab's men left Amasa's body in the road, covering it only once it had become an obstacle to the troops marching past (20:11-13), and Joab resumed command as if nothing had happened. David never forgot the crime: on his deathbed he charged Solomon to hold Joab accountable for shedding "the blood of war in peace," naming both Abner and Amasa as innocent men Joab had murdered (1 Kings 2:5-6, 32).