Why was amasa killed

Then they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth Maachah; and they cast up a siege mound against the city, and it stood by the rampart. And all the people who were with Joab battered the wall to throw it down. I am among the peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel.

Why would you swallow up the inheritance of the LORD? That is not so. But a man from the mountains of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has raised his hand against the king, against David. Deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab.

Then he blew a trumpet, and they withdrew from the city, every man to his tent. So Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem. A wise woman cried out from the city : When Sheba took refuge in the city of Abel, Joab set a siege against the city. Siege warfare was a terrible ordeal for the citizens of the besieged city, and this wise woman was smart enough to seek a speedy end to the struggle.

Deliver him only, and I will depart from the city : Joab was a practical man. He had nothing against the city of Abel, only against Sheba. If the people of Abel helped him get Sheba it was all the better.

We can make a spiritual analogy out of Sheba, his rebellion, and his refuge in the city of Abel. Every sin is a traitor that lurketh within those walls. If we love the head of our traitor above the life of our soul, we shall justly perish in the vengeance. So ended the rebellion of Sheba. Yet the division between Judah and the other eleven tribes of Israel remained.

After the death of Solomon there was a civil war that permanently divided the twelve tribes into two nations: the southern Kingdom of Judah and the northern Kingdom of Israel. And Joab was over all the army of Israel; Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; Adoram was in charge of revenue; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; Sheva was scribe; Zadok and Abiathar were the priests; and Ira the Jairite was a chief minister under David.

Joab was over all the army of Israel : Though he gained the position through murder, David allowed Joab to take control over the armies of Israel. He knew how to assemble and lead an effective team. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences.

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Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. Amarna, Tell El- Amasai. He was a nephew of David and a cousin of Absalom, who made him commander of the army of rebellion. When the uprising had been quelled, David, in order to conciliate Amasa, promised him the position held by Joab; the latter had fallen from favor 2 Samuel When a new revolt broke out under Sheba, the son of Bichri 2 Samuel 20 , Amasa was entrusted with the task of assembling the men of Judah.

But Joab was eager for revenge upon the man who had obtained the office of command that he coveted. When Amasa met Joab at Gibeon, the latter murdered him while pretending to salute 2 Samuel ; 1 Kings Wolf Copyright Statement These files are public domain.

Bibliography Information Orr, James, M. Abner warns Asahel twice —22 before delivering the deadly blow, whereas Joab lulls Amasa into a false sense of security, and then kills him without warning — The similarities of Amasa with Abner and Asahel also suggest certain character traits that they share. Sadly, there is not much of a positive nature that can be said of Amasa. He was the nephew that betrayed his uncle the king.

In the end he dies the death of a fool, his body disgraced by being dumped in a field, ultimately forgotten by his men, and by the narrator as the story continues without him. Your email address will not be published. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn. Share this: Facebook LinkedIn Twitter. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published.