6021. Amasa
Lexical Summary
Amasa: Amasa

Original Word: עֲמָשָׂא
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: `Amasa'
Pronunciation: ah-mah-SAH
Phonetic Spelling: (am-aw-saw')
KJV: Amasa
NASB: Amasa
Word Origin: [from H6006 (עָמַס עָמַשׂ - loaded)]

1. burden
2. Amasa, the name of two Israelites

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Amasa

From amac; burden; Amasa, the name of two Israelites -- Amasa.

see HEBREW amac

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
two Isr.
NASB Translation
Amasa (16).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
עֲמָשָׂא proper name, masculine (compare עמס, ענשׂ ? or read עַמִּשַׂי (II. עַם + יִשַׂי), WeIsrael u. Jüd. Geschichte. 24, compare GrayProp. N. 44, 323); —

1 Absalom's General 2 Samuel 17:25 (twice in verse); 2 Samuel 19:14 8t. 2 Samuel 20; 1 Kings 2:5,32; 1 Chronicles 2:17 (twice in verse), ᵐ5 Αμεσς(α)ει, ᵐ5L Αμεσσα.

2 Ephraimite2Chronicles 28:12.

Topical Lexicon
Persons Bearing the Name

1. Amasa, son of Jether (Ithra) and Abigail, nephew of King David and cousin to Joab (2 Samuel 17:25; 1 Chronicles 2:17).
2. Amasa, son of Hadlai, an Ephraimite leader active during the Syro-Ephraimite crisis (2 Chronicles 28:12).

Genealogical and Family Setting

Amasa’s mother Abigail was the sister of Zeruiah, making Amasa first cousin to the military chiefs Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. David’s decision to elevate Amasa above Joab (2 Samuel 19:13) reveals both the closeness of the extended royal family and the political weight David attached to blood ties after Absalom’s rebellion.

Military Leadership under Absalom

Absalom “appointed Amasa over the army in place of Joab” (2 Samuel 17:25). The appointment was calculated: Amasa’s kinship to David could entice undecided Judahites, while his non-Israelite paternity (Ithra the Ishmaelite) might broaden support among peripheral groups. The brief civil war ended at the forest of Ephraim, and although Absalom fell, Amasa’s standing remained high enough for David to eye him as a counterweight to Joab.

Commander-in-Chief of David’s Army

David promised Amasa lifelong command: “May God deal with me, and ever so severely, if from this time on you are not commander of my army in place of Joab!” (2 Samuel 19:13). The king’s pledge served three aims:

• Reuniting Judah under a trusted kinsman.
• Humbling Joab for murdering Absalom.
• Signaling amnesty to former rebels.

Yet the appointment quickly collided with reality. Sent to muster Judah within three days (2 Samuel 20:4), Amasa “delayed longer than the time allotted” (20:5). Whether hindered by lingering loyalties, logistical obstacles, or personal indecision, the delay permitted Sheba son of Bichri to rally discontented Israelites and march north—another crisis birthed by factionalism.

Assassination by Joab

Meeting at the great stone in Gibeon, Joab greeted Amasa with a warrior’s kiss but struck him with a concealed dagger: “Amasa fell wallowing in his blood in the middle of the road” (2 Samuel 20:12). Joab’s deed exposed the brutal calculus of power:

• Joab perceived any rival commander as a threat to national stability—and his own status.
• David’s leniency toward Joab had bred a commander who acted above the law.
• The people, stalled by the spectacle, only advanced when the corpse was covered (20:12), showing how visible injustice paralyzes community life.

Posthumous Vindication

David charged Solomon: “Do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace” (1 Kings 2:6). Solomon executed Joab, and the verdict explicitly cited “the blood of war he poured out on his waistband and on his sandals…Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether” (1 Kings 2:32). Thus divine justice, delayed, was not denied.

Character and Spiritual Lessons from Amasa son of Jether

• Kinship alone neither guarantees loyalty nor competence; Amasa’s lineage opened doors, but character and prompt obedience were required to keep them.
• Leadership appointed by legitimate authority is still vulnerable when undermined by entrenched sin in others; Joab’s unchecked violence eventually demanded royal judgment.
• God’s providence remains intact: despite human treachery, the Davidic kingdom persisted, foreshadowing the permanence of the greater Son of David’s reign.

Amasa son of Hadlai: A Voice for Mercy

During the reign of Pekah of Israel and Ahaz of Judah, northern troops captured thousands of Judeans. Four Ephraimite princes—among them “Amasa son of Hadlai” (2 Chronicles 28:12)—opposed enslaving their kin. Guided by prophetic rebuke (28:9-11), they clothed, fed, anointed, and escorted the captives home. Their intervention highlights:

• Obedience to prophetic truth over national triumphalism.
• A model of compassionate leadership amid political turmoil.
• The remnant principle: even in apostate Israel, God preserved righteous leaders.

Theological and Ministry Significance

1. Justice and Mercy Balanced. The two men named Amasa illustrate God’s concern for righteous governance. One suffers injustice, yet justice prevails in God’s time; the other dispenses mercy, prefiguring Christlike compassion.

2. Danger of Unchecked Ambition. Joab’s murder of Amasa warns that gifted service without submission to divine authority breeds violence and schism within God’s people.

3. Restoration after Rebellion. David’s overture to Amasa demonstrates that covenant community pursues reconciliation, echoing the gospel call for former rebels to become trusted servants.

4. Leadership Accountability. Solomon’s execution of Joab closes the narrative loop, emphasizing that no deed escapes divine scrutiny—a sobering truth for contemporary ministry oversight.

Key References

2 Samuel 17:25; 19:13; 20:4-12

1 Kings 2:5, 32

1 Chronicles 2:17

2 Chronicles 28:12

Forms and Transliterations
וְלַֽעֲמָשָׂא֙ וְלַעֲמָשָׂ֤א וַעֲמָשָׂ֖א וַעֲמָשָׂ֛א וַעֲמָשָׂ֣א וַעֲמָשָׂ֨א ולעמשא ועמשא לַעֲמָשָׂ֔א לעמשא עֲמָשָׂ֑א עֲמָשָׂ֔א עֲמָשָׂ֖א עֲמָשָׂ֗א עֲמָשָׂ֥א עֲמָשָׂ֨א עמשא ‘ă·mā·śā ‘ămāśā amaSa la‘ămāśā la·‘ă·mā·śā laamaSa vaamaSa velaamaSa wa‘ămāśā wa·‘ă·mā·śā wə·la·‘ă·mā·śā wəla‘ămāśā
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
2 Samuel 17:25
HEB: וְאֶת־ עֲמָשָׂ֗א שָׂ֧ם אַבְשָׁלֹ֛ם
NAS: Absalom set Amasa over the army
KJV: made Amasa captain of the host
INT: Amasa set Absalom

2 Samuel 17:25
HEB: עַל־ הַצָּבָ֑א וַעֲמָשָׂ֣א בֶן־ אִ֗ישׁ
NAS: of Joab. Now Amasa was the son
KJV: instead of Joab: which Amasa [was] a man's
INT: over the army now Amasa was the son of a man

2 Samuel 19:13
HEB: וְלַֽעֲמָשָׂא֙ תֹּֽמְר֔וּ הֲל֛וֹא
NAS: Say to Amasa, 'Are you not my bone
KJV: And say ye to Amasa, [Art] thou not of my bone,
INT: to Amasa Say not

2 Samuel 20:4
HEB: הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ אֶל־ עֲמָשָׂ֔א הַזְעֶק־ לִ֥י
NAS: said to Amasa, Call
KJV: the king to Amasa, Assemble
INT: the king to Amasa Call the men

2 Samuel 20:5
HEB: וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ עֲמָשָׂ֖א לְהַזְעִ֣יק אֶת־
NAS: So Amasa went to call
KJV: So Amasa went to assemble
INT: went Amasa to call Judah

2 Samuel 20:8
HEB: אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּגִבְע֔וֹן וַעֲמָשָׂ֖א בָּ֣א לִפְנֵיהֶ֑ם
NAS: which is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet
KJV: which [is] in Gibeon, Amasa went
INT: which Gibeon Amasa came to meet

2 Samuel 20:9
HEB: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יוֹאָב֙ לַעֲמָשָׂ֔א הֲשָׁל֥וֹם אַתָּ֖ה
NAS: said to Amasa, Is it well
KJV: said to Amasa, [Art] thou in health,
INT: said Joab to Amasa well you

2 Samuel 20:9
HEB: יוֹאָ֛ב בִּזְקַ֥ן עֲמָשָׂ֖א לִנְשָׁק־ לֽוֹ׃
NAS: took Amasa by the beard
KJV: took Amasa by the beard
INT: Joab the beard Amasa to kiss

2 Samuel 20:10
HEB: וַעֲמָשָׂ֨א לֹֽא־ נִשְׁמַ֜ר
NAS: But Amasa was not on guard
KJV: But Amasa took no heed to the sword
INT: Amasa not guard

2 Samuel 20:12
HEB: וַעֲמָשָׂ֛א מִתְגֹּלֵ֥ל בַּדָּ֖ם
NAS: But Amasa lay wallowing in [his] blood
KJV: And Amasa wallowed in blood
INT: Amasa lay in blood

2 Samuel 20:12
HEB: וַיַּסֵּב֩ אֶת־ עֲמָשָׂ֨א מִן־ הַֽמְסִלָּ֤ה
NAS: he removed Amasa from the highway
KJV: he removed Amasa out of the highway
INT: the people removed Amasa from the highway

1 Kings 2:5
HEB: בֶּן־ נֵ֜ר וְלַעֲמָשָׂ֤א בֶן־ יֶ֙תֶר֙
NAS: of Ner, and to Amasa the son
KJV: of Ner, and unto Amasa the son
INT: the son of Ner Amasa the son of Jether

1 Kings 2:32
HEB: יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְאֶת־ עֲמָשָׂ֥א בֶן־ יֶ֖תֶר
NAS: of Israel, and Amasa the son
KJV: of Israel, and Amasa the son
INT: of the army of Israel and Amasa the son of Jether

1 Chronicles 2:17
HEB: יָלְדָ֖ה אֶת־ עֲמָשָׂ֑א וַאֲבִ֣י עֲמָשָׂ֔א
NAS: bore Amasa, and the father
KJV: bare Amasa: and the father
INT: Abigail bore Amasa and the father of Amasa

1 Chronicles 2:17
HEB: עֲמָשָׂ֑א וַאֲבִ֣י עֲמָשָׂ֔א יֶ֖תֶר הַיִּשְׁמְעֵאלִֽי׃
NAS: and the father of Amasa was Jether
KJV: and the father of Amasa [was] Jether
INT: Amasa and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite

2 Chronicles 28:12
HEB: בֶּן־ שַׁלֻּ֔ם וַעֲמָשָׂ֖א בֶּן־ חַדְלָ֑י
NAS: of Shallum, and Amasa the son
KJV: of Shallum, and Amasa the son
INT: the son of Shallum and Amasa the son of Hadlai

16 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 6021
16 Occurrences


‘ă·mā·śā — 8 Occ.
la·‘ă·mā·śā — 1 Occ.
wa·‘ă·mā·śā — 5 Occ.
wə·la·‘ă·mā·śā — 2 Occ.

6020
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