2 Samuel 17:25
in 2 Samuel 17Absalom had appointed Amasa over the army in place of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra, the Ishmaelite who had married Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah the mother of Joab.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Absalom set Amasa over the host instead of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man, whose name was Ithra the Israelite, that went in to Abigal the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah, Joab’s mother.
KJV
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.
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This verse in 2 Samuel 17
Commentary
8 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
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 Jesse’s daughters, the only probable way of reconciling our text with 1Ch 2:16-17, is to suppose that Nahash was Jesse’s wife. If Zeruiah and Abigail were only sisters of David by the mother, then Nahash might be the name of her first husband.
This site's exposition
Then David came to Mahanaim
on 2 Samuel 17:24-26
David reaches Mahanaim, the strong city across Jordan that had already sheltered Ish-bosheth in the civil war after Saul's death, while Absalom crosses behind him with the levy Hushai's counsel raised. Absalom replaces Joab with Amasa as captain of the host; the two commanders are cousins, Amasa's mother Abigail and Joab's mother Zeruiah both counted among Jesse's household, so the rebellion is a family quarrel fought with family generals on both sides. The appointment does not survive the war: Joab kills Amasa at Gibeon in chapter 20.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
It was not long since that Absalom himself fled for a crime, and David contented himself with his being an exile, though he deserved death, nay, he mourned and longed for him; but so perfectly void of all natural affection is this ungrateful Absalom that he eagerly thirsts after his own father's blood.
), whose father was by birth Jether, an Ishmaelite ( 1 Chron. ii. 17 ), but by religion Ithra (as he is here called), an Israelite; probably he was not only proselyted, but, having married a near relation of David's, was, by some act of the state, naturalized, and is therefore called an Israelite.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Nahash - Nahash is the name of Jesse's 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 Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Amasa--By the genealogy it appears that this captain stood in the same relation to David as Joab, both being his nephews. Of course, Amasa was Absalom's cousin, and though himself an Israelite, his father was an Ishmaelite (1Ch 2:17). Nahash--is thought by some to be another name of Jesse, or according to others, the name of Jesse's wife.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
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.
The words behind it
24 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| עֲמָשָׂ֗א | ʾamasa' | Amasa | H6021 → | 16 times |
| שָׂ֧ם | sam | he had appointed | H7760 → | 584 times |
| אַבְשָׁלֹ֛ם | ʾavshalom | Absalom | H53 → | 110 times |
| תַּ֥חַת | tachat | in place of | H8478 → | 505 times |
| יוֹאָ֖ב | yoav | Joab | H3097 → | 144 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | over | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הַצָּבָ֑א | hatzava' | the army | H6635 → | 485 times |
| וַעֲמָשָׂ֣א | vaamasa' | and Amasa | H6021 → | 16 times |
| בֶן־ | ven- | [was] a son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| אִ֗ישׁ | ʾish | a man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| וּשְׁמוֹ֙ | ushemo | and name his | H8034 → | 864 times |
| יִתְרָ֣א | yitra' | [was] Jether | H3501 → | |
| הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִ֔י | haiyisreeli | the Israelite | H3481 → | |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | who | H834 → | 5497 times |
| בָּא֙ | ba' | he had gone | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | into | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אֲבִיגַ֣ל | ʾavigal | Abigail | H26 → | 17 times |
| בַּת־ | bat- | [the] daughter of | H1323 → | 588 times |
| נָחָ֔שׁ | nachash | Nahash | H5176 → | 10 times |
| אֲח֥וֹת | ʾachot | [the] sister of | H269 → | 114 times |
| צְרוּיָ֖ה | tzeruyah | Zeruiah | H6870 → | 26 times |
| אֵ֥ם | ʾem | [the] mother of | H517 → | 220 times |
| יוֹאָֽב׃ | yoav | Joab | H3097 → | 144 times |
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
עֲמָשָׂ֗אAmasa
ʾamasa'H6021 →16 times
שָׂ֧םhe had appointed
samH7760 →584 times
אַבְשָׁלֹ֛םAbsalom
ʾavshalomH53 →110 times
תַּ֥חַתin place of
tachatH8478 →505 times
יוֹאָ֖בJoab
yoavH3097 →144 times
עַל־over
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הַצָּבָ֑אthe army
hatzava'H6635 →485 times
וַעֲמָשָׂ֣אand Amasa
vaamasa'H6021 →16 times
בֶן־[was] a son of
ven-H1121 →4930 times
אִ֗ישׁa man
ʾishH376 →1663 times
וּשְׁמוֹ֙and name his
ushemoH8034 →864 times
יִתְרָ֣א[was] Jether
yitra'H3501 →
הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִ֔יthe Israelite
haiyisreeliH3481 →
אֲשֶׁר־who
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
בָּא֙he had gone
ba'H935 →2568 times
אֶל־into
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
אֲבִיגַ֣לAbigail
ʾavigalH26 →17 times
בַּת־[the] daughter of
bat-H1323 →588 times
נָחָ֔שׁNahash
nachashH5176 →10 times
אֲח֥וֹת[the] sister of
ʾachotH269 →114 times
צְרוּיָ֖הZeruiah
tzeruyahH6870 →26 times
אֵ֥ם[the] mother of
ʾemH517 →220 times
יוֹאָֽב׃Joab
yoavH3097 →144 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Kings 2:5Moreover, you know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, the two commanders of the armies of Israel. He killed them…
it leads to
- 2 Samuel 3:27
When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pulled him aside into the gateway, as if to speak to him privately, and there Joab stabbed him in the stomach. So Abner died on account of the…
- 2 Samuel 20:10
Amasa was not on guard against the dagger in Joab’s hand, and Joab stabbed him in the stomach and spilled out his intestines on the ground. And Joab did not need to strike him…
- 2 Samuel 18:5
Now the king had commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, “Treat the young man Absalom gently for my sake.” And all the people heard the king’s orders to each of the commanders regarding Absalom.
- 2 Samuel 18:12
The man replied, “Even if a thousand shekels of silver were weighed out into my hands, I would not raise my hand against the son of the king. For we heard the king command…
- 2 Samuel 3:27
Through
2 Samuel 19:13And say to Amasa, ‘Aren’t you my flesh and blood? May God punish me, and ever so severely, if from this time you are not the commander of my army in place of Joab!’”
it leads to
- Ruth 1:17
Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”
- 2 Samuel 8:16
Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder;
- 1 Kings 19:2
So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like the lives of those…
- Ruth 1:17
Through
1 Chronicles 2:13Jesse was the father of Eliab his firstborn; Abinadab was born second, Shimea third,
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 17:13
The three older sons of Jesse had followed Saul into battle: The firstborn was Eliab, the second was Abinadab, and the third was Shammah.
- 1 Samuel 17:13
About 2 Samuel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.