Amasa עֲמָשָׂא
Ephraimite leader who opposed enslaving Judahite captives
Who is Amasa in the Bible?
Amasa was an Ephraimite leader during the reign of King Ahaz of Judah who stood against the enslavement of captured Judahites. When the Israelite army returned from defeating Judah with captives and plunder, Amasa joined other Ephraimite leaders in opposing their forced deportation to Samaria, responding to the prophet Oded's warning that God's anger rested upon Israel for their own sins (2 Chronicles 28:12-13). His courageous stance reflected a recognition that enslaving fellow Israelites would incur further divine judgment, making him a voice of conscience during a period of conflict between the divided kingdoms.
Biography
Amasa is mentioned in the context of the conflict between the kingdoms of Israel and Judah during the reign of King Ahaz of Judah. Ahaz's unfaithfulness to God led to Judah's defeat by Israel and their allies, resulting in the capture of many Judahites. (2Ch.28.5-8)
As the Israelite army was returning to Samaria with the captives and plunder, a prophet named Oded confronted them, warning that God's anger was against Israel for their own sins. He urged them to release the captives, as they were their own kinsmen. (2Ch.28.9-11).
In response, several leaders of Ephraim, including Amasa, stood up against the army and refused to allow them to bring the captives into the city. They recognized the guilt of Israel and the potential for further divine wrath. (2Ch.28.12-13)
Amasa and the other leaders then provided for the captives, clothing and feeding them, and returning them to Jericho, a city in Judah. (2Ch.28.14-15)
This act of compassion and solidarity demonstrated by Amasa and the other Ephraimite leaders was a rare moment of unity and repentance.
Family
In Scripture
1 biblical book2 Chronicles 1 verse
- 2 Chronicles 28:12
"Then some of the leaders of the Ephraimites—Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai—stood in opposition to those arriving from the war."
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | עֲמָשָׂא |
Amasa
5, Amasa is the son of Abigail, the sister of Zeruiah and David, and Ithra, an Israelite; but another source, 1Ch 2:17, calls his father Jether the Ishmaelite. 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 (2Sa 19:13 ff). When a new revolt broke out under Sheba, the son of Bichri (2Sa 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 (2Sa 20:8-10; 1Ki 2:5).
(2) Son of Hadlai, of the Bene 'Ephrayim ("Children of Ephraim"), who, obeying the words of the prophet Oded, refused to consider as captives the Judeans who had been taken from Ahaz, king of Judah, by the victorious Israelites under the leadership of Pekah (2Ch 28:12).
H. J. Wolf
a-ma'-si (`amasay, perhaps rather to be read `ammishay; so Wellhausen, IJG, II, 24, n.2):
(1) A name in the genealogy of Kohath, son of Elkanah, a Levite of the Kohathite family (compare <ref osisRef="Bible:1Chr.