Amasa
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Amasa (עמשא) or Amessai<ref>Brenton's Septuagint Translation, 2 Samuel 19:13</ref> is a person mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. His mother was Abigail (Template:Bibleverse), a sister of King David (Template:Bibleverse). Hence, Amasa was a nephew of David, and cousin of Joab, David's military commander, as well as a cousin of Absalom, David's son. David calls him "my bone and my flesh" (Template:Bibleverse). Amasa's father was Jether (Template:Bibleverse, Template:Bibleverse) who was also called Ithra (Template:Bibleverse). Jether had dual-nationality, being an Ishmaelite and Israelite, although it might be a case of an assimilated Ishmaelite living in Israel. <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
When Absalom rebelled against David and won over the tribes of Israel (Template:Bibleverse), Absalom appointed Amasa as commander over the army (Template:Bibleverse), in effect replacing Joab, who had served as commander for David.
After the revolt was crushed and Absalom died (Template:Bibleverse), David was invited back to Jerusalem and restored as king. David re-appointed Amasa as his military commander in Joab's stead "from now on" as his military commander (Template:Bibleverse). Other versions translate this status differently: it is given as "permanently" in the Jewish Publication Society 1985 translation<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and "for life" in the New International Version.<ref>Template:Bibleverse NIV translation</ref>
David's appointment of Amasa has been interpreted as "a bold stroke of policy, to promise the post of commander-in chief to the general of the rebel army".<ref>Kirkpatrick, A., Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on 2 Samuel 19, accessed 13 August 2017</ref>
While being fiercely loyal to David, Joab was also suspicious of any potential rivals for Joab's power or threats to David's kingdom, and had no qualms about taking the lives of any who might stand in his way (e.g., Abner: Template:Bibleverse, and Absalom: Template:Bibleverse). So it was not difficult for Joab to also decide to murder Amasa (Template:Bibleverse, Template:Bibleverse). Joab's own justification for killing Amasa may have been because he believed Amasa to be conspiring with Sheba son of Bichri the Benjamite, due to Amasa's slowness to mobilize the army against Sheba's rebels (Template:Bibleverse).
Consequences of the murder for Joab
The murder of Amasa is cited as one of the reasons (beside the murder of Abner, Template:Bibleverse) why David on his deathbed counsels his son Solomon to have Joab executed (Template:Bibleverse). Solomon fulfills this wish (Template:Bibleverse) right after the execution of his own half-brother Adonijah (Template:Bibleverse), a pretender to the throne whom Joab had supported (cf. Template:Bibleverse).