2 Samuel 20 · Verse 4

2 Samuel 20:4

Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah within three days, and be thou here present.
2 Samuel 20:4, King James Version

2 Samuel 20:4 in other translations

BSBThen the king said to Amasa, “Summon the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and be here yourself.”
WEBThen the king said to Amasa, “Call me the men of Judah together within three days, and be here present.”
ASVThen said the king to Amasa, Call me the men of Judah together within three days, and be thou here present.
YLTAnd the king saith unto Amasa, ‘Call for me the men of Judah in three days, and thou, stand here,'
DARBYAnd the king said to Amasa, Call me the men of Judah together within three days, and do thou attend here.
BBEThen the king said to Amasa, Get all the men of Judah together, and in three days be here yourself.
WebsterThen said the king to Amasa, Assemble to me the men of Judah within three days, and be thou here present.

What does 2 Samuel 20:4 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
4. Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah within three days--Amasa is now installed in the command which David had promised him. The revolt of the ten tribes, probably, hastened the public declaration of this appointment, which he hoped would be popular with them, and Amasa was ordered within three days to levy a force from Judah sufficient to put down the insurrection. The appointment was a blunder, and the king soon perceived his error. The specified time passed, but Amasa could not muster the men. Dreading the loss of time, the king gave the commission to Abishai, and not to Joab--a new affront, which, no doubt, wounded the pride of the stern and haughty old general. But he hastened with his attached soldiers to go as second to his brother, determined to take the first opportunity of wreaking his vengeance on his successful rival.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 4 Then said the king to Amasa - Thus he invests him with the command of the army, and sends him to collect the men of Judah, and to come back to receive his orders in relation to Sheba, in three days. It appears that Amasa found more difficulty in collecting his country-men than was at first supposed; and this detaining him beyond the three days, David, fearing that Sheba's rebellion would get head, sent Abishai, who it appears was accompanied by Joab, to pursue after Sheba. Amasa, it seems, got up with them at Gibeon, 2Sam 20:8, where he was treacherously murdered by the execrable Joab.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Samuel 20:4-13
Joab barbarously murdered Amasa. The more plot there is in a sin, the worse it is. Joab contentedly sacrificed the interest both of the king and the kingdom to his personal revenge. But one would wonder with what face a murderer could pursue a traitor; and how, under such a load of guilt, he had courage to enter upon danger: his conscience was seared.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

2 Samuel 20:4 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֤אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428
אֶל\־'el-toH413
עֲמָשָׂ֔א'a.ma.Sa'AmasaH6021
הַזְעֶק\־haz.'ek-summonH2199
לִ֥יlito <the> me
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
אִישׁ\־'ish-[the] man ofH376
יְהוּדָ֖הye.hu.DahJudahH3063
שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁתshe.Lo.shetthreeH7969
יָמִ֑יםya.MimdaysH3117
וְאַתָּ֖הve.'a.Tahand youH859
פֹּ֥הpohhereH6311
עֲמֹֽד\׃'a.ModstandH5975

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Samuel 20:4

  • 2 Samuel 19:13

    And say ye to Amasa, Art thou not of my bone, and of my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if thou be not captain of the host before me continually in the room of Joab.

  • 2 Samuel 17:25

    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.

  • 1 Chronicles 2:17

    And Abigail bare Amasa: and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmeelite.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Amasa.
17:25; 19:13; 1Ch 2:17
Assemble. Heb. Call.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 2 Samuel 20:3

    And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and fed them, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.

  • 2 Samuel 20:4

    Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah within three days, and be thou here present.

  • 2 Samuel 20:5

    So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah: but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.

Read all of 2 Samuel 20

2 Samuel 20:4 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Después dijo el rey á Amasa: Júntame los varones de Judá para dentro de tres días, y hállate tú aquí presente.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et le roi dit à Amasa: Rassemble-moi en trois jours les hommes de Juda; et toi, sois présent ici.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und der König sprach zu Amasa: Berufe mir die Männer von Juda binnen drei Tagen, und stelle dich selbst hier ein.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Dixit autem rex Amasæ: Convoca mihi omnes viros Juda in diem tertium, et tu adesto præsens.