Bible Strands
2 Samuel 20:12
But Amasa wallowed in his blood in the middle of the road, and when the man saw that all the troops were stopping there, he dragged the body off the road into a field and threw a garment over it.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrative resumes after Joab’s young man rallies the troops to follow him, shifting focus to the highway where Amasa lies dead.
The words — מִתְגֹּלֵ֥ל (mit.go.Lel) means "[was] wallowing," and בַּ/דָּ֖ם (ba./Dam) translates to "in the blood."
The thread — This scene intersects with themes of bloodguilt and rebellion found in Psalms 9:16, Proverbs 24:21, and 2 Samuel 17:25.
Why it lands — The text records a man dragging the corpse into a field and covering it so the troops can resume their march, asking the reader to observe how political violence creates logistical obstacles that must be removed for a commander’s orders to proceed.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Amasa wallowed in blood in the midst of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he removed Amasa out of the highway into the field, and cast a cloth upon him, when he saw that every one that came by him stood still.
Cross-references
- Psalms 9:16 The LORD is known by the justice He brings; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. Higgaion Selah
- Proverbs 24:21 My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not associate with the rebellious.
- 2 Samuel 17:25 Absalom 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.
- Psalms 55:23 But You, O God, will bring them down to the Pit of destruction; men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You.