Bible Strands
2 Samuel 20:4
Then the king said to Amasa, “Summon the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and be here yourself.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — King David addresses Amasa immediately after his return to Jerusalem, issuing a direct military command following the consolidation of his palace.
The words — The verb הַזְעֶק (haz'ek) means "summon" or "call out," and אִישׁ (ish) literally denotes "man," together specifying the mobilization of individual fighting men from Judah.
The thread — This directive parallels David’s earlier appeal to Amasa in 2 Samuel 19:13 and contrasts with Absalom’s prior appointment of him as commander in 2 Samuel 17:25.
Why it lands — The text demands a clear assessment of administrative urgency versus procedural delay, requiring the reader to weigh the king’s explicit timeline against the commander’s failure to meet it.
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
Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah within three days, and be thou here present.
Cross-references
- 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.
- 2 Samuel 19:13 And say to Amasa, ‘Aren’t you my flesh and blood? May God punish me, and ever so severely, if from now on you are not the commander of my army in place of Joab!’”
- 1 Chronicles 2:17 Abigail was the mother of Amasa, whose father was Jether the Ishmaelite.