But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab's hand: so he smote him therewith in the fifth rib, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again; and he died. So Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri.

2 SAMUEL 20:10KJV
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2 Samuel 20:10 (KJV)

What does 2 Samuel 20:10 mean?

2 Samuel 20:10 describes how Amasa was caught off guard and killed by Joab, who struck him with a sword in the abdomen, causing his death. After this sudden act, Joab and his brother Abishai continued their pursuit of Sheba, the rebel leader.

This verse takes place during a tense moment in King David’s reign, as his commanders deal with a rebellion led by Sheba. Joab, who had previously been replaced by Amasa as commander, uses a deceptive approach to kill Amasa and regain control. The verse highlights the violence and political maneuvering among David’s military leaders.

The Hebrew behind 2 Samuel 20:10

  • "Heed" (שָׁמַר, shamar): This word means to watch or pay attention. The verse stresses that Amasa was not alert to the danger, which made Joab’s attack possible.
  • "Fifth" (חֹמֶשׁ, chomes): Literally "fifth rib," this phrase is often used in Hebrew to describe a fatal wound to the abdomen or side, showing that Joab’s strike was intended to be deadly.
  • "Bowels" (מֵעֶה, me'eh): This word refers to the internal organs. The verse’s graphic detail underlines the brutality of Joab’s action.

Why 2 Samuel 20:10 matters

  • The verse clears up that Joab’s killing of Amasa was not a result of open combat but a calculated and sudden betrayal, changing how we view Joab’s character and leadership.
  • The detail about the "fifth rib" connects this killing to other similar deaths in Samuel, showing a pattern in how key figures are assassinated.
  • This moment sets the stage for Joab’s continued influence in David’s army, despite his violent and ruthless methods.

Where else these words appear

“fifth” Hebrew H2570 · used in 4 verses

  • 2 Samuel 2:23 Howbeit he refused to turn aside: wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him under the fifth rib, that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place: and it came to pass, that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.
  • 2 Samuel 3:27 And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly, and smote him there under the fifth rib, that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.
  • 2 Samuel 4:6 And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him under the fifth rib: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

“Bichri” Hebrew H1075 · used in 8 verses

  • 2 Samuel 20:1 And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.
  • 2 Samuel 20:6 And David said to Abishai, Now shall Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Absalom: take thou thy lord's servants, and pursue after him, lest he get him fenced cities, and escape us.
  • 2 Samuel 20:13 When he was removed out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.

“Sheba” Hebrew H7652 · used in 10 verses

  • Joshua 19:2 And they had in their inheritance Beersheba, or Sheba, and Moladah,
  • 2 Samuel 20:6 And David said to Abishai, Now shall Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Absalom: take thou thy lord's servants, and pursue after him, lest he get him fenced cities, and escape us.
  • 2 Samuel 20:21 The matter is not so: but a man of mount Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, hath lifted up his hand against the king, even against David: deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall.

“Amasa” Hebrew H6021 · used in 12 verses

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 1 Kings 2:5 Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.