2 Samuele 20:8

8 Si trovavano presso alla gran pietra che è in Gabaon, quando Amasa venne loro incontro. Or Joab indossava la sua veste militare sulla quale cingeva una spada che, attaccata al cinturino, gli pendea dai fianchi nel suo fodero; mentre Joab si faceva innanzi, la spada gli cadde.

2 Samuele 20:8 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 20:8

When they [were] at the great stone which [is] in Gibeon
Which, according to Josephus ^F18, was forty furlongs, or five miles from Jerusalem: what this great stone was, whether an obelisk, or what, is not certain; one of the greatest stones we read of was that which Semiramis cut out of the mountains of Armenia, which was an hundred thirty feet long, and twenty five broad and thick ^F19. This place was appointed for the rendezvous of David's forces, and hither Amasa came with what he had assembled together, and joined them, and took the command of them: for it follows,

Amasa went before them;
as the general of them:

and Joab's garment that he had put on was girded unto him;
who went along with his brother Abishai at the head of his own men, to which he was obliged by virtue of his commission; or went of himself to serve the common cause, and perhaps chiefly with a design to murder Amasa, whom he envied, because he was put into his post as general, and therefore accoutred himself for it; he put on, not a coat of mail, but a common garment which he girt about him, that it might be no incumbrance to him or hinderance of him, in doing what he intended, but that he might more expeditiously execute it:

and upon it a girdle [with] a sword fastened upon his loins in the
sheath thereof;
the sword in the belt was not on his thigh, but on his loins, on the outside of his clothes, and was put into a sheath too large, and placed in such a position, that with the least motion, when he pleased, it would easily drop out of it, without drawing it, and so give no suspicion of his design:

and as he went forth;
to meet Amasa, just as he came to him:

it fell out;
the sword fell out of the sheath to the ground.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F18 Antiqu. l. 7. c. 11. sect. 7.
F19 Diodor. Sic. l. 2. p. 100. Vid. ib. p. 53. Herodot. Euterpe, c. 111.

2 Samuele 20:8 In-Context

6 Allora Davide disse ad Abishai: "Sheba, figliuolo di Bicri, ci farà adesso più male di Absalom; prendi tu la gente del tuo signore, e inseguilo onde non trovi delle città fortificate e ci sfugga".

7 E Abishai partì, seguito dalla gente di Joab, dai Kerethei, dai Pelethei, e da tutti gli uomini più valorosi; e usciron da Gerusalemme per inseguire Sheba, figliuolo di Bicri.

8 Si trovavano presso alla gran pietra che è in Gabaon, quando Amasa venne loro incontro. Or Joab indossava la sua veste militare sulla quale cingeva una spada che, attaccata al cinturino, gli pendea dai fianchi nel suo fodero; mentre Joab si faceva innanzi, la spada gli cadde.

9 Joab disse ad Amasa: "Stai tu bene, fratel mio?" E con la destra prese Amasa per la barba, per baciarlo.

10 Amasa non fece attenzione alla spada che Joab aveva in mano; e Joab lo colpì nel ventre si che gli intestini si sparsero per terra; non lo colpì una seconda volta e quegli morì. Poi Joab ed Abishai, suo fratello, si misero a inseguire Sheba, figliuolo di Bicri.