2 Samuel 20:10

10 Forsooth Amasa took not keep of the sword, which sword Joab had, and Joab smote Amasa in the side, and shedded out his entrails into the earth, and Amasa was dead; and Joab added not the second wound. And (then) Joab, and Abishai, his brother, pursued Sheba, the son of Bichri. (But Amasa was not on guard for the sword which Joab had, and suddenly Joab struck, or stabbed, Amasa in the side with it, and poured out his entrails onto the ground, and so Amasa died; and Joab did not need to add a second wound. And then Joab, and his brother Abishai, pursued Sheba, the son of Bichri.)

2 Samuel 20:10 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 20:10

But Amasa took no heed to the sword that [was] in Joab's hand,
&c.] In his left hand, for with his right hand he took him by the beard; he might see the sword drop out of the scabbard, and Joab take it up, which he supposed he did in order to put it into its sheath again, having no suspicion of his wicked design, and therefore not at all upon his guard to prevent it:

so he smote him therewith in the fifth [rib];
in the same place where Abner smote Asahel, and Joab Abner; (See Gill on 2 Samuel 2:23) and (See Gill on 2 Samuel 3:27): he must strike him, as some observe, on the left side, because he was embracing him; and the stroke must be deadly, because he struck him in the pericardium, which surrounds the heart round with water, to refrigerate it; for the lower part of the heart reaches to the fifth rib; see ( John 19:34 ) ^F21:

and shed out his bowels to the ground;
which fell out through the incision made by the sword:

and struck him not again:
he gave him such a home thrust, there was no need to repeat it, he dispatched him at once:

and he died;
and thus, though he was pardoned by David, and promoted to honour by him, yet the providence of God would not suffer him to go unpunished for joining with Absalom in an unnatural rebellion against his uncle:

so Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri:
for Amasa being slain, Joab without any ceremony reassumed his post as general, and, with his brother Abishai under him, made all the haste they could in pursuit of the rebel.

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FOOTNOTES:

F21 Weemse's Portrait of Man, p. 25.

2 Samuel 20:10 In-Context

8 And when they were beside the great stone, which is in Gibeon, Amasa came, and ran to them; and Joab was clothed with a strait coat at the measure of his shape, and he was girded above with a sword hanging down unto his entrails in a sheath; and it went out, and felled down. (And when they were beside the great stone, which is in Gibeon, Amasa came over to them; and Joab was clothed with a narrow coat tight to his body, and he was girded with a sword in a sheath hanging down to his entrails; and as Amasa came over, it fell out/he secretly took it out.)

9 And so Joab said to Amasa, Hail, my brother! And Joab held with his right hand the chin of Amasa, as kissing him (And Joab held Amasa's chin with his right hand, as if to kiss him).

10 Forsooth Amasa took not keep of the sword, which sword Joab had, and Joab smote Amasa in the side, and shedded out his entrails into the earth, and Amasa was dead; and Joab added not the second wound. And (then) Joab, and Abishai, his brother, pursued Sheba, the son of Bichri. (But Amasa was not on guard for the sword which Joab had, and suddenly Joab struck, or stabbed, Amasa in the side with it, and poured out his entrails onto the ground, and so Amasa died; and Joab did not need to add a second wound. And then Joab, and his brother Abishai, pursued Sheba, the son of Bichri.)

11 In the meantime, when some of the children of David, of the fellows of Joab, had stood beside the dead body of Amasa, they said, Lo! he that would be the fellow of David, (be) for Joab. (In the meantime, one of Joab's young men stood beside Amasa's dead body, and he said, Lo! he who would be the fellow of Joab and of David, follow he Joab!)

12 And Amasa was besprinkled with blood, and lay in the middle of the way. Some man saw this/A man saw this, that all the people abode to see Amasa, and he removed Amasa from the way into the field, and he covered Amasa with a cloth, lest men passing should abide [still] for him. (And Amasa was covered with blood, and lay in the middle of the road. And some man saw that all the people stood about looking at Amasa, and so he moved Amasa's body from the road to a nearby field, and he covered it with a cloak, lest men passing by should stand there, and gawk at him.)