<strong>AMASAI</strong> (a-măs'ā-ī)<br /><br />

Chief of the captains and spokesman for some men of Benjamin and Judah who joined David at his stronghold at Ziklag. The Spirit came on Amasai, whereupon Amasai assured David of their loyalty to him (<bibleref ref="1Chr.12.18">1Chr.12.18</bibleref>).A trumpeter among the priests in the procession bringing the ark to Jerusalem during the reign of David (<bibleref ref="1Chr.15.24">1Chr.15.24</bibleref>).Father of Mahath, one of several Levites who sanctified themselves for the repairing of the temple during the time of Hezekiah (<bibleref ref="2Chr.29.12">2Chr.29.12</bibleref>). Possibly identified with “Mahath, the son of Amasai, the son of Elkanah” in <bibleref ref="1Chr.6.35-1Chr.6.36">1Chr.6.35-1Chr.6.36</bibleref>, which would make him a Levite in the line of Kohath and progenitor of Samuel. See also <bibleref ref="1Chr.6.25">1Chr.6.25</bibleref>.<br /><br />

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<strong>AMASAI</strong> <strong>ə mā’ sī</strong> (<span class="hebrew">עֲמָשַׂ֡י</span>). 1. A descendant of Kohath, the son of Levi, by Elkanah (<bibleref ref="1Chr.6.25">1 Chron 6:25</bibleref>). Somehow he also is linked with the genealogy of Heman the singer in <bibleref ref="1Chr.6.35">1 Chronicles 6:35</bibleref> and thus is the father of Mahath.<br /><br />

2. One of the priests appointed by David to “blow the trumpets before the ark of God” (<bibleref ref="1Chr.15.24">1 Chron 15:24</bibleref>).

3. The father of Mahath a Levite who served in the time of Hezekiah’s revival (<bibleref ref="2Chr.29.12">2 Chron 29:12</bibleref>). Since Amasai ben Elkanah also has a son named Mahath (<bibleref ref="1Chr.6.35">1 Chron 6:35</bibleref>) it might appear that they are the same persons except for the fact that the two references given in <bibleref ref="1Chr.6.1-1Chr.6.81">1 Chronicles 6</bibleref> refer to men serving during the time of Solomon rather than the times of Hezekiah given here.

4. The “chief of the captains” (i.e., the Thirty, David’s military elite, <bibleref ref="1Chr.12.18">1 Chron 12:18</bibleref>) who met him at Ziklag. Some identify him with Amasa, Absalom’s “captain of the host” (<bibleref ref="2Sam.17.25">2 Sam 17:25</bibleref>) and others with Abishai, the brother of Joab (<bibleref ref="1Chr.11.20">1 Chron 11:20</bibleref>; cf. <bibleref ref="2Sam.23.18">2 Sam 23:18</bibleref>; <bibleref ref="1Chr.2.16">1 Chron 2:16</bibleref>; <bibleref ref="1Chr.18.12">18:12</bibleref>). The problem remains, however, in that none of the three (Amasai, Amasa, or Abishai) appear in the lists of the Thirty given in <bibleref ref="2Sam.23.1-2Sam.23.39">2 Samuel 23</bibleref> and <bibleref ref="1Chr.11.1-1Chr.11.47">1 Chronicles 11</bibleref>.<br /><br />

<h2>Bibliography</h2>

E. L. Curtis and A. A. Madsen, ICC, <em>Chronicles</em> (1952), 189, 199.<br /><br />

<h2>International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)</h2>

(`amasay, perhaps rather to be read `ammishay; so Wellhausen, IJG, II, 24, n.2):<br /><br />

(1) A name in the genealogy of Kohath, son of Elkanah, a Levite of the Kohathite family (compare <bibleref ref="1Chr.6.25">1Ch 6:25</bibleref>; <bibleref ref="2Chr.29.12">2Ch 29:12</bibleref>).

(2) Chief of the captains who met David at Ziklag and tendered him their allegiance. Some have identified him with Amasa and others with Abishai, who is called Abshai in <bibleref ref="1Chr.11.20">1Ch 11:20</bibleref> m (compare <bibleref ref="1Chr.18.12">1Ch 18:12</bibleref>). The difficulty is that neither Amasa nor Abishai occupied the rank of the chief of thirty according to the lists in <bibleref ref="2Sam.23.1-2Sam.23.39">2Sa 23</bibleref> and <bibleref ref="1Chr.11.1-1Chr.11.47">1Ch 11</bibleref>, the rank to which David is supposed to have appointed into (compare <bibleref ref="1Chr.12.18">1Ch 12:18</bibleref>).

(3) One of the trumpet-blowing priests who greeted David when he brought back the <span class="auto-link">[[Ark of the Covenant]]</span> (compare <bibleref ref="1Chr.15.24">1Ch 15:24</bibleref>).