Ishmaelite living at the time of United Monarchy
Jether, also known as Ithra, was an Ishmaelite and the father of Amasa, who was Absalom's commander and later killed by Joab.
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Also known as Ithra
Jether, also known as Ithra, was an Ishmaelite and the father of Amasa. Amasa was the son of Jether and Abigail, who was David's sister. Despite being David's nephew, Amasa sided with Absalom during his rebellion against David and was appointed as the commander of Absalom's army. After Absalom's death, David offered Amasa the position of commander over his army, replacing Joab. However, when Amasa failed to mobilize the troops quickly enough, David sent Abishai to pursue the rebel Sheba. Joab, who had been demoted, accompanied Abishai and took the opportunity to kill Amasa, viewing him as a threat to his position. The fact that Jether is described as an Ishmaelite suggests that he was not an Israelite, which may have contributed to Amasa's complex loyalties within David's family and kingdom.
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4 verses in 3 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H3500
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.
Moreover, you know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, the two commanders of the armies of Israel. He killed them in peacetime to avenge the blood of war. He stained with the blood of war the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet.
The LORD will bring his bloodshed back upon his own head, for without the knowledge of my father David he struck down two men more righteous and better than he when he put to the sword Abner son of Ner, commander of Israelʼs army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judahʼs army.
Abigail was the mother of Amasa, whose father was Jether the Ishmaelite.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.