שמואל ב, פרק כ׳, פסוק ד׳

Upon returning to Jerusalem, David faces a sudden crisis: the rebellion of Sheba son of Bichri and the defection of the men of Israel. Rather than reacting immediately as the uprising begins, David chooses restraint. He delays his military response so as not to ruin the joy of his homecoming. Only after he arrives in the city and properly settles his household affairs does he turn his attention to putting down the revolt ([אברבנאל], [שטיינזלץ]).

To handle this threat, David assigns the critical task of raising an army to Amasa, intending to make him the new commander of the military in place of Joab son of Zeruiah. The king orders Amasa to issue a loud rallying cry to gather the people ([מצודת ציון]). The goal is to draft a force from the men of Judah to pursue the rebel and firmly reestablish David’s authority over the rest of Israel ([רש״י], [רד״ק], [שטיינזלץ]).

David sets a strict three-day deadline for this mission. Amasa is expected to travel through the land, complete the draft, and return to present himself before the king in Jerusalem with the newly formed army by the end of this brief period ([רש״י], [רלב״ג], [אברבנאל]). However, this assignment sets the stage for future tragedy. Amasa will ultimately fail to meet the three-day limit and face delays in his mission ([אברבנאל]). At the same time, his new appointment as commander will ignite a fierce jealousy in Joab, a resentment that will eventually lead to Amasa's murder ([רד״ק]).