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2 Samuel 13

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Amnon Desires Tamar 1–20

1
And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her. ​
2
And Amnon was so vexed that he fell sick because of his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and it seemed hard to Amnon to do anything unto her. ​
3
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother: and Jonadab was a very subtle man. ​
4
And he said unto him, Why, O son of the king, art thou thus lean from day to day? wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.
5
And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and feign thyself sick: and when thy father cometh to see thee, say unto him, Let my sister Tamar come, I pray thee, and give me bread to eat, and dress the food in my sight, that I may see it, and eat it from her hand. ​
6
So Amnon lay down, and feigned himself sick: and when the king was come to see him, Amnon said unto the king, Let my sister Tamar come, I pray thee, and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.
7
Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, Go now to thy brother Amnon’s house, and dress him food.
8
So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house; and he was laid down. And she took dough, and kneaded it, and made cakes in his sight, and did bake the cakes.
9
And she took the pan, and poured them out before him; but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, Have out all men from me. And they went out every man from him.
10
And Amnon said unto Tamar, Bring the food into the chamber, that I may eat from thy hand. And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother.
11
And when she had brought them near unto him to eat, he took hold of her, and said unto her, Come, lie with me, my sister.
12
And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly. ​
13
And I, whither shall I carry my shame? and as for thee, thou wilt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from thee. ​
14
Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice; but being stronger than she, he forced her, and lay with her. ​
15
Then Amnon hated her with exceeding great hatred; for the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone. ​
16
And she said unto him, Not so, because this great wrong in putting me forth is worse than the other that thou didst unto me. But he would not hearken unto her. ​
17
Then he called his servant that ministered unto him, and said, Put now this woman out from me, and bolt the door after her.
18
And she had a garment of divers colors upon her; for with such robes were the king’s daughters that were virgins apparelled. Then his servant brought her out, and bolted the door after her. ​
19
And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of divers colors that was on her; and she laid her hand on her head, and went her way, crying aloud as she went.
20
And Absalom her brother said unto her, Hath Amnon thy brother been with thee? but now hold thy peace, my sister: he is thy brother; take not this thing to heart. So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom’s house.

David's Wrath and Absalom's Silent Hatred 21–22

21
But when king David heard of all these things, he was very wroth. ​
22
And Absalom spake unto Amnon neither good nor bad; for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar. ​

Absalom Murders Amnon 23–29

23
And it came to pass after two full years, that Absalom had sheep-shearers in Baal-hazor, which is beside Ephraim: and Absalom invited all the king’s sons. ​
24
And Absalom came to the king, and said, Behold now, thy servant hath sheep-shearers; let the king, I pray thee, and his servants go with thy servant.
25
And the king said to Absalom, Nay, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome unto thee. And he pressed him: howbeit he would not go, but blessed him.
26
Then said Absalom, If not, I pray thee, let my brother Amnon go with us. And the king said unto him, Why should he go with thee? ​
27
But Absalom pressed him, and he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him.
28
And Absalom commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now, when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine; and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon, then kill him; fear not; have not I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant. ​
29
And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose, and every man gat him up upon his mule, and fled.

Absalom Flees to Geshur 30–39

30
And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that the tidings came to David, saying, Absalom hath slain all the king’s sons, and there is not one of them left.
31
Then the king arose, and rent his garments, and lay on the earth; and all his servants stood by with their clothes rent.
32
And Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, answered and said, Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men the king’s sons; for Amnon only is dead: for by the appointment of Absalom this hath been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar. ​
33
Now therefore let not my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king’s sons are dead; for Amnon only is dead.
34
But Absalom fled. And the young man that kept the watch lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came much people by the way of the hill-side behind him.
35
And Jonadab said unto the king, Behold, the king’s sons are come: as thy servant said, so it is.
36
And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of speaking, that, behold, the king’s sons came, and lifted up their voice, and wept: and the king also and all his servants wept very sore.
37
But Absalom fled, and went to Talmai the son of Ammihur, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day. ​
38
So Absalom fled, and went to Geshur, and was there three years.
39
And the soul of king David longed to go forth unto Absalom: for he was comforted concerning Amnon, seeing he was dead. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for 2 Samuel 13

Verse 1

a fair sister — Tamar is Absalom's sister (1 Chr 3:9 names her among David's children), and Amnon, David's firstborn 'of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess' (2 Sam 3:2), is her half-brother. The chapter follows the LORD's word through Nathan: 'I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house' (2 Sam 12:11).

Verse 2

so vexed, that he fell sick — 'Vexed' is yatsar, to be in straits, and 'fell sick' is chalah, the verb that returns in vv.5–6 for the sickness he feigns. 'Hard' is pala, 'too hard', as in 'Is any thing too hard for the LORD?' (Gen 18:14). The law calls such a union 'a wicked thing' (Lev 20:17).

Verse 3

very subtil — The Hebrew is chakam, 'wise', the ordinary word, used of the 'wise woman' Joab fetched from Tekoah (2 Sam 14:2); what Jonadab's wisdom serves is shown by his counsel in v.5. The serpent's 'subtil' in Gen 3:1 is a different word (arum). He is Amnon's 'friend' and, as son of David's brother, his cousin.

Verse 5

make thyself sick — Jonadab's counsel is a feigned illness (chalah, as in v.2) and a visit: 'when thy father cometh to see thee', ask for Tamar. 'Dress the meat' uses biryah, a word for food that occurs only here, in vv.5, 7 and 10. The plan works through David, who 'sent home to Tamar' himself (v.7).

Verse 12

do not force me — Anah, to humble or afflict, is the verb of Deut 22:29, 'because he hath humbled her', and it recurs in vv.14, 22 and 32. 'No such thing ought to be done in Israel' recalls what was said of Dinah, 'which thing ought not to be done' (Gen 34:7), where the same word, nebalah, 'folly', names the deed (also Judg 19:23).

Verse 13

one of the fools in Israel — 'Fools' is nabal, the root of nebalah ('folly', v.12) and the name of Nabal: 'as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him' (1 Sam 25:25). 'Shame' is cherpah, reproach. The law forbade relations with 'thy father's wife's daughter' (Lev 18:11); the chapter records only that he 'would not hearken' (v.14).

Verse 14

being stronger than she — Chazaq, to be strong, to prevail; 'forced' is anah, as in v.12. Her words were heard and not heeded: 'he would not hearken unto her voice' here, and again in v.16 when he sends her away. The evil the LORD said he would raise 'out of thine own house' (2 Sam 12:11) now comes from David's own sons.

Verse 15

Then Amnon hated her exceedingly — The Hebrew joins the verb sane with its noun sin'ah, 'the hatred wherewith he hated her', which 'was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her' (ahab, the verb of v.1). The dismissal follows at once: 'Arise, be gone.'

Verse 16

this evil in sending me away — 'Sending away' is shalach, the verb of Deut 22:29, where the man who has 'humbled' a maid 'may not put her away all his days'. Tamar calls the dismissal (ra, evil) 'greater than the other that thou didst unto me'; and the narrative says again that he 'would not hearken' (cf. v.14).

Verse 18

a garment of divers colours — Pas is the word of Joseph's 'coat of many colours' (Gen 37:3), and it occurs only in Gen 37 and in vv.18–19 here. The text gives the custom itself: 'with such robes were the king's daughters that were virgins apparelled.' 'Bolted' (na'al) is to fasten with a bar.

Verse 21

he was very wroth — Charah, to burn with anger, the verb of Ps 18:7, 'because he was wroth'. The chapter records the king's anger and no verdict. The law had named the penalty for a union with a father's daughter: 'cut off in the sight of their people' (Lev 20:17). What follows is Absalom's own course (vv.22–29).

Verse 22

neither good nor bad — Absalom said nothing to Amnon, in the idiom of 'speak not to Jacob either good or bad' (Gen 31:24). His hatred is the verb of v.15 (sane), now turned on Amnon 'because he had forced his sister Tamar'. Lev 19:17 forbids hating a brother 'in thine heart' and bids him be rebuked; 1 John 3:15 calls such hatred murder.

Verse 23

sheepshearers in Baalhazor — Shearing was a time of feasting: Nabal 'held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king' (1 Sam 25:36), and Judah went up to Timnath 'to shear his sheep' (Gen 38:13). Two full years have passed since the silence of v.22; Absalom 'invited all the king's sons'.

Verse 26

let my brother Amnon go with us — The king had declined for himself: 'let us not all now go, lest we be chargeable unto thee' (v.25). Absalom names Amnon, the firstborn (2 Sam 3:2), and David's 'Why should he go with thee?' is his only question; Absalom 'pressed him' (v.27), and Amnon went with all the king's sons.

Verse 28

merry with wine — Literally 'good' (tov) with wine, as Nabal's heart was 'merry within him, for he was very drunken' (1 Sam 25:36). The command goes to servants, who do the deed (v.29); David's order about Uriah also passed through other hands (2 Sam 11:15). 'Valiant' is literally 'sons of valour' (chayil).

Verse 32

by the appointment of Absalom — Literally 'by the mouth of Absalom' (peh): it was fixed by his word, 'determined' (sum, set) 'from the day that he forced his sister Tamar'. Jonadab, who gave Amnon his counsel in v.5, reports the purpose of vv.22–23; 'forced' is anah, the verb of vv.12 and 14.

Verse 37

Talmai, the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur — Absalom's mother was Maacah, 'the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur' (2 Sam 3:3), so he went to his mother's father, and stayed 'three years' (v.38). David's mourning prepares the next chapter, where Joab tells a woman of Tekoah to 'feign thyself to be a mourner' (2 Sam 14:2).

Verse 39

the soul of king David longed — 'Longed' is kalah, to be spent, the verb rendered 'fainteth' in Ps 84:2, 'My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD'. 'Comforted' is nacham. The next chapter opens: 'Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom' (2 Sam 14:1).