2 Samuel 13:1–39

13:2 Amnon becomes so obsessed and frustrated with his sexual desire for Tamar “that he made himself ill.” “She was a virgin” of marriageable age, but so well chaperoned that it “seemed impossible to Amnon” (almost “it would take a miracle”) for him to be alone with her in order “to do anything to her.”

13:3 Jonadab is a cousin of Amnon (and also of Tamar and Absalom; cf. 1 Sam. 16:9) and also his “friend,” both an intimate companion and a special adviser to the crown prince (cf. Hushai in 2 Sam. 15:37; 16:16). Jonadab is well fitted for this role, as he has a reputation for being “very crafty,” a term elsewhere rendered “wise” (14:2) but here meaning “clever” in a bad sense, acting without principles to achieve a goal.

13:4 When Jonadab privately asks Amnon why he is so drawn and pale, his six-word reply is a prolonged sigh in which he discloses his love for Tamar. “My brother Absalom’s sister” points to the complications of a relationship with his half-sister, something absolutely forbidden by law (Lev. 18:9–11; 20:17; Deut. 27:22). Moreover, the law concerning rape of any unbetrothed virgin bore particularly stringent penalties (Deut. 22:28–29). But principally what looms large in Amnon’s thinking is any potential reprisal from Absalom against anyone who took advantage of his sister. Perhaps there is already tension between David’s first and third sons because of Absalom’s ambition. (For the second son Chileab, cf. comment on 2 Sam. 3:3–5.)

13:5 Jonadab advises Amnon to play up his wan appearance and take to his bed. The king’s sons do not reside in the palace (vv. 7, 20); when David visits, he should request Tamar be sent to “prepare the food,” something specifically suited for an invalid (also in vv. 7, 10, with the corresponding verb “eat” in vv. 5, 6, 10). “In my sight” and “eat it from her hand” (also in v. 6) are central to the request because they require personal contact. It is unclear if Jonadab intends his scheme to achieve anything more than enabling the two to meet. Although he is shrewd, his asking no questions leaves him morally, though probably not legally, complicit in what happens next.

13:6–7 Amnon acts on the basis of Jonadab’s devious scheme. The “cakes” he asks for are heart-shaped pastries, possibly a specialty associated with Tamar. So David unwittingly brings Amnon and Tamar together by directing her to go to Amnon’s house to “prepare food for him” (cf. v. 5).

13:8–9 Tamar obediently goes and prepares the food in Amnon’s presence, as he voyeuristically watches her every move from an adjacent room. But when the food is ready, Amnon refuses to eat. He then dismisses all of his servants and Tamar’s chaperones (“send out” is plural) so that the two of them can be left alone.

13:10 Next, Amnon, keeping up his pretense of lacking strength to feed himself, asks Tamar to bring the food into his bedroom, which she unsuspectingly does.

13:11 At last Amnon has Tamar with him in the same room with no witnesses present. He drops all pretense at subtlety and grabs his sister, seeking to induce her to have intercourse with him. “Come, lie with me” echoes the advances of Potiphar’s wife to Joseph (Gen. 39:12) and also of David’s to Bathsheba (11:4), but here the addition of “my sister” (no doubt meant amorously) brings the situation to one of incest (cf. comment on 13:4).

13:12 Tamar’s response is articulate and shocked. She rejects Amnon’s advances with a clear “No” (with three further negatives in this verse). “My brother” reminds him of how closely related they are (Lev. 18:9). In “do not violate me,” the verb (also in 2 Sam. 13:14, 22, 32) can mean “humiliate,” “abuse,” or, as here, “rape.” Sexual conduct is more highly regulated in Israel than in surrounding nations, and what Amnon proposes is an “outrageous thing” (Hb. nebalah; cf. comment on 1 Sam. 25:25), a senseless act contravening basic social standards and inviting only opprobrium (cf. Gen. 34:7; Judg. 20:6; Jer. 29:23).

13:13 Tamar attempts to cool the situation with logic. “As for me” implores him to consider the intolerable shame his disgraceful behavior would have on her. Furthermore, “as for you” urges him to think of the consequences for himself. His wanton action would put the crown prince on a level with “one of the outrageous fools in Israel.”

Tamar frantically suggests that if Amnon were to ask David, he would consent to her being married to him. This is a desperate attempt to buy time, since the law forbids marriage to a half-sister (cf. comment on 13:4).

13:14 This verse and the next are the central focus of verses 1–22. Tamar’s arguments prove to be of no avail. Amnon is gripped by unthinking passion, and, using his superior strength to overpower Tamar, “he violated her and lay with her.” There can be no doubt that this is not consensual. “Lay” is the thirteenth use of this root since 11:4.

13:15 However, once Amnon’s lust is satisfied, his feelings change greatly—from “love” (vv. 1, 4) to “very great hatred” (the root “hate” occurs four times). The intensity of this reversal proves how base his passion had been. He can no longer tolerate the sight of Tamar and commands her, “Get up! Go!”—brutally reversing his earlier seductive “Come, lie” (v. 11).

13:16 Tamar, however, argues that such a dismissal would compound the wrong he has done. To send her away (equivalent to divorcing her) would consign her to a life of humiliation and shame, which she assesses as “greater than the other that you did to me” in the actual rape. But again (v. 14) Amnon “would not listen to her” and refuses to act honorably in the situation he has created.

13:17 Instead Amnon summons his personal attendant and, with a politeness contrasting with his attitude to Tamar, orders him (and others if needed, a plural imperative) to please “put this woman,” whom he does not name, out of his presence (lit., “from upon me outsideward”) and to make sure she does not return. “This woman” is literally “this (one),” a feminine form that could also be used for “this (thing)” as an expression of utter contempt (cf. 1 Sam. 10:27). His words might even imply that Tamar has been guilty of seducing him.

13:18–19 Tamar is wearing a “long robe with sleeves,” reaching to the ankles. The term might also mean a “robe of many colors” (cf. Gen. 37:3). However, its relevance lies not in its cut or color but in its social significance as the dress worn by the king’s unmarried daughters.

The princess is thrust out into the street, callously rejected and traumatized by the brutal assault. Putting ashes on one’s head (here perhaps from the fire used for cooking) is a custom when mourning the dead (1 Sam. 4:12), but here it is the loss of her virginity that Tamar mourns. She “tore the long robe that she wore,” another traditional sign of grief, one especially moving in this instance since it is the garment of the virgin daughter of the king. Tamar’s life is in tatters. She “laid her hand on her head” as another gesture of sorrow, normally involving both hands (Jer. 2:37). The fourth action of Tamar is her “crying aloud,” a verb used often for calling for help, not simply for weeping.

13:20 Possibly Tamar goes to her brother’s house rather than returning to the palace. He may have seen the direction from which she came, and asks, “Has Amnon your brother been with you?”—an oblique inquiry arising from suspicions he has had. Amnon is here a diminutive form “Aminon,” which is perhaps a pet family name or else a contemptuous usage.

Absalom’s attempts to console her seem somewhat wooden. “Hold your peace” may simply urge her to stop crying but more probably advises not to make a public scandal of the affair. “He is your brother” means that it is in the first instance a matter for the king to deal with. But if he does not act, the duty will fall on her brother. Absalom also urges her, “Do not take this to heart,” that is, “do not fret over it”—counsel he himself is unable to observe. Indeed it may well convey an implicit commitment to exact vengeance himself.

To his credit Absalom adopts the practical step of taking her to live in his own house, where she lives “desolate,” probably implying that she remains unmarried (Isa. 54:1).

13:21 Before long David “heard of all these things.” His immediate reaction is to become justifiably “very angry,” perhaps with himself for having been duped into arranging the situation—or, more probably, with Amnon for jeopardizing his position. But angry though he is, David does nothing about the gross offense.

At this point the Septuagint includes an addition to the text, which fragments of the Qumran scrolls seem also to have contained: “But he would not punish his son Amnon, because he loved him, since he was his firstborn” (ESV mg.). Whether part of the original text or not, this additional information is plausible. David’s fatherly affection restrains him from acting as king and judge. Moreover, compromised by his own misconduct, “King David” probably feels he has no moral authority to act against Amnon.

13:22 Absalom, in the meantime, does nothing, but for quite different reasons. Seething with hatred for Amnon, he avoids dealings with him and maintains a cold silence—for quite some time.

13:23 Absalom does not rush but waits “two full years” to take vengeance. Sheepshearing in the early summer was accompanied by celebration and feasting after a day’s hard labor. Absalom invites all of his brothers to these out-of-town festivities at Baal-hazor, north of Jerusalem, near the tribal territory of Ephraim.¹

13:24–25 Absalom also issues a general invitation to David and his officials. Probably he has deliberately chosen a destination 15 miles (24 km) away in order to make it awkward to attend. David does not wish to go. He is getting older, and years of rough living may have taken their toll on his physique. So he argues that the presence of king and court would involve too much trouble for Absalom. Even so, Absalom will not let the matter drop. “But [he] gave him his blessing” is probably a polite form of dismissal, wishing him well in his enterprise while not granting his request.

13:26 Absalom then switches tactics and specifically asks for permission for Amnon, the crown prince, to go as the king’s representative. As the ill will between the two of them is well known, David is uncomfortable with the suggestion.

13:27 Apparently Absalom sidesteps David’s probing of his motives and insistently presents his request until David finally complies. Once more the king has been maneuvered into a decision by one of his sons. Perhaps David hopes the presence of the others will keep things from boiling over.

13:28 At Baal-hazor, Absalom has his plans ready. When his servants observe Amnon “merry with wine” (cf. 1 Sam. 25:36), he will give the command to strike him. They are to act fearlessly because Absalom will take full responsibility.

13:29 The murder is carried out as planned, not directly but by the hand of others (with shades of Uriah’s demise). In the face of such treachery David’s sons flee for their lives, each on his mule. Horses were usually not used for personal transport (18:9; 1 Kings 1:33); they were principally employed in chariot warfare.

13:30 Before the main group of fugitives returns to Jerusalem, an exaggerated account—brought by someone who has raced from the scene—reaches David that “Absalom has struck down all the king’s sons.” “Not one of them is left” alive would mean the dynasty had been brought to an end.

13:31 This devastating news causes David and his court to go into mourning. “Tore his garments” is a gesture of grief (cf. comment on 13:19), and “lay on the earth” is reminiscent of his aghast reaction in 12:16. David is overwhelmed by the part he has played in the immediate arrangements (13:27) and also by the long shadow of his own transgression.

13:32 However, Jonadab (v. 3) has shrewdly remained in Jerusalem and, based on what he knows of Absalom’s hatred for Amnon, coolly assures the king that “Amnon alone is dead.” This has been inevitable since Amnon raped Tamar.

13:33 In the light of this fact, Jonadab urges David, in words reminiscent of the cold comfort Absalom himself extended in verse 20 not to “take it to heart.” Only Amnon is the target of Absalom’s attack; he has no quarrel with the others.

13:34 “But Absalom fled” is a comment of the narrator, which he does not elaborate on until verse 37. Instead he switches to Jerusalem, where the city watchman suddenly sees many people coming to the city “from the road behind him.” The Septuagint reads “from the Horonaim road,” a dual form referring to Upper and Lower Beth-horon (1 Sam. 13:18). This implies travel from the west rather than the north, perhaps reflecting the many directions in which the crowd had scattered.

13:35–36 Jonadab is quick to inform the king of the accuracy of his assessment of the situation, and no sooner has he finished speaking than the king’s sons come to the palace and there is a scene of general mourning.

13:37–38 “Absalom fled” resumes the account begun in verse 34. He has no doubt made preparations for flight and moves north from Baal-hazor to Geshur, northeast of the Sea of Galilee, where his mother’s father is king (3:3).² For three years he enjoys his grandfather’s protection while “David mourned for his son [Amnon] day after day.”

13:39 “The spirit of the king longed to go out to Absalom” may also be understood as “the spirit of the king ceased to go out against Absalom.” With the passage of time David’s grief over Amnon abates, and his hostility toward Absalom diminishes. However, the fact that it takes David two years to grant Absalom an audience after his return to Jerusalem (14:28) indicates that David is not pining for reconciliation with his son.