2 SAMUEL 13

AMNON’S WRONGDOING + ABSALOM’S RESPONSE

Amnon, David’s firstborn son, lusts after his beautiful half-sister Tamar. Amnon receives terrible advice from a distant relative named Jonadab, who tells him to pretend to be ill in bed so that he could be in a position of leverage to rape her. While Amnon is pretending to be ill, he asks David to send Tamar to bring him food. Tamar diligently makes food for her half-brother and brings it to him. When Amnon attempts to sleep with her, Tamar says no. But because Amnon is larger and stronger than her, he is able to violate and rape his half-sister.

After this horrible act, Amnon now hates Tamar. Although scripture records Amnon as having loved Tamer, we can see from his actions that this was not true and that he confused love with lust. Not only does Amnon rape Tamar, he sends her away and locks her out. In the culture of Israel at this time, Tamar would most likely remain single and childless since she was no longer a virgin. Amnon took away her virginity, and possibly her future. Tamar grieves her loss, putting ash on her face and tearing her robes. Tamar lives a lonely desolate life with her brother, David’s other son, Absalom, who no longer speaks to Amnon. David is informed about what happened and is angered.

Two years later, Absalom is ready for revenge. He tricks Amnon into traveling with him, gets him drunk, and instructs his servants to kill him. After Amnon’s death, Absalom is David’s oldest living son and heir to the throne.

All of David’s other sons flee after hearing of Amnon’s murder. David is incorrectly told that all of his sons died, not only Amnon. As David is grieving the loss of his sons, Jonadab goes to tell David the truth that it was only Amnon who had died. Absalom, afraid in his guilt, flees to Geshur to get away. All of David’s other sons go to find David, and he weeps. Years pass and David grieves his missing son, wanting to be reunited with Absalom.