II SAMUEL 13

13:1-6

Verse 2 Amnon is a son by Ahinoam, and Tamar and Absalom are children through Maacah. Don't 

confuse this Tamar with another Tamar who was Judah's daughter-in-law and the ancestor of Jesus. But 

that particular Tamar appears in the Joseph Cycle of stories and reminds us of that case of incest. We 

will see some additional echoes of the Joseph story in the present lesson. Ammon apparently inherits 

the lustful nature of his father.

Being a princess and a virgin, Tamar was carefully guarded.

Verse 3  Jonadab was wise in the sense of being as wise as a serpent. Jesus talks about those who are 

wise in the ways of this world and therefore warns us that we must also be as wise as serpents, but also 

gentle as doves at the same time. We shouldn't be naive. 

13:7-14

Verse 9 Amnon's words are identical to those of Joseph in Genesis 45 when he saw all his brothers 

again for first time in years (“The same words that were a preface to a great moment of fraternal 

reconciliation are now a prologue to a sexual violation of the fraternal bond.” Robert Alter)

13:15-19

Verse 15 This is an example of the principle laid out in James 1:14-15.

Verse 18 Another echo of the Joseph story is here. The description of the garment only appears here 

and in Genesis where it is used for Joseph's “coat of many colors.” This indicates that it was a garment 

only worn by people of special honor or status.

13:20-22

Verse 21 Compare translations, The Greek translation LXX adds “But David would not say anything to 

provoke/restrain Amnon because he was his first son and David loved him.” Why didn't David punish 

Amnon?

1. His sin may have reminded David of his own sexual sin; it is hard to preach to someone 

when we are guilty of the same thing — God sometimes has a strange sense of humor in 

reminding us of this. I remember once having to teach a Sunday school class on the scripture on 

paying taxes to the government while preparing my own IRS forms. It certainly kept me honest.

        2. David was playing favorites among his children (again like the Joseph story where Jacob's 

           favoritism caused division between his children).

True love means doing what is ultimately best for the person, not the best or easiest for us.

 

13:23-29

Verse 23 Absalom is described as a cold-blooded individual who doesn't take appropriate action when 

his sister is raped but waits two years for revenge.

Verses 23-28 Like father like son, Absalom plots to have others kill for him.

Verse 27 The feast like a king's feast (not in the Hebrew text) is a hint as to Absalom's kingly 

aspirations. Absalom may have had an ulterior motive in killing Amnon. It paved the way for him to 

gain the throne since Amnon was the oldest son.

Verse 29b The other sons of David suspect that Absalom is going to kill all of them.

 

13:30-33

Verses 32-33 What do you think of Jonadab's actions? He was the one who planned the rape of Tamar 

in the first place. He appears to be an opportunist who caters to whomever is in power – a false friend 

to Amnon. Identical advice to David as in verse 20.

Cycles of divorce run in families, cycles of addiction. Whether genetic or learned, we should be aware 

of destructive patterns in our lives and try to stop them. It is possible to break these cycles.

Look at the contrast between David and Absalom's reactions. David is angry about the situation, but 

his anger soon leaves and he does nothing about the situation. Absalom hates and lets it fester for two 

years. Two extremes: freeze people out or punish them (passive or active). Lessons for our own anger? 

saw a TV panel show years ago about the wisdom of removing all negative emotions such as anger 

from mankind. Surprisingly, all the panelists thought that it would be a great idea, even a minister. Do 

you agree?

 David's own sin of perverted sexual relationship followed by murder are duplicated in his offspring. 

Repentance for sin does not automatically wipe out the consequences. This can be a real issue for 

ministers or missionaries who have been removed from their post due to overt sinful behavior. They 

can and should be forgiven, but that does not mean that they should immediately be restored to a 

similar position of responsibility in the church.