2 Samuel 13:15-29

Absalom Kills Amnon. 2 Samuel 13:15-29

15 Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that 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, There is no cause: this evil in sending me away is greater 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 appareled. 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 laid her hand on her head, and went on crying.

20 And Absalom her brother said unto her, Hath Amnon thy brother been with thee? but hold now thy peace, my sister: he is thy brother; regard not this thing. So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom's house.

21 But when king David heard of all these things, he was very wroth.
22 And Absalom spake unto his brother Amnon neither good nor bad: for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar.
23 And it came to pass after two full years, that Absalom had sheepshearers 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 sheepshearers; let the king, I beseech thee, and his servants go with thy servant.
25 And the king said to Absalom, Nay, my son, let us not all now go, lest we be chargeable 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, that he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him.
28 Now Absalom had 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.

11.

What were the effects of this sin on the parties affected? 2 Samuel 13:15

The following after-effects of Amnon's sins are typical of those seen in the lives of those who commit similar crimes today:

1.

Amnon despised Tamar. With the intensity that he had before seemed to love her, he now hated her. It is usually true that men hate those whom they have injured. Here is proof that lust is not love.

2.

Absalom spoke kindly to his sister to comfort her. There was nothing he could do immediately, but he was very angry.

3.

David was angry. His hands were tied. He could not punish his son for this crime, when he himself had only recently committed a similar, but worse, one.

4.

Tamar was utterly humiliated. She put ashes on her head, tore her beautiful robe, laid her hand on her head, and went away crying. Her sorrow and shame were overwhelming.

Such scenes are often repeatedthe criminal hates his victim, the brothers of the wronged sister seek revenge, the parents are angry but helpless, and the victim is shamed.

12.

Why was Amnon's sending Tamar away a greater evil? 2 Samuel 13:16

When Amnon tried to get rid of Tamar, she rebuked him saying that it was worse for him to send her away than to force her and lie with her in the first place. If Amnon's love had been sincere, he would not have treated her this way under any circumstance. Tamar was a very clear-minded girl; and although she knew that it was not customary for a half-brother to marry his half-sister, she would certainly have considered this less of a folly than what Amnon was doing. His abrupt command, Arise, be gone, indicates that he was contemptuous of her and that her presence was burdensome to him. He could hardly wait to get rid of her after he had humbled her. His twisted state of mind is further brought out in the fact that he finally called his household servant and commanded him to put Tamar out and to bolt the door so that she could not return. He was thus left alone in the cesspool of sin that he had made for himself.

13.

What was her garment of many colors? 2 Samuel 13:18

Tamar's coat of many colors reminds the Bible reader of the coat which Jacob made for Joseph (Genesis 37:3). Bible translators have understood this description in various ways. Aquila, in his Greek translation, rendered the phrase as describing a long coat with sleeves. It was also viewed this way by Jerome in the Vulgate. Tamar's garment was probably an upper coat reaching to the wrists and ankles and was a distinctive garment of the noblemen and king's daughters. Tamar rent this coat as a sign of her deep grief.

14.

What action did Tamar take? 2 Samuel 13:19

Tamar did not know what to do. In her bewildered state, she left Amnon's house in tears. Like the captives described in Babylon (Ezekiel 27:30), she cast up dust upon her head. Her beautiful princess-' robe was ripped in the customary way of showing deep grief. She held her head as if it were to burst and went through the streets weeping.

15.

Why did Absalom suspect Amnon? 2 Samuel 13:20

Jonadab had been observant of Amnon's strange actions, and it would not be unlikely that Absalom was also aware of something unusual in his conduct. He calls him Aminon, a diminutive of contempt. Absalom asked Tamar if little Amnon had forced her. He asked her not to do anything about it, but let him take vengeance.
His motive for asking Tamar to hold her peace, grew out of his desire to prevent Tamar from interfering with his designs. He tried to comfort her by. asking her not to regard the thing or to make any plans on her own. Tamar was therefore kept in seclusion in Absalom's house while he sought an opportunity to avenge the crime.

16.

What did David do about the situation? 2 Samuel 13:21

David's conduct reminds one of the conduct of Jacob when Dinah was defiled at Shechem. Jacob held his peace when he heard about the sin and waited until his sons had come in from the field (Genesis 34:5). Jacob seemed more concerned for his reputation and physical safety among the Canaanites and Perizzites than he was for the punishment of the sinners. David was very angry when he heard what had happened to Tamar, but he did nothing about it. Perhaps he felt that he was helpless, since he had committed a similar sin himself. On this account his rebuke of Amnon would be ineffective. The Septuagint has an additional statement indicating that David did not rebuke Amnon because he was his first-born son and he loved him. As a matter of fact, if David had really loved the boy, he would have rebuked him. The father chastens the son whom he loves (Hebrews 12:6-7). David was probably overindulgent towards his son, especially the one he thought would succeed him to the throne.

17.

Why did Absalom refuse to say anything to Amnon? 2 Samuel 13:22

Absalom was so angry about the crime which was committed and hated Amnon so much that he was afraid to say anything to him either good or bad for fear that he would reveal his intentions to him. His motive for silence would seem to be a desire that his designs would not be suspected, and he kept this silent attitude as he laid plans to kill Amnon.

18.

In what way did Absalom take revenge? 2 Samuel 13:23

Absalom slew Amnon. He did not take revenge personally. He commanded his servants to slay Amnon when his heart was merry with wine and he was not cautious. Amnon was slain at the time of sheep-shearing. Sheep-shearing time was a time of feasting (1 Samuel 25:36). Absalom showed himself to be a crafty, cunning, hypocritical sort of fellow. For a long time he hid his anger of heart and spoke softly to Amnon and Tamar. He deceived David.

Absalom was just as guilty of the murder of his brother as if he had taken the life himself. What a man does through his agents may be charged to him.

19.

Why did Absalom invite the king and all his sons? 2 Samuel 13:24-25

The king's sons were the chief rulers of the land (2 Samuel 8:18). The Greek translation again has an additional statement that Absalom asked the king and his sons as well as his servants to go to the sheep-shearing feast. David refused saying that if all went there would be great inconvenience to Absalom. Even though Absalom insisted, David refused to go. He did send him away with his blessing suspecting nothing of Absalom's real motive for holding the feast.

20.

Why should Amnon especially be invited? 2 Samuel 13:26-27

The request for Airman's presence seems to have aroused David's suspicion, because he asked why he should go. Absalom did not give a direct reason, according to the record, but he continued to urge that he be allowed to go. It may have been that he asked for him and the other sons to be present since David himself had refused to go. Amnon was the heir-apparent to the throne, and Absalom could ask for his presence especially without arousing too much suspicion. David was satisfied by Absalom's explanation and finally gave his consent. Once again, the Greek translation has a phrase which has not come down to us in our English translations. This phrase states that Absalom made a feast that was fit for a king.

21.

Why did the king's sons ride on mules? 2 Samuel 13:29

Baal-hazor (2 Samuel 13:23) was in Ephraim, some twenty miles north of Jerusalem. Such a long distance to travel would necessitate the king's sons having some means of transportation. The employment of these animals not only for war (2 Samuel 18:9), but also in times of peace was an indication of growing luxury in David's kingdom. Previously the ass had been the customary mount for persons of dignity (Judges 5:19; Judges 10:4; Judges 12:14). The horse was used largely for military purposes. The rearing of hybrid animals was prohibited (Leviticus 19:19). Absalom was especially fond of the mule as a means of transportation and employed it when he made his effort to steal the hearts of the men of Israel. He was riding on a mule when his head was caught in the branches of a tree and he was left suspended (2 Samuel 18:9). When Absalom gave the order to kill Amnon and his servants actually killed the crown prince, the other princes might have thought that all were destined to be slain; and for that reason, they all fled immediately.