2 Samuel 13:1-4

The Rape of Tamar

13:1 Now David’s son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar. In the course of time David’s son Amnon fell madly in love with her. ¹  13:2 But Amnon became frustrated because he was so lovesick ²  over his sister Tamar. For she was a virgin, and to Amnon it seemed out of the question to do anything to her.

13:3 Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very crafty man. 13:4 He asked Amnon, ³  “Why are you, the king’s son, ⁴  so depressed every morning? Can’t you tell me?” So Amnon said to him, “I’m in love with Tamar the sister of my brother Absalom.”

[13:1]  ¹ tn Heb “Amnon the son of David loved her.” The following verse indicates the extreme nature of his infatuation, so the translation uses “madly in love” here.

[13:1]  sn Amnon was the half-brother of Tamar; Absalom was her full blood-brother.

[13:2]  ² tn Heb “and there was distress to Amnon so that he made himself sick.”

[13:4]  ³ tn Heb “and he said to him.”

[13:4]  ⁴ tn An more idiomatic translation might be “Why are you of all people…?”