2 Samuel 13:1

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 

2 Samuel 13:8-14

13:8 So Tamar went to the house of Amnon her brother, who was lying down. She took the dough, kneaded it, made some cakes while he watched, 2  and baked them. 3  13:9 But when she took the pan and set it before him, he refused to eat. Instead Amnon said, “Get everyone out of here!” 4  So everyone left. 5 

13:10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the cakes into the bedroom; then I will eat from your hand.” So Tamar took the cakes that she had prepared and brought them to her brother Amnon in the bedroom. 13:11 As she brought them to him to eat, he grabbed her and said to her, “Come on! Get in bed with me, 6  my sister!”

13:12 But she said to him, “No, my brother! Don’t humiliate me! This just isn’t done in Israel! Don’t do this foolish thing! 13:13 How could I ever be rid of my humiliation? And you would be considered one of the fools 7  in Israel! Just 8  speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” 13:14 But he refused to listen to her. 9  He overpowered her and humiliated her by raping her. 10 

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.

sn Amnon was the half-brother of Tamar; Absalom was her full blood-brother.

2 tn Heb “in his sight.”

3 tn Heb “the cakes.”

4 tn Heb “from upon me.”

5 tc A few medieval Hebrew mss have “and they removed everyone” (Hiphil preterite with vav consecutive 3cp, rather than Qal preterite with vav consecutive 3cp).

6 tn Heb “lie with me” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV); NCV “come and have sexual relations with me.”

7 tn Heb “and you will be like one of the fools.”

8 tn Heb “Now.”

9 tn Heb “to her voice.”

10 tn Heb “and he humiliated her and lay with her.”