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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - 2 Samuel 13:15 - 13:22
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Amnon Spurns Tamar
v. 15. Then Amnon, having gratified his bestial lust, hated her exceedingly, this being the usual consequence of a relation such as pictured in this chapter, so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her; he now loathed the object of his former intense passion. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone!
v. 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. The Hebrew text shows an unfinished sentence, spoken in great agitation: On account of this greater evil than the other which thou didst to me in sending me away-. If he persisted in driving her from his house, men might believe that she had given him occasion to act toward her in such a manner, and the disgrace would be all the greater. But he would not hearken unto her, did not, in fact, even let her finish her protest.
v. 17. Then he called his servant that ministered unto him, his own private attendant, and said, Put now this woman out from me, and bolt the door after her, just as if she had tempted him to a shameful act and he wanted to insure against a repetition of her shamelessness.
v. 18. And she had a garment of divers colors upon her, a coat or upper garment with long sleeves; for with such robes were the king's daughters that were virgins appareled. Although she was a virgin and a princess, Amnon treated Tamar like a common prostitute. Then his servant brought her out, and bolted the door after her.
v. 19. And Tamar, as a sign of her great grief over the shame laid upon her, put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of divers colors that was on her, and laid her hand on her head, as a token of the fact that the hand of God lay heavily on her in this visitation, and went on crying, bewailing the greatness of her shame and disgrace.
v. 20. And Absalom, her brother, said unto her, Hath Amnon, thy brother, been with thee? He guessed the state of affairs at once, expressing his opinion thus delicately. But hold now thy peace, my sister; he is thy brother; regard not this thing, lay it not to heart. He feigned a carelessness which he was far from feeling, because he wanted to conceal his purpose to revenge himself in the sight of all men. If Tamar would act in the same manner, he would have a better opportunity to carry out his design. So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom's house, literally, "as desolated," as one whose happiness in life had been destroyed.
v. 21. But when King David heard of all these things, he was very wroth. His anger, unfortunately, did not cause him to act, to punish Amnon. Either the consciousness of his own recent sin held him back, or he practiced a false indulgence toward his first-born son.
v. 22. And Absalom, true to his plan of hiding his feelings for the time being and lulling Amnon to security, spake unto his brother Amnon neither good nor bad, he simply avoided him; for Absalom hated Amnon because he had forced his sister Tamar. Such examples of sin as here narrated instill a loathing and a horror of sin. They show that every sin and especially such sins of the flesh are an abomination in the sight of God, evils which cause only sorrow and heartache among men.