2 Samuel 13 is the thirteenth chapter of the Second Book of Samuel in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible or the second part of Books of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. Jewish tradition attributes the book to the prophet Samuel, with later additions by the prophets Gad and Nathan; modern scholarship, however, regards it as a compilation of independent texts dated to . This chapter contains the account of David's reign in Jerusalem. This chapter contains the account of David's reign in Jerusalem. This section covers 2 Samuel 9–20 and extends to 1 Kings 1–2, focusing on the power struggles among the sons of David to succeed his throne before "the kingdom was secured in Solomon's hands".
Text This chapter was originally written in the Biblical Hebrew. It is divided into 39 verses.
Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Biblical Hebrew are of the Masoretic Textual tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls including 4Q51 (4QSam; ) with extant verses 1–6, 13–34, and 36–39.Dead sea scrolls - 2 Samuel4Q51 at the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library
Extant ancient manuscripts of a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint (compiled in the last few centuries BCE) include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century).
Analysis This chapter can be divided into two sections: The rape of Tamar by Amnon (13:1–22) The murder of Amnon by Absalom (13:23–39)
The two sections parallel each other: A plan was hatched King David was consulted Violence erupted
Both sections open with the same Hebrew possessive construction, formed with a form of the verb () and the preposition (, or ). Biblical Hebrew can express possession by describing something as being "to" or "for" someone. Thus, the opening of the first section states that a beautiful sister was "to Absalom," meaning that Absalom "had" a beautiful sister (13:1), while the second states that sheep shearers were "to Absalom," meaning that Absalom "had" sheep shearers (13:23). The victims in both sections unwittingly entered the domains of their attackers, made available to their assailants by King David, with the violence happening around food. The difference is the lengthy description of Tamar's care for her predator before the rape, in contrast to very little attention to Amnon before the murder, perhaps to show that Amnon was not an innocent victim.
David played a key role in both episodes: first by allowing Amnon access to Tamar, and second by letting Amnon and Absalom meet. However, David failed to deliver justice for Tamar, which led to Absalom, Tamar's brother, acting as Amnon's judge to punish him by killing him. Later, he openly took that role (2 Samuel 15) to strengthen his rebellion against David. These episodes involving Amnon, Tamar, and Absalom have direct bearing on David's succession issue.
Amnon raped Tamar (13:1–22)
The crown prince of Israel, Amnon, the son of David and Ahinoam, was deeply attracted to Tamar, the full sister of Absalom, both of whom were children of David and Maacah. Apparently, virgins were under close guard in the royal household, so Amnon did not have direct access to Tamar (verse 3). He used trickery, suggested by his cousin Jonadab (verses 3–5), to get Tamar to care for him by pretending to be sick, with David's permission. When left alone with Tamar, Amnon raped his sister, ignoring Tamar's plea for a proper way of marriage, because Amnon was driven not by love but by lust.
Although marriage between genetic siblings is mentioned early in the biblical narrative, Moses, speaking on behalf of God, later explicitly forbids it in Leviticus 18 and Deuteronomy 27 of the Torah. However, Chazal, the early rabbis whose exegeses, legal rulings, and arguments are recorded in the Mishnah, Tosefta, and Talmud, interpreted Tamar as having been born from David's union with a beautiful captive woman (i.e., before her mother acquired Jewish status). The rabbis reasoned that Tamar was conceived before her mother had acquired Jewish status and therefore was not halakhically regarded as Amnon's sister (though David was the biological father of both). Per normative (i.e., Jewish law), the child of such a union did not acquire Jewish status through its mother. The Talmudic argument concerns legal kinship rather than conversion in the modern sense, and 2 Samuel does not identify Tamar's mother as a captive woman or describe Tamar as converting. In this interpretation, marriage between Amnon and Tamar would therefore have been legally possible, which explains Tamar's assertion that their father would not withhold her from him.
Whether this was known to Amnon or not, after the rape, Amnon felt an intense loathing of Tamar, and Tamar's expectation that Amnon would marry her (verse 16), she was expelled from his sight with contempt (verses 15 and 17–18). Tamar immediately went into mourning by tearing the long gown she was wearing as a virgin princess, as a sign of grief rather than lost virginity, as well as putting ashes on her head and placing a hand on her head. Verse 21 notes that David was very angry when he heard, but he did not take any action against Amnon. The Greek versions of verse 21 in 4QSam and the Septuagint differ from the Masoretic Text, instead reading:
Absalom resented David's failure to punish Amnon but concealed his intentions for two years while planning revenge (verses 22–23).
Catholic scholar Craig E. Morrison identifies a concentric structure in the episode that places the rape at its center. The narrative opens by introducing the principal characters and their relationships (13:1–3), which corresponds to the altered relationships among them at the conclusion (13:22). The planning of the rape, including Jonadab's advice and David's unwitting role in giving Amnon access to Tamar (13:4–7), corresponds to its aftermath, in which Absalom advises Tamar and David learns what has happened (13:20–21). Tamar's preparation and presentation of food to Amnon (13:8–9) is balanced by her public expression of grief after the assault (13:19), while her entrance into Amnon's inner room (13:10) corresponds to her expulsion from it (13:17–18). At the center of the structure are two parallel confrontations between Amnon and Tamar. Before the rape, Amnon orders Tamar to come to him; Tamar protests, and Amnon refuses to listen to her (13:11–14a). Afterward, Amnon orders her to leave; Tamar protests again, and he refuses to listen (13:15–16). The rape itself stands between these corresponding exchanges at 13:14b. Thus, the characters' changing relationships frame David's involvement and reaction, Tamar's actions before and after the assault, her entrance into and expulsion from the room, and the paired dialogues surrounding the central act.
Verse 3 But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother. And Jonadab was a very crafty man. ESV "Jonadab, the son of Shimeah" (): The name is present in both the Masoretic and the Septuagint versions of the verse. The Dead Sea Scroll fragment 4QSam has the name "Jonathan" ().
Absalom's revenge on Amnon (13:23–39) Absalom's revenge against Amnon was timed to coincide with sheep-shearing festivities at Baal-hazor () near Ephraim (), which may have been in the region surrounding Jerusalem, making it reasonable for Absalom to invite the king and his servants to join the celebrations. Absalom persuaded David to allow Amnon to go (verses 25–27). Apparently, David did not realize the extent of Absalom's hatred of Amnon until Jonadab briefed him (verse 32). According to the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Christian Bible, the Septuagint and 4QSam read: "Absalom made a feast like a king's feast." The murderers were identified as Absalom's servants (verse 29); it is implied that Absalom gave the order to kill and encouraged them.
Jonadab corrected an initial report that all the king's sons had been killed, asserting that only Amnon had died and giving David the reason for Absalom's action (verse 32). In the Jewish JPS Tanakh, the text next states that a large crowd soon thereafter approached the city within sight of a guardsman "from the side of the hill" to his rear, while the NRSV states that the crowd arrived via "Horonaim road"; the surviving princes enter the king's presence soon afterward. During the period of court mourning for Amnon (verses 36–37), Absalom took refuge with Talmai ben Ammihud, king of Geshur, his maternal grandfather, and stayed there in exile for three years (verses 37–38).
At the end of the three years, the narrative describes David "pining away" for Absalom (following the Septuagint and 4QSam), attributing his feelings to affection for all his sons and possibly also to the recognition that Absalom was second in line for succession, which helped pave the way for Absalom's return, as reported in 2 Samuel 14. Absalom's temporary exclusion from court was followed by a brief reconciliation with David, but soon afterward, Absalom instigated a rebellion (chapters 15–19), ultimately leading to his death. Gwilym H. Jones links this chain of events to the contrasting conduct of Absalom and David in chapters 13 and 14: Absalom persistently pursues his objectives, at times through deception or coercion (13:23–29 and 14:28–32), whereas David is susceptible to pressure from his sons (13:7 and 13:25–27), hesitates over Absalom's status (14:1–24), and takes no recorded action against Amnon (13:21).
Morrison identifies a concentric structure in this section that centers on Jonadab's explanation that Absalom had Amnon killed because Amnon violated Tamar. The opening exchange between Absalom and David (13:23–27) corresponds to the concluding account of Absalom's separation from David and David's response (13:39). Absalom's instructions and the killing of Amnon (13:28–29a) correspond to Absalom's flight and exile in Geshur (13:37–38). The flight of the king's sons and the first report to David (13:29b–31) are balanced by Absalom's flight, the watchman's report, and the princes' return (13:34–36). At the center, Jonadab twice assures David that only Amnon has died (13:32a and 33), framing his explanation that Absalom had planned Amnon's death in response to Amnon's violation of Tamar (13:32b).
Morrison also identifies verbal and thematic parallels between Amnon's death and the death of Nabal, the first husband of Abigail, in 1 Samuel 25. Tamar warned Amnon that he would "be like any one of the scoundrels in Israel" () if he violated her (2 Samuel 13:13). The phrase contains the plural of (, or ; ), the word also represented by Nabal's personal name. Both narratives take place during sheep shearing (1 Samuel 25:2 and 2 Samuel 13:23) and feature lavish celebrations associated with royal abundance (1 Samuel 25:36). Nabal and Amnon are each described as having a "heart merry with wine" shortly before their respective deaths, with Absalom instructing his retainers in 2 Samuel 13:28 to strike his brother and his courtiers "when Amnon is merry with wine" (). Morrison therefore interprets the shared references to sheep shearing, lavish feasting, wine, scoundrel behavior, and death as linking Amnon's fate with Nabal's.
Verse 37 But Absalom fled, and went to Talmai, the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day.