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2 Samuel 13 Bible study: No such thing in Israel
Tamar answers in words Israel had heard before: "no such thing ought to be done in Israel" and "folly" (13:12) are, in Hebrew, the words of Genesis 34:7, and her "garment of various colors" (13:18) is the Hebrew of Joseph's tunic (Genesis 37:3), whose father also "mourned for his son" (Genesis 37:34).
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“But Absalom fled and went to Talmai the son of Ammihur, king of Geshur. David mourned for his son every day.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“In 2 Samuel 13, Tamar tells Amnon that no such thing ought to be done in Israel.”
Is that in 2 Samuel 13, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
Jonadab's plan
The chapter opens a new part of the book: "After this, Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar" (13:1). Amnon was David's firstborn: "His firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess" (3:2). He had a friend, "Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother" (13:3), and "Jonadab was a very subtle man" (13:3) (tap subtle). Jonadab told Amnon to lie down, pretend to be sick, and ask the king to let Tamar come and prepare food in his sight (13:5). Amnon asked the king (13:6), and "Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Go now to your brother Amnon’s house, and prepare food for him.”" (13:7). She went, and made cakes in his sight (13:8). The chapter doesn't say what the king knew. What happened next is told in 13:11-14, and these notes cite those verses without retelling them.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about 2 Samuel 13
That was a taste
The rest of 2 Samuel 13 is waiting in Favor
- Tamar's words
- "Hold your peace"
- Two years later
- Words Israel had heard before
- A garment of various colors
- 11 questions as you read
- 12 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
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The Hebrew word behind it
נְבָלָהnevalahsay ne-va-LAH
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "senselessness (as shewn in disregard of moral and religious claims), esp. of disgraceful sins". Strong's: "foolishness, i.e. (morally) wickedness". Tamar says, "Don’t you do this folly!" (13:12). This is its only use in 2 Samuel, and one of 13 in the Hebrew Bible. Genesis has it once: "he had done folly in Israel… a thing that ought not to be done" (Genesis 34:7), and in Hebrew Tamar's "no such thing ought to be done in Israel" (13:12) has that verse's words for ought not to be done, lo ye'aseh ken. In Judges it is the old man's word at Gibeah, "don’t do this folly" (Judges 19:23), and the LORD's word to Joshua has it too: "he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel" (Joshua 7:15). In her next sentence Tamar uses the word Strong's gives as its source: nevalah is the "feminine of 5036", the word for "fools" (13:13).
For your group
2 Samuel 13 Bible study questions
- 1The chapter keeps Tamar's own words (13:12-13, 13:16). When someone tells you they have been wronged, what helps you listen well?
- 2David was very angry (13:21), and Absalom spoke to Amnon neither good nor bad for two years (13:22-23). What have you seen anger do in a family when it is never spoken or dealt with?
- 3David mourned for his son every day and longed to go out to Absalom (13:37-39). Where do you take grief that you can't fix?
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home