Archives for June 2025

David did nothing. That was pretty much the king’s response to his son, Amnon’s horrific rape of his sister. Interestingly, centuries earlier, David’s ancestor, Jacob, acted similarly. Recall that the son of the King of Shechem raped Jacob’s daughter Dinah. What did Jacob do in response? Pretty much nothing. Like David, he got upset… And […]

“Avshalom her brother said to her, ‘Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now, my sister, keep quiet; because he’s your brother. Don’t take the matter to heart.’ But Tamar remained desolate in her brother Avshalom’s house.“-2 Samuel 13:20 Tamar is in a bad situation. After being raped, she can no longer return to […]

“Avshalom her brother said to her, ‘Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now, my sister, keep quiet; because he’s your brother. Don’t take the matter to heart.” But Tamar remained desolate in her brother Avshalom’s house.’”-2 Samuel 13:20 There’s something that needs to be stressed. Amnon is consistently referred to as Tamar’s brother. […]

We’re told Tamar was stunningly beautiful… And that, combined with Amnon’s lust, led to one of the most heartbreaking stories in all of Scripture. However, there’s a lot more to this story than meets the eye. I’m talking about the political forces driving the behavior of the main characters. Let me break things down for […]

“She was wearing a long-sleeved robe (this was how they used to dress the king’s daughters who were virgins). His servant took her out and locked the door after her. Tamar put ashes on her head, tore her long-sleeved robe that she was wearing, laid her hand on her head, and went off, crying aloud […]