We gotta keep in mind…
Every homie and his cousin in David’s family were eyeing the throne.
So any shot at moving up was pounced upon…
Like starving lions ripping into a zebra.
This is exactly what happened with Yonadav, Amnon’s cousin.
He was a real conniving bugger and always looking for a way to advance himself.
So when he noticed Amnon moping around in a depressed state…
He was curious and asked, “You okay, homie?”
Amnon didn’t hold back and told him he was in love with Tamar to the point of illness.
Yonadav realized a chance to strengthen his position in the kingdom had just presented itself.
So he came up with a devious plan.
He told Amnon…
“Bro, jump into bed and act like you’re sick.
When your dad (King David) comes to check up on you…
Tell him you’ll feel so much better if your sister Tamar prepares some food for you.”
Women were expected to cook, care for men, and be comforting.
So Amnon’s request wouldn’t have seemed unusual.
When his father came to see him, Yonadav told Amnon to tell his father:
“Please let my sister Tamar come
and give me food to eat,
and have her prepare the food
where I can watch.
I’ll eat what she serves me.”
Let’s examine the original Hebrew with transliteration as follows:
תָּבוֹא נָא תָמָר אֲחֹתִי
Tavo na Tamar achoti
“Please let Tamar my sister come”
וּתְבַשֵּׁל לְעֵינַי
U’tevashel le’einai
“And cook before my eyes”
שְׁתֵּי לְבִבוֹת
Shtei levivot
“Two cakes / heart-shaped cakes / patties”
וְאֶבְרֶה מִיָּדָהּ
Ve’evreh miyadah
“And I will eat from her hand”
The last part about “eating from her hand” is quite telling.
Amnon wants his sister to feed him directly.
This is very intimate.
This would NOT have been a cultural norm for brothers and sisters…
So it hints at Amnon’s ulterior motives.
Also, although not in the original text, when read out loud, phonetically, this is how the words would’ve sounded:
“ET TAMAR AHOT AHV AHI AHNI OHEV”
In English, it would’ve come across kind of like this:
“Let my sister…
The daughter of my father…
My own kin whom I love…
Come to me…”
To David’s ears, his son’s appeal would’ve sounded very dramatic and caused him to feel great sympathy for his son.
By stringing together “Tamar,” “sister,” “father,” “brother,” “I love,” Amnon is wrapping his lust in family affection and sounding like a heartbroken son who just wants his sister near.
His father, King David, would have been none the wiser.
But again, this is just a paraphrase, and NOT in the original Hebrew.
Now, on the surface, Amnon may have been pretending to be ill…
But inside, the homie was indeed sick.
The guy was a serious mess…
Not from real love…
But from wild, out-of-control lust.
I mean, if you’re obsessed with someone to the point where you can’t sleep…
Bro, you’ve got problems.
One Jewish scholar, Shimon Bar-Efrat, even said that when Amnon begged his dad to send Tamar, you could hear the emotion coming through his voice like a bunch of heavy, sad sighs…
Or someone desperate and drowning in their own feelings.
So here’s the takeaway.
Lust will dress itself up like love.
It’ll speak softly, sigh deeply, and sound oh-so-sincere…
But underneath the drama and poetry is a selfish hunger that doesn’t care who gets hurt.
Amnon didn’t need comfort.
He needed correction.
And Yonadav?
He didn’t need opportunity.
He needed integrity.
It’s the same spirit that moved Judas.
He didn’t stab Jesus in the back…
He kissed Him on the cheek.
Remember, betrayal doesn’t always come with a weapon in hand.
Sometimes it comes with kind words…
Fake sympathy…
And a plan.
Ya feel me?
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“While he was still speaking,
there came a crowd,
and the man called Judas,
one of the twelve, was leading them.
He drew near to Yeshua to kiss him,
but Yeshua said to him,
‘Judas, would you betray
the Son of Man with a kiss?‘”
-Luke 22:47–48
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