“Two years later, when Avshalom had sheep-shearers in Ba‘al-Hatzor, near Efrayim, Avshalom invited all the king’s sons.”-2 Samuel 13:23 Two years had passed since Amnon had raped Tamar, and she had fled to her brother, Avshalom’s home. I imagine Avshalom’s hatred towards Amnon intensified during this time. How could it not? There, living inside his […]

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 […]