15. The Rape of Tamar ( 2Samuel 13:1 – 22)

A similar incident to David’s rape of Bathsheba occurs again, and because it is not dealt with properly, the tragedy of David’s household begins.

👉 Read 2Samuel 13:1 - 22

Q1. (1 – 9) Who contributed to the situation that Tamar came to Amnon’s house to bake cakes for him? (two)

Jonadab, the son of David’s brother

David, who is insensitive to the possibility of a crime.

The passage emphasizes that Tamar was a virgin and that Amnon had no opportunity to approach her. In those days, royal virgin daughters were especially protected, often reserved for political marriages. The text also introduces Jonadab—David’s nephew—as a very crafty man, whose cunning advice sets the stage for the tragedy.

Q2. What two sins did Amnon commit against Tamar? Find verses in which Tamar tried to stop him.

He raped her.

He cast her out afterward.

Tamar pleaded with him in verses 12-13 and 16. But ‘he refused to listen to her’ (14,16)

After the rape, Tamar asked to stay, hoping to salvage her dignity through marriage (as was required by the law in Deut 22:28-29), but Amnon rejected her and had her forcibly thrown out.

Tamar says this second act—casting her out—was even more wicked than the first. Being rejected after rape left her with no place in society or the palace. She was not only violated but also publicly disgraced and abandoned.

When she responded with moral clarity and dignity, her words likely convicted him, intensifying his self-loathing and turning it outward. His hatred was not only directed at Tamar, but against the truth and righteousness she represented. The Bible says, ‘he refused to listen to her.’ (14, 16) 

Q3. What word does the author repeatedly use to describe what Amnon did to Tamar? (12,14,22)

to humiliate

Verse 19 vividly shows her devastation.

Tamar could no longer return to the place reserved for royal virgin daughters in the palace. Instead, she remained desolate (שֹׁמֵמָה, shomemah) in her brother Absalom’s house—a word that means devastated, ruined, abandoned. Her life, in a sense, was socially over.

Q4. When King David heard about these things, how did he respond? What did Absalom do?

David was very angry (v. 21), but did nothing to administer justice or discipline Amnon.

Absalom said nothing to Amnon, either good or bad, but he hated him (v. 22).

David’s silence is tragic. As king and father, he had both the authority and the obligation to act, but he did not. His failure may reflect his own compromised moral standing after his sin with Bathsheba (2 Sam 11–12), leaving him passive and paralyzed in the face of his son’s crime.

When those in authority fail to bring justice, the victim is often driven to seek revenge in unjust ways.

David’s sin and Amnon’s sin share several similarities: both were driven by lust, used their powers, and both refused to take responsibility for their actions.

David’s passivity caused him to miss the chance to act, allowing the problem to grow and harm his family even more.