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2 Samuel 13:19-21
New Catholic Bible
2 Samuel 13:19-21
New Catholic Bible
19 Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long gown that she was wearing. Then, putting her hand on her head, she went away, weeping loudly.
20 Her brother Absalom said to her: “Has your brother Amnon been with you? Be quiet now, my sister. He is your brother. Do not take this to heart.” Then Tamar, forlorn and inconsolable, went to live in the house of her brother Absalom.
21 [a]When King David learned about all this, he became extremely angry. However, he did not punish his son Amnon because he was his firstborn and he loved him.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Samuel 13:21 David’s righteous anger over Amnon’s rape and betrayal of Tamar never resulted in punishment of his eldest son. One wonders if David’s own indiscretion with Bathsheba colored his response. His ill feelings toward his son continued and when Absalom seeks revenge and kills Amnon, David again side skirts the issue, once again demonstrating David’s vulnerability and ineffectiveness as a family man.
