2 Samuel 13:8
ESV
So Tamar went to her brother Amnon 's house, where he was lying down. And she took dough and kneaded it and made cakes in his sight and baked the cakes.
NIV
So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded it, made the bread in his sight and baked it.
NASB
So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house, and he was lying in bed. And she took dough, kneaded it, made pastries in his sight, and baked the pastries.
CSB
Then Tamar went to his house while Amnon was lying down. She took dough, kneaded it, made cakes in his presence, and baked them.
NLT
When Tamar arrived at Amnon’s house, she went to the place where he was lying down so he could watch her mix some dough. Then she baked his favorite dish for him.
KJV
So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house; and he was laid down. And she took flour, and kneaded it, and made cakes in his sight, and did bake the cakes.
NKJV
So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house; and he was lying down. Then she took flour and kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes.
What does 2 Samuel 13:8 mean?
Amnon, David's oldest son, seems to be so ill he can't get out of bed. David is concerned and goes to see him. Amnon suggests that Tamar, David's daughter by another mother, could come to his house and feed him bread he watches her make. Perhaps that will make him feel better (2 Samuel 13:6).Much like David sent for Bathsheba to come to his house, he sends Tamar to Amnon's. He doesn't know that Amnon is obsessed with Tamar; he's infatuated that his lust has made him sick. Nor does David know that his nephew Jonadab came up with the plot for Amnon to play up his condition, to convince David to send Tamar. It's the only way they could think to get Tamar alone with Amnon (2 Samuel 13:1–5).
The text doesn't say why David so easily accepts Amnon's request that Tamar fix him bread while he watches. Members of the royal family were vulnerable to poisoning; that's why Pharaoh had a chief cupbearer (Genesis 40:9–15). But poison isn't mentioned in the Israelite historical books and doesn't seem to have been a noteworthy issue.
In any case, Tamar obeys her father and arrives to serve her supposedly sick brother. She uses a special pan to make the dough and knead it together. Though the English text says she "baked" it, the Hebrew word more often means "boil" or "fry." Some scholars believe she made dough balls and boiled them like dumplings. Such bread might be easier on sick people's digestion.
