2 Samuel 13:33 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now therefore let not my lord the king so take it to heart as to suppose that all the king 's sons are dead, for Amnon alone is dead."

NIV: My lord the king should not be concerned about the report that all the king’s sons are dead. Only Amnon is dead."

NASB: So now, may my lord the king not take the report to heart, claiming, ‘all the king’s sons are dead’; but only Amnon is dead.'

CSB: So now, my lord the king, don’t take seriously the report that says all the king’s sons are dead. Only Amnon is dead."

NLT: No, my lord the king, your sons aren’t all dead! It was only Amnon.'

KJV: Now therefore let not my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king's sons are dead: for Amnon only is dead.

NKJV: Now therefore, let not my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king’s sons are dead. For only Amnon is dead.”

David's third son, Absalom, invited David to bring his servants and celebrate with him at his sheep shearing, miles away in the hill country of Ephraim. David declined; he didn't think his son could hold a feast for so many people. Absalom countered by asking David to send Amnon, David's firstborn and representative. David began to get suspicious. Absalom shifted and asked for all his brothers. David agreed (2 Samuel 13:24–27).

Now, a messager has come to David with news that Absalom has killed all his brothers. David and his servants tear their garments. David falls to the ground (2 Samuel 13:30–31). He's already lost one son (2 Samuel 12:15–18). He can't imagine losing more.

Jonadab, David's nephew, speaks up. Two years prior, he had met with David's firstborn, Amnon, and found his friend in a terrible state. Amnon was so overcome with desire for his half-sister Tamar that he was in torment. Jonadab devised a plan to get the two together. It's not clear if Jonadab thought Amnon just wanted to talk. In reality, he raped Tamar (2 Samuel 13:1–6, 14).

Absalom and Tamar share both a father and a mother. Jonadab is clever enough to know that Absalom isn't after David's crown, although he will be later (2 Samuel 15:13–14). He wants revenge. The entire celebration is a copy of Jonadab's scheme for Amnon: get your victim close to you and away from protection. Jonadab is sure that Absalom has only killed Amnon.

Everything that's happening is God's judgment on David. After David took Bathsheba and murdered Uriah, God sent the prophet Nathan to confront David. God told David that because he had killed Uriah with the sword of the Ammonites, the sword of violence would never leave David's household (2 Samuel 12:9–10). Absalom has swung God's metaphorical sword.

In 2 Samuel 13:30–36, David receives tragic news. The first report is that his third son, Absalom, has slaughtered his half-brothers: all of David's other sons. The same nephew who helped arrange the event that led Absalom to revenge (2 Samuel 13:3–5) assures him that only Amnon, who raped Absalom's sister, has died. The surviving brothers then arrive to mourn with their father.

In this chapter, God's curse that the sword will strike David's house (2 Samuel 12:10) begins to emerge. David's firstborn son Amnon lusts over half-sister Tamar. Tamar fights back, but Amnon first rapes her and then rejects her. David is angry but does nothing. Two years later, Tamar's full brother Absalom murders Amnon. Three years after that, Absalom returns and becomes the enemy in David's house who takes his wives in public (2 Samuel 12:11–12; 15:1–16; 16:21–23).

This begins fulfillment of some of God's curses against David (2 Samuel 12:10), and sets the scene for others (2 Samuel 12:11–12). David's oldest son, Amnon, rapes his own half-sister, Tamar. Her full brother Absalom murders Amnon, starting a five-year campaign of vengeance against David. By the end, two of David's sons will be dead, his daughter will be desolate, and David will be deeply humbled (2 Samuel 14—19).