Chapter 13

Tamar is the sister of Absalom.  Amnon, another of David's sons, and presumably half brother of Tamar, begins to obsess about her.  Jonadab, a nephew of David's, and very crafty man, learns of Amnon's obsession and offers him a plan to seduce her.  So David's nephew is helping one of David's sons seduce/rape the sister of another of David's sons.  The curse in 12:11 comes to pass quickly.  It said in part "11 Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house... [2Sa 12:11a ESV]

The plan works.  David comes to see the ailing Amnon, who is basically lying to his father about the whole thing, and then includes his Father - the King - in the plot to rape Tamar.  This is a sick situation.  Perhaps David's unknowing complicity in the events makes him hesitate even more about dispensing justice later to Amnon.  When Amnon tries to force her, she begs him to go to David, as she is sure David will give his daughter Tamar to his son Amnon.  I don't see how that wouldn't be a bad thing too, but at least it wouldn't be rape.  But Amnon will not be prevented, will not wait, will not even try to be legitimate.  He rapes Tamar.

After he is done with her, he hates her more than he loved her before and tries to send her away.  She says that will be worse than the rape, but he has her thrown out of his house and bolts the door behind her.  She ends up living as a "desolate woman" in Absalom's house.  Absalom won't speak to Amnon, but hates him. 

David is also angry about these events.  There is a note in the TCR that the Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint add the words "But he would not punish his son Amnon, because he loved him, since he was his firstborn."  This explains a lot.  No wonder Absalom was plotting murder.  Justice was not done..

Two full years later, Absalom gets all of David's sons together in one place.  When Amnon is intoxicated, Absalom has his servants kill him.  This frightens all the other brothers - probably thinking Absalom is making a play for the crown - and they all flee.

News travels faster, and David is told that Absalom indeed killed all of David's sons.  David is distraught, but Jonadab appears again to tell David that only Amnon is dead.  Interesting that Jonadab was in on the plot to rape Tamar in the first place, and was now privy to Absalom's plan to avenge her with murder.  I wonder if Jonadab's father, Shimeah, was extremely jealous of his brother David?

vvs 37-39 are a little confusing, and the TCR notes make it more so.  It is clear that Absalom fled to Geshur, and was there in hiding for three years.  Then it says David mourned for his son day after day...but which son is he mourning?  The dead rapist or the fleeing murderer?  Hard to know...

Verse 39 says this:

39 And the spirit of the king longed to go out to Absalom, because he was comforted about Amnon, since he was dead. [2Sa 13:39 ESV]

A TCR note says Vulgate is written "ceased to go out", not longed to go out.  So was David anxious to go see Absalom, or no longer cared to go see Absalom?  And was David glad that justice had finally come about, even though it was technically murder by another hand?  What seems to make the best sense is that David wanted to see Absalom, and absolve him of murder, because what he did needed to be done, though David himself couldn't bring himself to order it, as a King should have!  (First vs of 14 seems to confirm this interpretation.)