According to the Bible

Bible

The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...

, Amnon was the oldest son of David, King of Israel, with his wife, Ahinoam

Ahinoam

Ahinoam is a Hebrew name literally meaning brother of pleasantness, thus meaning pleasant.There are two references in the Bible to people who bear that name:...

, who is described as "the Jezreelitess".

Rape of Tamar

Although he was the heir-apparent to David's throne, Amnon is best remembered for the rape

Rape

Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...

 of his half-sister Tamar

Tamar (2 Samuel)

Tamar is a character in 2 Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. She was the daughter of King David, and sister of Absalom. Her mother was Maacah, daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur. According to the narrative in , she was raped by her half-brother Amnon....

, daughter of David with Maachah.

Despite the biblical prohibition to sexual relations between half-brothers and sisters, Amnon had an overwhelming desire for her. He took advice from his cousin, Jonadab

Jonadab

Jonadab is the name of two men in the Hebrew Bible:*In 2 Samuel 13:3 Jonadab son of Shimeah is described as a 'very shrewd man' . He suggests to Amnon the plan he uses to seduce Tamar....

 the son of Shimeah, David's brother, to lure Tamar into his quarters by pretending to be sick and desiring her to cook a special meal for him. While in his quarters, and ignoring her protests, he raped her.

Two years later, to avenge his sister, Absalom

Absalom

According to the Bible, Absalom or Avshalom was the third son of David, King of Israel with Maachah, daughter of Talmai, King of Geshur. describes him as the most handsome man in the kingdom...

, Amnon's half-brother and Tamar's full brother, sent his servants to kill Amnon at a feast to which he had invited all the king's sons.

Books

• The Rape of Tamar, novel by Dan Jacobson (ISBN 1-84232-139-0)

The Death of Amnon poem by Elizabeth Hands

External links

• A Christian commentary on the incident and its aftermath