Jehovah's Witnesses and Anyone Else Interested In Answering.....?

One thing that bothered me a little from our local study is so much emphasis was placed on Absalom being evil, while Amnon's deed was glossed over, and he's the one who really ticked me off. One sister commented, and while I heard her comment clearly, I didn't catch the source (it might have been Insights or the Reasoning book...not sure). She commented that the source stated that Absalom could have been more interested in doing away with the firstborn as the rightful heir to the throne than seeking revenge for his beloved sister Tamar. But one thing that seemed clear from the passage is that Absalom and Tamar shared the same mother AND father, while Amnon was a half-brother from a different mother. (Also the passage highlights that both Tamar and Absalom were very beautiful, so apparently David and Maacah [2 Sam. 3:3] produced very attractive children together).

But to answer your question, 2 Sam. 3:3 also reveals that Tamar's mother was the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur. So he was a foreign king and it is likely that she was a captive woman taken during a conquest. (See Deut. 21:10-13)

I agree with sunshine. In 13:12-13, Tamar said to Amnon: "Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly. And I, whither shall I cause my shame to go? and as for thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from thee."

If Tamar was the daughter of a Gentile woman taken into captivity as it certainly appears from Scripture, and if she was conceived before her mother converted, then she would NOT have LEGALLY been the sister of Amnon and would have been free to marry him according to both the laws of Israel and the customs of the Gentiles. According to the Scripture I quoted from Deuteronomy above, there was only a one-month period where Maacah would have been required to mourn over being taken from her mother and father, and then the captor (David) could go in to her and become her husband. I don't remember where I read about the process of conversion in the Scriptures (that might be something to look up), but I do remember it taking quite a bit longer than just one month. So there are a few ifs, but it seems to me there's a good possibility that Tamar could have been conceived a Gentile, born to a Gentile mother (remember, Jewish lineage is matriarchal--through the mother rather than the father) and would therefore have been legally allowed to marry Amnon.

And Cain married his sister, but mankind was closer to perfection then. No doubt the Law prohibited such marriages because of the continuing adverse hereditary effects of sin and the danger of genetic malformities. After all, the Law was as much practical as it was spiritual.

Just a guess, but perhaps Tamar thought that, as King, her father could modify the Law.

What bothered me about the matter is what is noted in the Insight book: "Having satisfied his desire, Amnon then had Tamar put out into the street as someone repugnant to him, someone whose very presence doubtless made him feel unclean." (Vo1. 1, p. 96)

This is clear when the account is read in Hebrew, for in the Hebrew, Amnon does not literally say "Send this person away from me." "Person" is supplied for the purpose of English translation. What Amnon really says, in Hebrew, is "Send this away from me." "THIS"!!! As if he means "this [whore]" or "this [****]." In effect, Amnon dehumanizes Tamar and demonizes her, as if the whole thing is HER fault, and HE is just a victim of her womanly wiles and beauty.

Unfortunately, "men" today still play that game. They still seduce women, deny responsibility, and try to act like innocent victims who just couldn't help themselves.

A pox on such poor examples of manhood.

Too much thought in to this if these 2 are able to date and interested they would make it known. They may become interested in the future or maybe not. Solomon s 700 wives must have had some issues there are only 365 days in the year so they would have to go so every year about 335 wives did not get any individual attention. Not to mention how frustrated I would be if I got to see my husband only once a year....

No, since the law prohibited marriage of siblings, there was no legal way for him to marry her.

(Leviticus 18:9) 9 “‘As for the nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father or the daughter of your mother, whether born in the same household or born outside it, you must not lay bare their nakedness."

As with all that are driven by lust, after the lust was satisfied, Amnon no longer had any desire for her.

Tamar may have used the delaying tactic of saying maybe David could approve of a marriage to try to get Amnon to stop on his course. Distraction and misdirection to get away would have been the only tool she had left.

@Earthly Hope

Yep, there are things the eyes never want to see...

Have you ever noticed that when the TV shows talk about nude beaches, they show good looking people (which they then blur out) but NEVER show the 60 year old man with flaping skin and deformed tatoos?

Right, because the whole image is something the mind can never erase and that would blow the whole concept of the joys of nudity...

Yep, clothing covers a mulitude of sins...and eye sores...

I noted that she tried to negotiate with him, saying if he asked permission, the King would permit him to marry her seeing as she was ony his half (not full) sister. So apparently yes, she felt confident that would have been permitted. Maybe she said that in panic but I don't think so.

There are other famous marriage of the ilk notably Abraham and Sarah.

Still, in the end we know what he wanted from her and it wasn't marriage.

I find this passage difficult to read for personal reasons but Amnon got his just deserts. There's not a lot good to be said about Absalom (apart from his hair) but he righted a wrong at least.

@Rick: Okay, maybe she did just say it to get out of the situation. Or maybe tradition (or royal protocol) by-passed the law... interesting...

When Tamar is speaking to him around vs. 13 she begs him to ask their father and said the father would not with hold her but give her to him as wife. So it would have been possible for him to have her with out doing the things he did.

It stated that it was not customary to do this in Israel

Interesting Q

Hm, Tamar was his half-sister, so... legally, no.

Atheist.

Eww. I would die if I saw my brothers naked. Yuck!!!

@nitus324-In the new system it wouldn't matter you're right, but right now I don't mind seeing strangers naked, just not my brothers. lol

Let us turn to the book of Cheers....Chapter 1, Episode 1 where it clearly says...

"Diane is stranded at the bar by her fiancé', who has reunited with his ex-wife. Sam feels sorry for her, and offers her a job at the bar."

What could possibly make you care about incredibly poor mythology?