2 Samuel 13:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David 's brother. And Jonadab was a very crafty man.

NIV: Now Amnon had an adviser named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man.

NASB: But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother; and Jonadab was a very clever man.

CSB: Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, a son of David’s brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very shrewd man,

NLT: But Amnon had a very crafty friend — his cousin Jonadab. He was the son of David’s brother Shimea.

KJV: But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man.

NKJV: But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Now Jonadab was a very crafty man.

David's oldest son, Amnon, is obsessed with his half-sister Tamar. His lust is so powerful it makes him physically ill. He can't do anything about it, though. As a young woman who is eligible to marry but not engaged, Tamar is somehow protected from men who aren't fully related to her (2 Samuel 13:1–2).

Jonadab, Amnon's cousin, has a plan. Amnon is already "sick": he should play that up. Let his father see him worn out and bedraggled. When David asks, Amnon is to say only food prepared by Tamar can save him (2 Samuel 13:4–6).

"Crafty" is from the Hebrew hakam. It can mean clever, skillful, even wise, but in the Old Testament, it's never used positively. Satan was "the serpent [who] was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made" (Genesis 3:1). God "catches the wise in their own craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end" (Job 5:13).

Jonadab continues to have a minor role in the story (2 Samuel 13:32), but we're never told why he has inserted himself into the prince's affairs. We don't know if he's causing political turmoil for his own gain or if he's just a natural meddler. Either way, God uses his sinful personality to fulfill God's curses against David (2 Samuel 12:10–12).

Shimeah is also known as Shammah. He's David's third-oldest brother and was present when Samuel anointed David as king and when David killed Goliath (1 Samuel 16:9–13; 17:13).

Second Samuel 13:1–6 relates how David's son Amnon initiates God's curse. Amnon lusts after his half-sister Tamar, but can't access her because she's an un-betrothed virgin. Amnon follows a cousin's scheme to get her alone. He pretends to be sick and asks his father to send Tamar to care for him. This leads to assault and (2 Samuel 13:14) plots for revenge (2 Samuel 13:22).

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).

Second Samuel continues the story of David, who will become king over Judah. The other tribes of Israel are resistant, eventually sparking a civil war. David wins and makes Jerusalem his capital. Early success is followed by moral failure and controversy in David's house. The book of 1 Kings will begin by detailing David's decline and death.