2 Samuel 13:31 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then the king arose and tore his garments and lay on the earth. And all his servants who were standing by tore their garments.

NIV: The king stood up, tore his clothes and lay down on the ground; and all his attendants stood by with their clothes torn.

NASB: Then the king stood up, tore his clothes, and lay on the ground; and all his servants were standing by with clothes torn.

CSB: In response the king stood up, tore his clothes, and lay down on the ground, and all his servants stood by with their clothes torn.

NLT: The king got up, tore his robe, and threw himself on the ground. His advisers also tore their clothes in horror and sorrow.

KJV: Then the king arose, and tare his garments, and lay on the earth; and all his servants stood by with their clothes rent.

NKJV: So the king arose and tore his garments and lay on the ground, and all his servants stood by with their clothes torn.

David has received a false report, and he believes it. Someone has arrived with news from Absalom's feast in the hill country of Ephraim. The messenger reports that Absalom has murdered all of David's sons. David had at least 19 sons who reached adulthood. Such a slaughter would have been a grave blow to any man. In the traditional sign of grief and mourning, David tears the clothes he is wearing and lays face down on the ground. The servants gathered around him do the same thing.

David took this same posture before his infant son with Bathsheba died (2 Samuel 12:16–17). This loss would be greater by far, both personally for David as a father and for his kingdom. The strength of kings was measured, in part, by the number of their sons.

Before an accurate account can reach David, his nephew reassures him. Jonadab insists that Absalom didn't kill all of his half-brothers: just Amnon. Amnon raped Absalom's sister, Tamar, and Absalom has been waiting two years to take revenge (2 Samuel 13:32–33.

We don't know what insider information Jonadab has: if he spoke to Absalom, overhead something, or figured it out on his own. He's known as very crafty, not unlike the serpent in the garden. And when Amnon lay tormented because of his lust for Tamar, it was Jonadab who came up with the plan that allowed Amnon to rape her (2 Samuel 13:1–5).

When news comes that only Amnon is dead, Jonadab reminds David of his words (2 Samuel 13:35). It's unclear what Jonadab's intent is. If he's trying to win political power, it doesn't seem to work; he's not mentioned again.

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).

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.