Amnon and Tamar

After King David's affair with Bathsheba,
Uriah's wife, discord beset David's reign.
Feigning illness, David's eldest son Amnon
requested that Tamar help nurse him to health.

Making investigations, the king discovered
Amnon's love-lust for his half-sister,
and his request a foolish strategy
devised by David's nephew Jonadab,

permitting Amnon to seduce or rape Tamar.
Fearing the evil that the prophet Nathan
prophesized out of the king's own house,
David devised his counter stratagem,

sabotaging his eldest princes' chances—
dispossessing and deposing their father and king.
Searching his shepherd's pouch of tricks, David
found the perfect stone, and spun his sling.

And cunning David said to his daughter
Tamar, treasured by all his princes,
"Amnon desires you feed him cake.
Seek out his intentions I approve."

Tamar stood beside Amnon's bed
gently lifting crumbs of cake to his lips,
and Amnon grasped Tamar's wrist,
and pulled her to him. And she

struggled and said, "Stop this nonsense.
Speak to the king, for he will give you
my hand." But being stronger, Amnon
had his way with her, and like a whore

told her to leave. Tamar's brother Absalom,
the other princes, and King David were very
angry when they heard all these things.

When all the princes were drunk on wine
at a party at Absalom's house, David's
second son Chileab, named Daniel
in the Chronicles, killed Amnon, and

Absalom became heir to King David's throne.

Podcast: Amnon and Tamar

© Elmer Wiens