41 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Tamar put ashes on her head,.... In token of sorrow and distress; see Joshua 7:6; and rent her garment of divers colours that [was] on her; signifying that her virginity was rent from her in a forcible manner, or that she was ravished: and laid her hand on her head; through grief and shame; see Jeremiah 2:37; and went on crying; from Amnon's...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Absalom her brother said unto her,.... Either meeting her in the street, or rather when come to his house: hath Amnon thy brother been with thee? been rude with thee, and lain with thee, which is the meaning of this modest expression; which he guessed at, having heard of her being sent to his house, and knowing his lustful disposition, and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But when King David heard of all these things,.... Of Amnon's ravishing Tamar, and turning her out of doors in that inhuman manner he did, and of her distress upon it: he was very wroth; with Amnon; but we read not of any reproof he gave him, nor of any punishment inflicted on him by him. Abarbinel thinks the reason why he was not punished was...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Absalom spake unto his brother Amnon neither good nor bad,.... That is, said nothing at all to him about the rape of his sister; not that he was sulky with him, and would not converse with him at all; for then Amnon would have mistrusted that he was meditating revenge, and therefore would have been upon his guard; but on the contrary he talked...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it came to pass after two full years,.... Two complete years after the rape was committed; so long Absalom kept it in his mind, and was contriving how to avenge it; he let it alone so long, that it might be thought by the king and Amnon, and all the family, that it was quite worn out of his mind, and entirely forgotten by him, and therefore...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Absalom came to the king,.... At Jerusalem, to invite him in person: and said, behold now, thy servant hath sheepshearers; persons employed in shearing his sheep: and this being a time of entertainment and joy, let the king, I beseech thee, and his servants, go with thy servant; he invited the king and the whole royal family to go with him to...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the king said to Absalom, nay, my son, let us not all now go,.... He did not object to the invitation entirely, he was willing some of the family should go, but not all; it seems probable that he particularly excepted himself and his eldest son, the heir to his crown, for the reason following: lest we be chargeable unto thee; one or two...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then said Absalom, if not,.... If it is not thy pleasure to go with me, if I cannot have the honour of thy company: I pray thee, let my brother Amnon go with us; let me have the next mark of honour that can be given me, the presence of the king's eldest son, and heir to the crown; he seems to express affection for him, and a particular desire of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But Absalom pressed him,.... Which one would think would have increased his suspicion, if he had any, or have raised it in him; but his mind was blinded, that Amnon's incest might be punished and the threatening to David and his house be fulfilled on account of the affair of Uriah and Bathsheba: that he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Now Absalom had commanded his servants,.... Before he and his guests were set down to the entertainment: saying, mark ye now when Amnon's heart is merry with wine; as he was determined to make him if possible, and as he supposed he would be, knowing his inclination to drink: and when I say unto you, smite Amnon, then kill him; smite him that he...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded,.... They smote him, and killed him, when he gave the word: then all the king's sons arose; from the feast, imagining they were all designed to be slain: and every man gat him up upon his mule, and fled; creatures much used in Judea instead of horses, which, though they might not...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it came to pass while they were in the way,.... On their road homewards, before they got to Jerusalem: that tidings came to David; perhaps brought by one who was at the entertainment, who upon seeing Amnon smitten, immediately rose up and fled with the news of it to David: saying, Absalom hath slain all the king's sons, and there is not one of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then the king arose, and tore his garments,.... In token of extreme grief and sorrow, as Jacob did when he was shown the coat of Joseph, supposing him to have been slain, as David thought all his sons were, Genesis 37:34; and lay on the earth; on the bare ground, another token of mourning; so Job did on hearing the death of his sons, Job 1:20; and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David's brother,.... The same that advised Amnon to feign himself sick, to get Tamar sent to him, that he might enjoy her, 2 Samuel 13:3; answered and said; said in answer to the report brought to the king, which threw him into such an agony: let not my lord suppose [that] they have slain all the young men the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Now therefore let not my lord the king take the thing to his heart,.... Neither suppose it, nor be troubled for it: to think that all the king's sons are dead: which was not to be thought, nor could any good reason be given for such a supposition for Amnon only is dead; he repeats it again with great assurance, which seems to confirm the suspicion...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But Absalom fled,.... He who promised his servants protection could not protect himself, and who no doubt fled with him; he knew what he had done was death by law, and that there was no city of refuge for such sort of murder as this, and he had no reason to hope the king would suffer so foul a crime as this to pass unpunished: and the young man...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Jonadab said to the king, behold, the king's sons come,.... For as they came nearer, it was plainly discovered that they were the king's sons, seen on the side of the hill: as thy servant said, so it is; he seems to applaud himself, and exult at his penetration and foresight.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of speaking,.... As soon as the above words were out of his mouth: that, behold, the king's sons came: into the palace, and into the apartment where the king was: and lifted up their voice and wept; not being able to tell the sorrowful news with their mouths, but declared it by gestures: and the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But Absalom fled,.... As before related, but here repeated for the sake of what follows: and went to Talmai, the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur: his mother's father, see 2 Samuel 3:3, where he might hope for protection and safety: and [David] mourned for his son every day; or "all the days" (q), i.e. of the three years Absalom was in Geshur, about...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
So Absalom fled,.... This is the third time it is mentioned, and the reason of it here Abarbinel thinks is, that when he first fled to his grandfather, he used to stand openly in the court of his palace, and go with him wherever he went from place to place; but when he understood that his father mourned so for the death of Amnon, he was afraid he...