What does Absalom command his servants to do to Amnon at the sheep-shearing feast?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

He tells them to watch until Amnon is drunk with wine, then strike and kill him at his command. They carry out the order, and the king’s other sons flee on their mules.

Chapter breakdown

After this, David’s son Amnon loves Thamar, the very beautiful sister of David’s son Absalom. He is so fond of her that he falls sick for love of her. Because she is a virgin, he thinks it hard to do anything dishonestly with her. Amnon has a friend, Jonadab, son of Semmaa, David’s brother, whom the passage calls a very wise man.

Challoner’s separate note explains very wise as crafty and subtle. It says the advice Jonadab gives on this occasion shows his wisdom to be only carnal and worldly.

Jonadab asks why the king’s son grows lean day after day and does not tell him why. Amnon says he loves Thamar, his brother Absalom’s sister. Jonadab tells him to lie in bed and pretend to be sick. When his father visits, he is to ask for his sister Thamar to come, give him food and prepare a dish so he can eat from her hand. Amnon pretends to be sick. When the king visits, he asks for Thamar to make two little dishes in his sight so he can eat from her hand. David sends word to Thamar at home to go to her brother Amnon’s house and make him food.

Thamar comes to Amnon’s house while he lies down. She takes meal, mixes it and prepares the little dishes in his sight. She pours out the food she has boiled and puts it before him, but he refuses to eat. He orders everyone sent out. After they leave, he tells Thamar to bring the food into the chamber so he can eat from her hand. She brings the dishes there and presents the food. He takes hold of her and tells his sister to lie with him.

Thamar asks her brother not to force her, saying no such thing must be done in Israel and calling it folly. She says she cannot bear her shame and he will be like one of Israel’s fools. Instead, she asks him to speak to the king, who, she says, will not deny her to him. Amnon ignores her pleas. Being stronger, he overpowers her and has intercourse with her against her will. He then hates her with a hatred greater than his earlier love and tells her to get up and leave. Thamar says the evil of driving her away is greater than what he did before, but he again refuses to listen.

Amnon orders the servants who attend him to throw the woman out and shut the door behind her. Thamar wears a long robe, the kind worn by the king’s virgin daughters. His servant throws her out and shuts the door. She puts ashes on her head, tears her robe, lays her hands on her head and goes on crying. Her brother Absalom asks whether Amnon has lain with her. He tells her to keep quiet because Amnon is her brother and not to afflict her heart over this. Thamar remains pining away in Absalom’s house. David hears and is deeply grieved, but will not afflict Amnon’s spirit because he loves him as his firstborn. Absalom speaks neither good nor evil to Amnon, hating him because he has raped Thamar.

Two years later, Absalom’s sheep are shorn at Baalhasor near Ephraim, and he invites all the king’s sons. He also asks the king and his servants to come. David refuses, saying they should not all come and burden him with the cost. Absalom presses him, but David still refuses and blesses him. Absalom asks that, if David will not come, at least his brother Amnon may come with them. David says Amnon need not go. Absalom presses him until he allows Amnon and all the king’s sons to go. Absalom makes a feast like a king’s feast.

Absalom has ordered his servants to watch until Amnon is drunk with wine. When Absalom tells them to strike and kill him, they must not fear, because he gives the command; he tells them to be courageous and valiant. They do to Amnon as he commands. The king’s sons get up, each mounts his mule, and they flee. While they are still on the way, a rumour reaches David that Absalom has killed all the king’s sons and none remain. David rises, tears his clothes and falls to the ground. The servants standing around him tear their clothes too.

Jonadab, son of Semmaa, David’s brother, tells the king not to think all his sons have been killed. Only Amnon is dead, he says, because Absalom had appointed him to death from the day he raped Thamar. He repeats that David must not take the report of all his sons’ deaths to heart. Absalom flees. The young watchman looks up and sees many people coming by a by-way beside the mountain. Jonadab points out that the king’s sons are coming, as he said. As he finishes speaking, they arrive, lift their voices and weep. David and all his servants weep greatly too.

Absalom flees to Tholomai, son of Ammiud and king of Gessur. David mourns for his son every day. Absalom stays in Gessur three years. David ceases pursuing Absalom because he is comforted concerning Amnon’s death.

The story inside

Jonadab’s advice creates the pretended illness through which Amnon asks David to send Thamar. Once she has prepared the food, Amnon sends everyone else away and calls her into the chamber. Her pleas do not stop his force, and her protest afterward does not stop him throwing her out. Absalom’s hatred is expressly tied to the rape. Two years later he presses for Amnon’s attendance at the sheep-shearing feast and gives his servants a timed killing order. The other sons’ flight produces a rumour of their deaths, but Jonadab says only Amnon is dead, and their arrival confirms that they live. The chapter ends with Absalom’s three years in Gessur and David’s stated reason for ceasing pursuit. The separate Challoner note explains why Jonadab’s cleverness is not praised as sound wisdom.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Thamar speaks before and after the assault. She asks not to be forced, names shame and folly, asks Amnon to speak to the king, and later protests being sent away. Keeping her words prevents her experience from being reduced to a step in the brothers’ quarrel.
2
The source gives reasons without making every later act inevitable. David will not afflict Amnon’s spirit because he loves his firstborn; Absalom hates Amnon because of Thamar’s rape. These are stated reasons, but the chapter does not say David compelled Absalom’s killing.
3
A rumour and its correction are different evidence. David initially hears that all his sons are dead. Jonadab says only Amnon is dead, and the other sons arrive alive and weeping. Treating the first report as fact would change the event.

Test your recall

Why does David initially think all his sons are dead, and what corrects that report?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 32905–32919
2 Kings Chapter 13 Ammon ravisheth Thamar. For which Absalom killeth him, and flieth to Gessur. 13:1. And it came to pass after this that Amnon the son of David loved the sister of Absalom the son of David, who was very beautiful, and her name was Thamar. 13:2. And he was exceedingly fond of her, so that he fell sick for the love of her: for as she was a virgin, he thought it hard to do any thing dishonestly with her. 13:3. Now Amnon had a friend, named Jonadab the son of Semmaa the brother of David, a very wise man:
Lines 32921–32923
A very wise man.... That is, a crafty and subtle man: for the counsel he gave on this occasion shews that his wisdom was but carnal and worldly.
Lines 32925–32940
13:4. And he said to him: Why dost thou grow so lean from day to day, O son of the king? why dost thou not tell me the reason of it? And Amnon said to him: I am in love with Thamar the sister of my brother Absalom. 13:5. And Jonadab said to him: Lie down upon thy bed, and feign thyself sick: and when thy father shall come to visit thee, say to him: Let my sister Thamar, I pray thee, come to me, to give me to eat, and to make me a mess, that I may eat it at her hand. 13:6. So Amnon lay down, and made as if he were sick: and when the king came to visit him, Amnon said to the king: I pray thee let my sister Thamar come, and make in my sight two little messes, that I may eat at her hand. 13:7. Then David sent home to Thamar, saying: Come to the house of thy brother Amnon, and make him a mess.
Lines 32942–32955
13:8. And Thamar came to the house of Amnon her brother: but he was laid down: and she took meal and tempered it: and dissolving it in his sight she made little messes. 13:9. And taking what she had boiled, she poured it out, and set it before him, but he would not eat: and Amnon said: Put out all persons from me. And when they had put all persons out, 13:10. Amnon said to Thamar: Bring the mess into the chamber, that I may eat at thy hand. And Thamar took the little messes which she had made, and brought them in to her brother Amnon in the chamber. 13:11. And when she had presented him the meat, he took hold of her, and said: Come lie with me, my sister.
Lines 32957–32973
13:12. She answered him: Do not so, my brother, do not force me: for no such thing must be done in Israel. Do not thou this folly. 13:13. For I shall not be able to bear my shame, and thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel: but rather speak to the king, and he will not deny me to thee. 13:14. But he would not hearken to her prayers, but being stronger overpowered her and lay with her. 13:15. Then Amnon hated her with an exceeding great hatred: so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her before. And Amnon said to her: Arise, and get thee gone. 13:16. She answered him: This evil which now thou dost against me, in driving me away, is greater than that which thou didst before. And he would not hearken to her:
Lines 32975–32995
13:17. But calling the servants that ministered to him, he said: Thrust this woman out from me: and shut the door after her. 13:18. And she was clothed with a long robe: for the king’s daughters that were virgins, used such kind of garments. Then his servant thrust her out: and shut the door after her. 13:19. And she put ashes on her head, and rent her long robe and laid her hands upon her head, and went on crying. 13:20. And Absalom her brother said to her: Hath thy brother Amnon lain with thee? but now, sister, hold thy peace, he is thy brother: and afflict not thy heart for this thing. So Thamar remained pining away in the house of Absalom her brother. 13:21. And when king David heard of these things he was exceedingly grieved: and he would not afflict the spirit of his son Amnon, for he loved him, because he was his firstborn. 13:22. But Absalom spoke not to Amnon neither good nor evil: for Absalom hated Amnon because he had ravished his sister Thamar.
Lines 32997–33015
13:23. And it came to pass after two years, that the sheep of Absalom were shorn in Baalhasor, which is near Ephraim: and Absalom invited all the king’s sons: 13:24. And he came to the king, and said to him: Behold thy servant’s sheep are shorn. Let the king, I pray, with his servants come to his servant. 13:25. And the king said to Absalom: Nay, my son, do not ask that we should all come, and be chargeable to thee. And when he pressed him, and he would not go, he blessed him. 13:26. And Absalom said: If thou wilt not come, at least let my brother Amnon, I beseech thee, come with us. And the king said to him: It is not necessary that he should go with thee. 13:27. But Absalom pressed him, so that he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him. And Absalom made a feast as it were the feast of a king.
Lines 33017–33032
13:28. And Absalom had commanded his servants, saying: Take notice when Amnon shall be drunk with wine, and when I shall say to you: Strike him, and kill him, fear not: for it is I that command you: take courage, and be valiant men. 13:29. And the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded them. And all the king’s sons arose and got up every man upon his mule, and fled. 13:30. And while they were yet in the way, a rumour came to David, saying: Absalom hath slain all the king’s sons, and there is not one of them left. 13:31. Then the king rose up, and rent his garments: and fell upon the ground, and all his servants, that stood about him, rent their garments.
Lines 33034–33051
13:32. But Jonadab the son of Semmaa David’s brother answering, said: Let not my lord the king think that all the king’s sons are slain: Amnon only is dead, for he was appointed by the mouth of Absalom from the day that he ravished his sister Thamar. 13:33. Now therefore let not my lord the king take this thing into his heart, saying: All the king’s sons are slain: for Amnon only is dead. 13:34. But Absalom fled away: and the young man that kept the watch, lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold there came much people by a by-way on the side of the mountain. 13:35. And Jonadab said to the king: Behold the king’s sons are come: as thy servant said, so it is. 13:36. And when he made an end of speaking, the king’s sons also appeared: and coming in they lifted up their voice, and wept: and the king also and all his servants wept very much.
Lines 33053–33060
13:37. But Absalom fled, and went to Tholomai the son of Ammiud the king of Gessur. And David mourned for his son every day. 13:38. And Absalom after he was fled, and come into Gessur, was there three years. And king David ceased to pursue after Absalom, because he was comforted concerning the death of Amnon.