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2 Samuel 13:30–33

And it came to pass, while they were on the way, that news came to David, saying, “Absalom has killed all the king’s sons, and not one of them is left!” So the king arose and tore his garments and lay on the ground (vv. 30–31a).

In the confusion and panic that ensues after Absalom’s servants kill Amnon, a rumor starts flying: that all of the king’s sons have been slain. This rumor truly flies—it somehow reaches David’s ears before any of his sons return from Absalom’s feast. But David, of course, has no idea that the truth has been exaggerated, and he is overwhelmed with grief. Tearing his clothes, he prostrates himself on the ground in mourning, and his servants, equally stunned, also rip their garments.

Then Jonadab re-enters the picture. He conspired with Amnon to entice Tamar to Amnon’s home and bedside. Now, it seems, he has conspired with Absalom in his plans to murder Amnon, or that he at least had heard what was up. He quietly informs his uncle the king that the rumor is false, and that Amnon is the only one of David’s sons who has lost his life. He then goes on to explain that Absalom has been plotting Amnon’s death ever since the rape of Tamar, and this was the day chosen by Absalom for the exacting of his revenge. Therefore, he says, David should not ‘ “take [the rumor] to his heart” ‘ in other words, he should not believe it.

It has become apparent what sort of person is Jonadab: an instigator of evil and an accessory to it. It is simply incredible that he possessed “insider information” about Absalom’s plans, but allowed his cousin, the king’s firstborn son, to be slain in cold blood. “What a wicked man was he, if he knew all this or had any cause to suspect it, that he did not make David acquainted with it sooner, that means might be used to make up the quarrel, or at least that David might not throw Amnon into the mouth of danger by letting him go to Absalom’s house,” Matthew Henry writes in his commentary.

But perhaps equally incredible is the fact that David never takes Jonadab to task for this failure. It is perhaps understandable that David does nothing at this moment, when his mind is occupied with sorting out the truth of what has happened in Baal Hazor. But Scripture nowhere records any punitive action against Jonadab. This apparent inaction by David fits with his previously displayed tendency to show leniency toward members of his family. God ordained that violence should wrack his family from within (12:11), but his tolerance of sin by those close to him only sharpens the “sword” (12:10).

Coram Deo Living before the face of God

We are in a battle against sin—both in our lives and in the world. We must discipline ourselves for godliness, but we also ought to do all in our power to thwart evil. As Henry writes, “If we do not our utmost to prevent mischief, we make ourselves accessory to it.” Pray for strength to stand against evil plans, even if you must stand alone.


For Further Study
  • 1 Cor. 9:27
  • 1 Tim. 4:7; 6:12
  • James 4:1
  • 1 Peter 2:11

    Sins of the Father

    David’s Lost Sons

    Keep Reading George Whitefield: Predestined to Preach

    From the October 2003 Issue
    Oct 2003 Issue