What is the meaning of 2 Samuel 13:2?

Amnon was sick with frustration

• 2 Samuel 13:2 records: “Amnon was frustrated to the point of illness on account of his sister Tamar…”

• Desire left unchecked can affect the body. Proverbs 13:12 notes, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick,” and James 1:14-15 warns that unchecked lust conceives sin and brings forth death.

• Amnon’s physical ailment is not an excuse; it exposes the corrosive power of sinful obsession (cf. Proverbs 4:23).

• His condition foreshadows the tragedy that follows, reminding us that sin begins in the heart long before outward actions appear (Mark 7:21-23).

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over his sister Tamar

• Tamar was Amnon’s half-sister, a relationship strictly forbidden (Leviticus 18:9; Deuteronomy 27:22).

• The family connection heightens the moral offense; what should have evoked brotherly protection instead stirred predatory desire (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:1 for New-Testament abhorrence of incest).

• David’s household already bore scars from David’s own moral failure with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). The text quietly suggests how parental compromise can ripple through a family (Exodus 20:5).

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for she was a virgin

• As a royal virgin daughter, Tamar lived in guarded quarters and wore a special robe (2 Samuel 13:18). Her status symbolized purity and the hope of an honorable marriage (Deuteronomy 22:13-19).

• Amnon’s desire was therefore not simply lustful but also predatory, targeting one whom God’s law and social custom were designed to protect.

• Scripture consistently links sexual purity with covenant faithfulness (2 Corinthians 11:2; Revelation 14:4). Tamar’s virginity underscores how grievous Amnon’s intent truly was.

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and it seemed implausible for him to do anything to her

• Social and legal restraints initially blocked Amnon. “It seemed impossible for him,” yet his sinful imagination kept probing for a path (Proverbs 1:10-16).

• 1 Corinthians 10:13 promises that God provides a way of escape from temptation; Amnon chose the opposite route, later soliciting Jonadab’s cunning plan (2 Samuel 13:3-5).

• The verse exposes the moment between temptation and action—a critical juncture where turning to God’s provision could have prevented disaster (Psalm 119:9, 11).

• When godly boundaries feel “implausible,” the believer must remember that obedience, not gratification, is the path to life (Romans 8:13; Galatians 5:24).

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summary

• Amnon’s bodily sickness reveals how unchecked lust corrupts from the inside out.

• Targeting his own sister flagrantly violated God’s clear commands and the protective design of family relationships.

• Tamar’s virginity heightened both the moral gravity and the protective barriers God had established.

• The “impossibility” Amnon felt was actually divine mercy—yet he chose to press through the barrier rather than flee temptation.

This verse therefore stands as a sober warning: sinful desire, if entertained, blinds the heart, breaches God-given boundaries, and leads to catastrophic harm.