8. David’s daughter Tamar was raped by David’s son Amnon
In 2 Samuel is found the story of Tamar, a daughter of David, being raped by Amnon, a son of David and a half-brother of Tamar, as the two were born to different wives of David. Amnon feigned illness and when visited by David asks his father to send his half-sister Tamar to him with food. When Tamar arrived with the food, Amnon ordered all men out of the house and then asked Tamar to feed him in his bedchamber, to which she agreed. When she entered the room Amnon, “took hold of her, and said unto her, come lie with me, my sister”. Tamar refused, protesting, “Nay my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly”.
2 Samuel goes on to relate that Amnon ignored his half-sister’s protest. “Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her”. After the rape, Amnon “hated her exceedingly” and dismissed her from his presence by saying, “Arise and be gone”, and calling for one of his servants to “put now this woman out from me, and bolt the door after her”. David heard of the rape and was angered by it, but did not punish his son. Tamar’s brother, Absalom, half-brother to Amnon, later killed him for the rape of his sister, two years after the act of incestuous rape occurred.
