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Wednesday, August 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Good News Translation

2 Samuel 13:4

Jonadab said to Amnon, "You are the king's son, yet day after day I see you looking sad. What's the matter?" "I'm in love with Tamar, the sister of my half brother Absalom," he answered.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Adultery;   Jonadab;   Lasciviousness;   Seduction;   Tamar;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Amnon;   Jonadab;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Absalom;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Family Life and Relations;   Friend, Friendship;   Woman;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Jehonadab;   Tamar;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Abimelech;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Amnon;   Love;   Rape;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Love, Lover, Lovely, Beloved;   Samuel, Books of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Amnon ;   Tamar ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Absalom;   Amnon;   David;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Am'non;   Ta'mar;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Samuel, Books of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Absalom;   Brother;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
and he asked Amnon, “Why are you, the king’s son, so miserable every morning? Won’t you tell me?”
Hebrew Names Version
He said to him, Why, son of the king, are you thus lean from day to day? Won't you tell me? Amnon said to him, I love Tamar, my brother Avshalom's sister.
King James Version
And he said unto him, Why art thou, being the king's son, lean from day to day? wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.
Lexham English Bible
And he said to him, "Why are you so sullen every morning, O son of the king? Will you not tell me?" And Amnon said to him, "I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom."
English Standard Version
And he said to him, "O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?" Amnon said to him, "I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister."
New Century Version
He asked Amnon, "Son of the king, why do you look so sad day after day? Tell me what's wrong!" Amnon told him, "I love Tamar, the sister of my half-brother Absalom."
New English Translation
He asked Amnon, "Why are you, the king's son, so depressed every morning? Can't you tell me?" So Amnon said to him, "I'm in love with Tamar the sister of my brother Absalom."
Amplified Bible
He said to Amnon, "Why are you, the king's son, so depressed morning after morning? Will you not tell me?" And Amnon said to him, "I am in love with Tamar, my [half-] brother Absalom's sister."
New American Standard Bible
And he said to him, "Why are you, the king's son, so depressed morning after morning? Will you not tell me?" So Amnon said to him, "I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom."
Geneva Bible (1587)
Who sayde vnto him, Why art thou the Kings sonne so leane from day to day? wilt thou not tell me? Then Amnon answered him, I loue Tamar my brother Absaloms sister.
Legacy Standard Bible
And he said to him, "O son of the king, why are you so depressed morning after morning? Will you not tell me?" Then Amnon said to him, "I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom."
Contemporary English Version
and he said to Amnon, "What's the matter? You're the king's son! You shouldn't have to go around feeling sorry for yourself every morning." Amnon said, "I'm in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister."
Complete Jewish Bible
He asked him, "Why, son of the king, are you growing thinner every day? Won't you tell me?" Amnon answered him, "I'm in love with Tamar, my brother Avshalom's sister."
Darby Translation
And he said to him, Why dost thou, the king's son, get thinner from morning to morning? Wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said to him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.
Easy-to-Read Version
He said to Amnon, "You are the king's son. So why do you always look so sad? Tell me what the trouble is!" Amnon told Jonadab, "I love Tamar. But she is the sister of my half-brother Absalom."
George Lamsa Translation
And he said to Amnon, O son of the king why are you so losing weight from day to day? Will you not tell me? And Amnon said to him, I love Tamar, my brother Absaloms sister.
Literal Translation
And he said to him, Why are you, the king's son, so lean morning by morning? Will you not tell me? And Amnon said to him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
which sayde vnto him: Why art thou so leane (thou kynges sonne) from daye to daye? Mayest thou not tell me? Then sayde Ammon vnto him: I loue Thamar my brother Absaloms sister exceadingly.
American Standard Version
And he said unto him, Why, O son of the king, art thou thus lean from day to day? wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.
Bible in Basic English
And he said to him, O son of the king, why are you getting thinner day by day? will you not say what your trouble is? And Amnon said to him, I am in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he said vnto him: How commeth it, that thou being the kinges sonne, art thus consumed from day to day? Wylt thou not tell me? Amnon aunswered him: I loue Thamar my brother Absaloms sister.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he said unto him: 'Why, O son of the king, art thou thus becoming leaner from day to day? wilt thou not tell me?' And Amnon said unto him: 'I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.'
King James Version (1611)
And he saide vnto him, Why art thou, being the Kings sonne, leane from day to day? Wilt thou not tel me? and Amnon said vnto him, I loue Tamar my brother Absaloms sister.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he said to him, What ails thee that thou art thus weak? O son of the king, morning by morning? wilt thou not tell me? and Ammon said, I love Themar the sister of my brother Abessalom.
English Revised Version
And he said unto him, Why, O son of the king, art thou thus lean from day to day? wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.
Berean Standard Bible
so he asked Amnon, "Why are you, the son of the king, so depressed morning after morning? Won't you tell me?" Amnon replied, "I am in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Which seide to Amon, Sone of the kyng, whi art thou maad feble so bi leenesse bi alle daies? whi schewist thou not to me? And Amon seide to him, Y loue Thamar, the sister of my brother Absolon.
Young's Literal Translation
and saith to him, `Wherefore [art] thou thus lean, O king's son, morning by morning? dost thou not declare to me?' And Amnon saith to him, `Tamar -- sister of Absalom my brother -- I am loving.'
Update Bible Version
And he said to him, Why, O son of the king, are you thus lean from day to day? will you not tell me? And Amnon said to him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.
Webster's Bible Translation
And he said to him, Why [art] thou, [being] the king's son, pining from day to day? wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said to him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.
World English Bible
He said to him, Why, son of the king, are you thus lean from day to day? Won't you tell me? Amnon said to him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.
New King James Version
And he said to him, "Why are you, the king's son, becoming thinner day after day? Will you not tell me?" Amnon said to him, "I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister."
New Living Translation
One day Jonadab said to Amnon, "What's the trouble? Why should the son of a king look so dejected morning after morning?" So Amnon told him, "I am in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister."
New Life Bible
He said to Amnon, "O son of the king, why are you so sad from day to day? Will you not tell me?" Amnon said to him, "I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom."
New Revised Standard
He said to him, "O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?" Amnon said to him, "I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So he said to him, - Why art thou looking so wretched - a king's son too - morning by morning? Wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said to him, With Tamar, my brother Absolom's sister, am I in love.
Douay-Rheims Bible
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 Ammon said to him: I am in love with Thamar the sister of my brother Absalom.
Revised Standard Version
And he said to him, "O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?" Amnon said to him, "I love Tamar, my brother Ab'salom's sister."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
He said to him, "O son of the king, why are you so depressed morning after morning? Will you not tell me?" Then Amnon said to him, "I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom."

Contextual Overview

1 David's son Absalom had a beautiful unmarried sister named Tamar. Amnon, another of David's sons, fell in love with her. 2 He was so much in love with her that he became sick, because it seemed impossible for him to have her; as a virgin, she was kept from meeting men. 3 But he had a friend, a very shrewd man named Jonadab, the son of David's brother Shammah. 4 Jonadab said to Amnon, "You are the king's son, yet day after day I see you looking sad. What's the matter?" "I'm in love with Tamar, the sister of my half brother Absalom," he answered. 5 Jonadab said to him, "Pretend that you are sick and go to bed. When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please ask my sister Tamar to come and feed me. I want her to fix the food here where I can see her, and then serve it to me herself.'" 6 So Amnon pretended that he was sick and went to bed. King David went to see him, and Amnon said to him, "Please let Tamar come and make a few cakes here where I can see her, and then serve them to me herself." 7 So David sent word to Tamar in the palace: "Go to Amnon's house and fix him some food." 8 She went there and found him in bed. She took some dough, prepared it, and made some cakes there where he could see her. Then she baked the cakes 9 and emptied them out of the pan for him to eat, but he wouldn't. He said, "Send everyone away"—and they all left. 10 Then he said to her, "Bring the cakes here to my bed and serve them to me yourself." She took the cakes and went over to him.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Why art: 1 Kings 21:7, Esther 5:13, Esther 5:14, Luke 12:32

lean: Heb. thin

from day to day: Heb. morning by morning, I love. Isaiah 3:9, Jeremiah 8:12, Micah 7:3

my brother: Leviticus 18:9, Leviticus 20:17

Reciprocal: Genesis 40:7 - Wherefore Numbers 11:6 - General 1 Kings 21:4 - And he laid him 1 Kings 21:5 - Why is thy spirit Esther 2:4 - the thing 2 Corinthians 7:10 - the sorrow

Cross-References

Genesis 4:26
Seth had a son whom he named Enosh. It was then that people began using the Lord 's holy name in worship.
Genesis 13:1
Abram went north out of Egypt to the southern part of Canaan with his wife and everything he owned, and Lot went with him.
Genesis 13:2
Abram was a very rich man, with sheep, goats, and cattle, as well as silver and gold.
Genesis 13:3
Then he left there and moved from place to place, going toward Bethel. He reached the place between Bethel and Ai where he had camped before
Genesis 13:7
So quarrels broke out between the men who took care of Abram's animals and those who took care of Lot's animals. (At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were still living in the land.)
Genesis 13:8
Then Abram said to Lot, "We are relatives, and your men and my men shouldn't be quarreling.
Genesis 13:18
So Abram moved his camp and settled near the sacred trees of Mamre at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord .
Psalms 26:8
I love the house where you live, O Lord , the place where your glory dwells.
Psalms 84:10
One day spent in your Temple is better than a thousand anywhere else; I would rather stand at the gate of the house of my God than live in the homes of the wicked.
Psalms 107:1
"Give thanks to the Lord , because he is good; his love is eternal!"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he said unto him, why [art] thou, [being] the king's son,

lean from day today?.... Or "morning by morning", w; he was the king's eldest son, heir to the crown, fed at his table, had everything to make him gay and cheerful, and yet pined away; his flesh wasted x, his countenance waxed wan and pale, and especially in the mornings; in the daytime he met with diversions which, in some measure, took off his thoughts from the object his mind was impressed with, but in the night season they were continually employed about it; so that he could have no rest and sleep, which made him look ruefully in the morning; and this man had a suspicion of his case, and therefore put this and the following question to him:

wilt thou not tell me? who am so nearly related to thee, and who have such a particular value and affection for thee:

and Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister; he does not call her his sister, but Absalom's sister, to lessen his sin of unlawful love to her, which, being thus closely pressed, and by a friend, he could not conceal.

w בבקר בבקר, "in mane in mane", Montanus. x "Fecit amor maciem -----". Ovid Metamorph. l. 11. Fab. 11. v. 793.


 
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