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Wednesday, July 16th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

New Living Translation

2 Samuel 13:3

But Amnon had a very crafty friend—his cousin Jonadab. He was the son of David's brother Shimea.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Adultery;   Jonadab;   Lasciviousness;   Seduction;   Shammah;   Tamar;   Thompson Chain Reference - Jonadab;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Amnon;   Jonadab;   Shammah;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Absalom;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Family Life and Relations;   Friend, Friendship;   Woman;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Jehonadab;   Jonadab;   Shammah;   Shimeah;   Tamar;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Abimelech;   David;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Amnon;   Love;   Rape;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Jehonadab;   Samuel, Books of;   Shammah;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Amnon ;   Jonadab ;   Shammah ;   Shimea, Shimeah ;   Tamar ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Absalom;   Amnon;   David;   Jonadab;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Am'non;   Bread;   Jon'adab;   Ta'mar;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Wisdom (1);  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - David;   Jehonadab;   Samuel, Books of;   Shammah;   Subtil;   Wisdom;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Absalom;   Shimei;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, a son of David’s brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very shrewd man,
Hebrew Names Version
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Yehonadav, the son of Shim`a, David's brother; and Yehonadav was a very subtle man.
King James Version
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man.
Lexham English Bible
Now Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, the brother of David. (Now Jonadab was a very crafty man.)
English Standard Version
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother. And Jonadab was a very crafty man.
New Century Version
Amnon had a friend named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother. Jonadab was a very clever man.
New English Translation
Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, the son of David's brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very crafty man.
Amplified Bible
But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very shrewd (cunning) man.
New American Standard Bible
But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very clever man.
Geneva Bible (1587)
But Amnon had a friend called Ionadab, the sonne of Shimeah Dauids brother: and Ionadab was a very subtile man.
Legacy Standard Bible
But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very shrewd man.
Contemporary English Version
Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, who was the son of David's brother Shimeah. Jonadab always knew how to get what he wanted,
Complete Jewish Bible
But Amnon had a friend named Yonadav the son of Shim‘ah David's brother; and Yonadav was a very shrewd fellow.
Darby Translation
And Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother; and Jonadab was a very shrewd man.
Easy-to-Read Version
Amnon had a friend named Jonadab son of Shimeah. (Shimeah was David's brother.) Jonadab was a very clever man.
George Lamsa Translation
But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah Davids brother; and Jonadab was a very wise man.
Good News Translation
But he had a friend, a very shrewd man named Jonadab, the son of David's brother Shammah.
Literal Translation
And Amnon had a friend, and his name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David's brother. And Jonadab was a very shrewd man.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But Ammon had a frede, whose name was Ionadab the sonne of Simea Dauids brother, And the same Ionadab was a very wyse man,
American Standard Version
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother: and Jonadab was a very subtle man.
Bible in Basic English
But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother: and Jonadab was a very wise man.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But Amnon had a frende called Ionadab, the sonne of Simah, Dauids brother: And Ionadab was a very subtile man.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother; and Jonadab was a very subtle man.
King James Version (1611)
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Ionadab, the sonne of Shimeah, Dauids brother: and Ionadab was a very subtill man.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Amnon had a friend, and his name was Jonadab, the son of Samaa the brother of David: and Jonadab was a very cunning man.
English Revised Version
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David’s brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man.
Berean Standard Bible
Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, the son of David's brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very shrewd man,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe a freend, Jonadab bi name, sone of Semmaa, brother of Dauid, `was to Amon; Jonadab was a ful prudent man.
Young's Literal Translation
And Amnon hath a friend, and his name [is] Jonadab, son of Shimeah, David's brother, and Jonadab [is] a very wise man,
Update Bible Version
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very subtle man.
Webster's Bible Translation
But Amnon had a friend, whose name [was] Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother: and Jonadab [was] a very subtil man.
World English Bible
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very subtle man.
New King James Version
But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David's brother. Now Jonadab was a very crafty man.
New Life Bible
But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab. He was the son of David's brother Shimeah. And Jonadab was very good at making plans.
New Revised Standard
But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of David's brother Shimeah; and Jonadab was a very crafty man.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, Amnon, had a friend, whose name, was Jonadab, son of Shimeah, David's brother, - and, Jonadab, was a very cunning man.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Now Ammon had a friend, named Jonadab the son of Semmaa the brother of David, a very wise man:
Revised Standard Version
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jon'adab, the son of Shim'e-ah, David's brother; and Jon'adab was a very crafty man.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very shrewd man.

Contextual Overview

1 Now David's son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar. And Amnon, her half brother, fell desperately in love with her. 2 Amnon became so obsessed with Tamar that he became ill. She was a virgin, and Amnon thought he could never have her. 3 But Amnon had a very crafty friend—his cousin Jonadab. He was the son of David's brother Shimea. 4 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." 5 "Well," Jonadab said, "I'll tell you what to do. Go back to bed and pretend you are ill. When your father comes to see you, ask him to let Tamar come and prepare some food for you. Tell him you'll feel better if she prepares it as you watch and feeds you with her own hands." 6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick. And when the king came to see him, Amnon asked him, "Please let my sister Tamar come and cook my favorite dish as I watch. Then I can eat it from her own hands." 7 So David agreed and sent Tamar to Amnon's house to prepare some food for him. 8 When Tamar arrived at Amnon's house, she went to the place where he was lying down so he could watch her mix some dough. Then she baked his favorite dish for him. 9 But when she set the serving tray before him, he refused to eat. "Everyone get out of here," Amnon told his servants. So they all left. 10 Then he said to Tamar, "Now bring the food into my bedroom and feed it to me here." So Tamar took his favorite dish to him.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a friend: Genesis 38:1, Genesis 38:20, Judges 14:20, Esther 5:10, Esther 5:14, Esther 6:13, Proverbs 19:6

Shimeah: 2 Samuel 13:32, 1 Samuel 16:9

Shimeah: subtil man, 2 Samuel 14:2, 2 Samuel 14:19, 2 Samuel 14:20, Genesis 3:1, Jeremiah 4:22, 1 Corinthians 3:19, James 3:15

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 17:13 - Shammah 1 Chronicles 27:32 - uncle Luke 16:8 - done

Cross-References

Genesis 12:6
Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites.
Genesis 13:8
Finally Abram said to Lot, "Let's not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives!
Genesis 13:9
The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I'll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I'll go to the left."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But Amnon had a friend,.... Though in the issue his friendship proved his ruin:

whose name [was] Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother; so that they were own cousins, the same with Shammah, 1 Samuel 16:9;

and Jonadab [was] a very subtle man; a very penetrating man into the dispositions of men, and could judge by their countenances what they were, and the affections of their minds, and had a talent in forming schemes; he was wise to do evil and was wickedly cunning.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Shimeah - Called Shamma (marginal reference), was Jesse’s third son.

Subtil - literally, wise. The word is generally used in a good sense, but here, and in Job 5:13, it means crafty.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 13:3. Jonadab was a very subtle man. — And most diabolic advice did he give to his cousin. We talk of the simplicity and excellence of primitive times! "Say not thou what is the cause that the former days were better than these." Take them altogether, we may thank God that they are past, and pray him that they may never return.


 
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