gq How can Icither endure or avoid the ſhame and reproach o: " it ? 77, e. Loathſom and contemptible to all the People, wherea now thou artin great Reputation, and Heir apparent ot the Crown JS This the ſpake, either beeauſe ſhe did not underſtand, or not re- member that the Law of God prohibited ſuch Marriages bet veen Brother and his half-Siſter ; or, becauſe ſhe thought her Royal Fa ther could or would diſpenſe with it, upon this extra»rdinary oc caſion, ro ſave his firſt-born Son's Life: or, that by this pretenc. ſhe might free her ſelf from her preſent and moſt urgent dan- ger, knowing ſhe ſhould have opportunity enough to preven: other miſchiefs. ;
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+ Heb.
with grear, 24 Howbeit, he would not hearken unto her voice Latred but being ſtronger than ſhe, forced her, and lay with he: greatly 15T Then Amnon hated her | exceedingly s, fo tha:
the hatred wherewith he hated her, was greater than the love wherewith he had loyed her : and Amnon f{aic
| unto her, Ariſe, be gone,
I s Partly, becauſe his Luft being now ſatisfi?d, his mind and Con
ſcience had a true and clear proſpeR, an1 deep ſenſe of the narura!
turpitude and baſeneſs of the Attion, and of that ſhame, and con-
| tempt, and loſs, and miſchief, which was 1:kely to follow it and con-
ry ſequently an utter Averſion from her who had been the Inftrum-nr and occaſion of his Sin ; and principally, by the juſt Judgment o- God both upon Azmon and David, that fo the f11 might be madepu - lick, and way made for the ſucceeding Tragedies: for otherwiſe it wou'd probably produce Loveand Kindneſs ro her, as it didin ano- ther, Gen. 34. 2, 3. eſpecially in him, whom both Nature and In tereſt, and even luſt itſelf, obliged to allay her grief and ſhame, by all poſſible Demonſtrations of Kindneſs.
16 And he ſaid unto him, There 3s no cauſe .*. « this
evil in ſending me away, is greater than the other 7 that chou didſt unto me : but he would not hearken unto
her.
.. To wit, given theeby me. # This ſhe might truely ſay, becauſe though the other was in it ſeIfa greater ſin,yet this was an A of greater inhumanity and barbarous Cruelty, & a greater wrong and Calamity ro her ( which ſhe means by evil ) becauſe it expoſed her eo publick infamy and contempt, as if ſhe had been an impudent Strumpet- and had either enticed him t2 the fin, or at leaſt con- ſented roit ; and beſides, it turned a privat offence into a publick
ſcandal, to the great diſhonour of God and of his people Jrae!. _ and eſpecially of all the Royal Family, and was likely to cauſe gire- * Ful Paſſions, and Breaches, and Milchicfs among them, :
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tence, goes into another ſecret Chamber, where he might have the'
17 Then he called his ſervant that miniſtred unto
him, and ſaid, pe now this woman out from me, and bolt the door after her. ; . 18 Andſhe had a Garment of divers colours « upon her : for with ſuch robes were che kings Daughters that were Virgins apparrelled. Then his ſervant brought hec out, and bolted the door after her.
z Of Embroidered work. Compare Gen. 37, 3» |
19 4 And Tamar put aſhes on her head, andrene her garmept x of divers colours that was on her, and laid her hand on her head, and went on, crying z.
x To ſignifie her grief for ſome CaJamity which had befallen her and what that was, concurring circumſtances did ealily diſcover. » Intoken of grief and ſhame. as if ſhe were unable and athamed to ſhew her face. See Jer. 2. 37. z To manifeſt her abhorrency of the Fa, and that it was not done by her conſent.
20 And Abſalom her brother {aid unto her, Hath Amnon thy brother been with thee a? but hold now thy peace, my ſiſter : he js thy Brother b, | regardnot this thing c. So Tamar remained Þ deſolate d in her,,,,",
brother Abſalems houſe. + Heb, 2 i, e. Lien with thee. Behold and imitate the modeſty of Scrip- and was de. ture expreſſions. b Therefore thou muſt forgive and forget the Inju- ſo/ate, ry ; therefore thy diſgracing of him will be a blot to us all: there- fore thou wilrſt not get right fiomDavid againſt him, becauſe he is asnear and dear to him as thou : therefore thy diſhonour is the leſs, becaule thou waſt not abuſed by any mean Ferſon, bur by a King's Son : therefore this cvil muſt be born, becauſe it cannot be tevenged. And thus he covers his deſign of taking vengeance upon him ar the firſt opportunity c So as to torment thy 1elf 4 NegleQted and forſaken by others, none now ſeeking herin Marriage ; and through thame and dejettion of Mind giving her ſelf up to ſolitude and retirement. 21 © But when king David heard of all theſe things, he was very wroth e. e To wit, with Amon : whom yet he did not puniſh, at leaſt ſo ſeverely as he ſhould: either from the conſcience of his own guilt in the like kind; or, from thar foolith Indulgence which he efr thewed to his Children : or becaule the caſe was perplexcd : for if he had been pur to death for the Fa&, by vertve of that Law, Deut. 22 23. 24, ſhe alſo, who was innocent muſt have died with him, becauſe ſhe did not cry out: although indeed that Law did nor reach the preſent caſe Tamargnot being betrothed to an Husband ; and torthe tollowing Law conCerning a Virgin nct betrothed. that could have no place here: he could not force Amnon to marry Tamar, becauſe chat Marriage had been inceſtuous. oh 22 And Abſalom ſpake unto his brother Amnon nei-
ther good nor bad f : for g Abſalom hated Amnon, becauſe he had forced his ſiſter Tamar.
f i. e. He ſaid nothing at all to him ; to wit, about that buſineſs [t 1s a ſynecdochical Expreſſion, uſcd in like manner, Gen 3 1. 24. He 1either debated it with him, nor threatned him for it; bur ſeemed willing to cover it and paſs it by with Brotherly kindneſs. For if ne had wholly forborn all diſcourſe and converſe with him, it would have raiſed great jealouſfies in Amnon and David, and hindred aim in his intendsd and deſired revenge. Or rather, but, or *h:ugh, as the Hebrew Particle, Chi, commoniy ſignifte- ; for the fol- iowing Clauſe is not added as a Reaſon of the former, but by way of exception or oppoſition. Though he outwardly expreſſed no diſlike of the Fat, yer he inward!y hated him.
23 T And it came to paſs after rwo full years .*., chat Abſaiom * had ſheep-ſhearers þ in Baal-Hazor, , |c. which zs belides Ephraim z 3: And Abſalom invited all z;.,, che kings ſons.