King James Version
“And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and make thyself sick: and when thy father cometh to see thee, say unto him, I pray thee, let my sister Tamar come, and give me meat, and dress the meat in my sight, that I may see it, and eat it at her hand.”
2 Samuel 13:5 · KJV
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man.
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. lean: Heb. thin from day: Heb. morning by morning
And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and make thyself sick: and when thy father cometh to see thee, say unto him, I pray thee, let my sister Tamar come, and give me meat, and dress the meat in my sight, that I may see it, and eat it at her hand.
So Amnon lay down, and made himself sick: and when the king was come to see him, Amnon said unto the king, I pray thee, let Tamar my sister come, and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat at her hand.
Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, Go now to thy brother Amnon's house, and dress him meat.
KJV Study — Public Domain
“unto him Lay thee down”
H7901to lie down (for rest, sexual connection, decease or any other purpose)
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
“on thy bed”
H4904a bed (figuratively, a bier); abstractly, sleep; by euphemism, carnal intercourse
“and make thyself sick”
H2470properly, to be rubbed or worn; hence (figuratively) to stroke (in flattering), entreat
“and when thy father”
H1father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application
“that I may see”
H7200to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)
'i pray', 'now', or 'then'; added mostly to verbs (in the imperative or future), or to interjections, occasionally to an adverb or conjunction
“unto him I pray thee let my sister”
H269a sister (used very widely [like h0251], literally and figuratively)
“in my sight”
H5869an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape)
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
properly, heed, i.e., purpose; used only adverbially, on account of (as a motive or an aim), teleologically, in order that
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc
“that I may see”
H7200to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)
“it at her hand”
H3027a hand (the open one [indicating power, means, direction, etc.], in distinction from h3709, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great v
This verse is found in the book of 2 Samuel. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.
2 Samuel 13:5 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.
Verses related to 2 Samuel 13:5 from Treasury of Scripture Knowledge