Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
2 Samuel 13:5 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 5. 5And 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.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Jonadab's plan exploits David's parental authority to isolate Tamar with Amnon.
Amnon's 'love' is obsession that cannot reach Tamar legally
This verse is one part of that explanation in 2 Samuel 13:1–7. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- 2 Samuel 13:1–7
Read 2 Samuel 13:5 with 13:1–7. The wording “And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and make thyself sick: and when thy…” supplies one step in the thought unit through its next reported action, speech, or consequence; the surrounding verses supply the causes, responses, and outcome summarized here: Amnon's obsession, Jonadab's scheme, feigned sickness, and David's command bring Tamar into Amnon's private space.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within “Jonadab Designs Access to Tamar,” 2 Samuel 13:5 advances the thought unit through its next reported action, speech, or consequence through the wording “And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and make thyself sick: and when thy….” Its placement is governed by this reviewed relationship: Amnon's scheme begins the household violence Nathan announced after David's abuse, while the narrator still assigns every harmful choice to its human actor. The Rabbah conquest in 12:26–31 is adjacent but does not cause Amnon's plan.
Follow the Context
- Opening movement: Amnon's obsession, Jonadab's scheme, feigned sickness.
- Developing movement or outcome: David's command bring Tamar into Amnon's private space.
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and make thyself sick: and when thy…”
In plain language: Jonadab's plan exploits David's parental authority to isolate Tamar with Amnon.
2 Samuel 13:5 advances the thought unit through its next reported action, speech, or consequence by recording “And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and make thyself sick: and when thy….” This line matters because Jonadab's plan exploits David's parental authority to isolate Tamar with Amnon.
Why it matters: This wording carries a material textual, literary, historical, royal-power, violence, consent, trauma, covenant, reception, or misuse boundary.
How certain? probableWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
2 Samuel 13:5 does not permit the wording “And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and make thyself sick: and when thy…” to be read apart from the selected verse's context. This verse does not excuse sexual coercion, erase consent, blame the person harmed, or turn prophecy, household status, or royal power into moral permission.
What Remains True
Power remains accountable for the people it exposes, takes, silences, injures, or kills; truthful memory keeps their bodies, testimony, agency, and cost visible. In this unit, that truth is tested by the concrete movement: Amnon's obsession, Jonadab's scheme, feigned sickness, and David's command bring Tamar into Amnon's private space. In 2 Samuel 13:5, the concrete line “And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and make thyself sick: and when thy…” keeps that truth accountable to the narrated evidence.
Teach It Back
Explain 2 Samuel 13:5's role in 13:1–7. Paraphrase “And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and make thyself sick: and when thy…”, name the ancient royal or household horizon, state one material uncertainty, keep one vulnerable or affected person visible, and identify one conclusion the verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read 2 Samuel 13:1–7 — Jonadab Designs Access to TamarSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: 2 Samuel 13:1-7, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: 2 Samuel
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording, morphology, repeated verbs, names, syntax, and the base text behind translation and textual discussion.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/2Sam.xml, 13:1-7
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: 2 Samuel with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Unit-bounded wording, older-English clarification, textual witnesses, syntax, names, numbers, and major historical or literary notes actually printed for these verses.
Exact location: NET Bible 2 Samuel PDF, printed pp. 560–561, translation and all translator notes attached to 13:1-7
Open source ↗