2 Samuel 13:18

18 So his servant led her out of the room and bolted the door after her. Tamar was wearing a special robe with long sleeves, because the king's virgin daughters wore this kind of robe.

2 Samuel 13:18 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 13:18

And [she had] a garment of divers colours upon her
Of embroidered work, which made her the more observable, and her shame the more manifest. Whether this was interwoven with threads of various colours, or embroidered with figures of flowers, animals and wrought with the needle, or was painted with different colours, or made up of pieces of various colours, is not certain. (See Gill on Genesis 37:3); but according to Braunius F3 it was neither, and so the coat of Joseph, but was a garment with sleeves, reaching down to the ankles, and pieced at the borders with fringe; and, indeed, garments of flowers and various colours were such as in other nations, as in Athens, harlots wore F4 and not virgins, as follows:

for with such robes were the king's daughters [that were] virgins
apparelled;
which they wore to distinguish them both from common people, and from married persons of the same quality:

then the servants brought her out, and bolted the door after her;
laid hold on her, and brought her out by main force; thrust her out of doors, and turned the key upon her.


FOOTNOTES:

F3 De Vest. Sacerdot. Heb. l. 1. c. 17. sect. 21.
F4 Suidas in voce (etairan) .

2 Samuel 13:18 In-Context

16 Tamar said to him, "No! Sending me away would be worse than what you've already done!" But he refused to listen to her.
17 He called his young servant back in and said, "Get this woman out of here and away from me! Lock the door after her."
18 So his servant led her out of the room and bolted the door after her. Tamar was wearing a special robe with long sleeves, because the king's virgin daughters wore this kind of robe.
19 To show how upset she was, Tamar put ashes on her head and tore her special robe and put her hand on her head. Then she went away, crying loudly.
20 Absalom, Tamar's brother, said to her, "Has Amnon, your brother, forced you to have sexual relations with him? For now, sister, be quiet. He is your half-brother. Don't let this upset you so much!" So Tamar lived in her brother Absalom's house and was sad and lonely.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.