2 Samuel 13 Footnotes

13:19 Putting ashes on one’s head was a traditional expression of extreme grief in the ancient Near East (Est 4:1,3; Is 61:3). It was not specifically associated with rape. But Tamar, who warned Amnon that “such a thing should never be done in Israel” (2Sm 13:12), was apparently conscious of a serious transgression of the law (Lv 20:17) and the grievous offense to the Lord as well as to her. Tamar’s plea for Amnon to ask the king’s permission to have her (2Sm 13:13) may have been her attempt to “buy time.”