And she said unto him, There is no cause: this evil in sending me away is greater than the other that thou didst unto me. But he would not hearken unto her.

2 SAMUEL 13:16KJV
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2 Samuel 13:16 (KJV)

What does 2 Samuel 13:16 mean?

2 Samuel 13:16 shows Tamar pleading with Amnon after he has assaulted her, saying that sending her away now is an even greater wrong than what he has already done to her. Amnon refuses to listen to her and ignores her desperate appeal.

In this verse, Tamar is speaking directly to Amnon, her half-brother, after he has forced himself on her. She points out that casting her out would add to her shame and suffering, making her situation even worse. The verse highlights Tamar’s awareness of the social and personal consequences she will face, and Amnon’s cold disregard for her distress.

The Hebrew behind 2 Samuel 13:16

  • "Evil" (רָעָה, ra‘ah): Tamar calls Amnon’s act of sending her away a greater "evil" than the assault itself, emphasizing the deep harm and disgrace this rejection would bring her in their culture.
  • "Greater" (גָּדוֹל, gadol): The word for "greater" stresses that Tamar sees this second act—being cast out—as an even more serious violation, not just a continuation of the first.
  • "Would not hearken" (שָׁמַע, shama‘): The phrase means Amnon refused to listen or pay attention, showing his complete lack of compassion or willingness to consider Tamar’s plea.

Why 2 Samuel 13:16 matters

  • This verse makes clear that Tamar understood the lasting harm of being rejected after such a violation, which in her society would leave her without protection or honor.
  • The verse highlights Amnon’s hard-heartedness and refusal to take responsibility, deepening the tragedy of Tamar’s situation.
  • It connects to the wider passage by showing the full weight of injustice Tamar suffers, which sets the stage for the consequences that follow in David’s family.

Where else these words appear

“cause” Hebrew H182 · used in 10 verses

  • Genesis 21:11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.
  • Exodus 18:8 And Moses told his father in law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered them.
  • Joshua 14:6 Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea.

“would” Hebrew H14 · used in 52 verses

  • Genesis 24:5 And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?
  • 1 Samuel 22:17 And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD.
  • 1 Chronicles 11:18 And the three brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but David would not drink of it, but poured it out to the LORD,