Texts in Conversation
Both the story of Judah and Tamar in Genesis and the story of Amnon and Tamar in 2 Samuel feature key events taking place during sheep shearing, a recurring setting for moments of deception, exposure, or revenge. This may also link these narratives to a common source or related sources.
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Genesis 38:12
Hebrew Bible
11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until Shelah my son grows up.” For he thought, “I don’t want him to die like his brothers.” So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house. 12 After some time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah was consoled, he left for Timnah to visit his sheepshearers, along with his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 13 Tamar was told, “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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2 Samuel 13:24
Hebrew Bible
23 Two years later Absalom’s sheepshearers were in Baal Hazor, near Ephraim. Absalom invited all the king’s sons. 24 Then Absalom went to the king and said, “My shearers have begun their work. Let the king and his servants go with me.” 25 But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son. We shouldn’t all go. We shouldn’t burden you in that way.” Though Absalom pressed him, the king was not willing to go. Instead, David blessed him.
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The parallels to the Court History’s Amnon-and-Tamar episode come elsewhere in J as well, not just in the Dinah-and-Shechem story. As I have noted, J has a Tamar also, the ancestor of the latter Tamar. Both are stories about sexual relations within a family. Revenge is taken for the Court History’s Tamar when they are shearing (2 Samuel 13:24); revenge is taken for J’s Tamar when they are shearing (Genesis 38:12). In the Court History, Tamar, the innocent victim of violence by her brother, wears a “coat of many colors” which is torn (2 Samuel 13:18); in J, Joseph, the innocent victim of violence by his brothers, wears a “coat of many colors” which is torn (Genesis 37:3, 23, 32). (And recall that these are the only occurrences of the coat of many colors in the Hebrew Bible) In the Court History, David “mourned over his son all the days” (2 Samuel 13:37). In J, Jacob “mourned over his son many days” (Genesis 37:34) ..."
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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