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Wednesday, November 26th, 2025
the Week of Christ the King / Proper 29 / Ordinary 34
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

2 Samuel 13:3

Amnon had a friend named Jonadab son of Shimeah. (Shimeah was David's brother.) Jonadab was a very clever man.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Adultery;   Jonadab;   Lasciviousness;   Seduction;   Shammah;   Tamar;   Thompson Chain Reference - Jonadab;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Amnon;   Jonadab;   Shammah;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Absalom;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Family Life and Relations;   Friend, Friendship;   Woman;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Jehonadab;   Jonadab;   Shammah;   Shimeah;   Tamar;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Abimelech;   David;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Amnon;   Love;   Rape;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Jehonadab;   Samuel, Books of;   Shammah;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Amnon ;   Jonadab ;   Shammah ;   Shimea, Shimeah ;   Tamar ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Absalom;   Amnon;   David;   Jonadab;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Am'non;   Bread;   Jon'adab;   Ta'mar;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Wisdom (1);  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - David;   Jehonadab;   Samuel, Books of;   Shammah;   Subtil;   Wisdom;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Absalom;   Shimei;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, a son of David’s brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very shrewd man,
Hebrew Names Version
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Yehonadav, the son of Shim`a, David's brother; and Yehonadav was a very subtle man.
King James Version
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man.
Lexham English Bible
Now Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, the brother of David. (Now Jonadab was a very crafty man.)
English Standard Version
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother. And Jonadab was a very crafty man.
New Century Version
Amnon had a friend named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother. Jonadab was a very clever man.
New English Translation
Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, the son of David's brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very crafty man.
Amplified Bible
But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very shrewd (cunning) man.
New American Standard Bible
But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very clever man.
Geneva Bible (1587)
But Amnon had a friend called Ionadab, the sonne of Shimeah Dauids brother: and Ionadab was a very subtile man.
Legacy Standard Bible
But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very shrewd man.
Contemporary English Version
Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, who was the son of David's brother Shimeah. Jonadab always knew how to get what he wanted,
Complete Jewish Bible
But Amnon had a friend named Yonadav the son of Shim‘ah David's brother; and Yonadav was a very shrewd fellow.
Darby Translation
And Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother; and Jonadab was a very shrewd man.
George Lamsa Translation
But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah Davids brother; and Jonadab was a very wise man.
Good News Translation
But he had a friend, a very shrewd man named Jonadab, the son of David's brother Shammah.
Literal Translation
And Amnon had a friend, and his name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David's brother. And Jonadab was a very shrewd man.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But Ammon had a frede, whose name was Ionadab the sonne of Simea Dauids brother, And the same Ionadab was a very wyse man,
American Standard Version
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother: and Jonadab was a very subtle man.
Bible in Basic English
But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother: and Jonadab was a very wise man.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But Amnon had a frende called Ionadab, the sonne of Simah, Dauids brother: And Ionadab was a very subtile man.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother; and Jonadab was a very subtle man.
King James Version (1611)
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Ionadab, the sonne of Shimeah, Dauids brother: and Ionadab was a very subtill man.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Amnon had a friend, and his name was Jonadab, the son of Samaa the brother of David: and Jonadab was a very cunning man.
English Revised Version
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David’s brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man.
Berean Standard Bible
Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, the son of David's brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very shrewd man,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe a freend, Jonadab bi name, sone of Semmaa, brother of Dauid, `was to Amon; Jonadab was a ful prudent man.
Young's Literal Translation
And Amnon hath a friend, and his name [is] Jonadab, son of Shimeah, David's brother, and Jonadab [is] a very wise man,
Update Bible Version
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very subtle man.
Webster's Bible Translation
But Amnon had a friend, whose name [was] Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother: and Jonadab [was] a very subtil man.
World English Bible
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very subtle man.
New King James Version
But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David's brother. Now Jonadab was a very crafty man.
New Living Translation
But Amnon had a very crafty friend—his cousin Jonadab. He was the son of David's brother Shimea.
New Life Bible
But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab. He was the son of David's brother Shimeah. And Jonadab was very good at making plans.
New Revised Standard
But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of David's brother Shimeah; and Jonadab was a very crafty man.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, Amnon, had a friend, whose name, was Jonadab, son of Shimeah, David's brother, - and, Jonadab, was a very cunning man.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Now Ammon had a friend, named Jonadab the son of Semmaa the brother of David, a very wise man:
Revised Standard Version
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jon'adab, the son of Shim'e-ah, David's brother; and Jon'adab was a very crafty man.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very shrewd man.

Contextual Overview

1 David had a son named Absalom. Absalom had a very beautiful sister named Tamar. Another one of David's sons, Amnon, was in love with Tamar. 2 She was a virgin. Amnon wanted her very much, but he did not think it was possible for him to have her. He thought about her so much that he made himself sick. 3 Amnon had a friend named Jonadab son of Shimeah. (Shimeah was David's brother.) Jonadab was a very clever man. 4 He said to Amnon, "You are the king's son. So why do you always look so sad? Tell me what the trouble is!" Amnon told Jonadab, "I love Tamar. But she is the sister of my half-brother Absalom." 5 Jonadab said to Amnon, "Go to bed. Pretend you are sick. Then your father will come to see you. Tell him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come in and give me food to eat. Let her make the food in front of me. Then I will see it and eat it from her hand.'" 6 So Amnon lay down in bed and pretended to be sick. King David came in to see Amnon. He said to King David, "Please let my sister Tamar come in. Let her make two cakes for me while I watch. Then I can eat from her hands." 7 David sent messengers to Tamar's house. They told her, "Go to your brother Amnon's house and make some food for him." 8 So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon. He was in bed. Tamar took some dough, pressed it together with her hands, and cooked the cakes. She did this while he watched. 9 Then Tamar took the cakes out of the pan and set them out for him. But he refused to eat. He said to his servants, "Get out of here. Leave me alone!" So all of his servants left the room. 10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food into the bedroom and feed me by hand." So Tamar took the cakes she had made and went into her brother's bedroom.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a friend: Genesis 38:1, Genesis 38:20, Judges 14:20, Esther 5:10, Esther 5:14, Esther 6:13, Proverbs 19:6

Shimeah: 2 Samuel 13:32, 1 Samuel 16:9

Shimeah: subtil man, 2 Samuel 14:2, 2 Samuel 14:19, 2 Samuel 14:20, Genesis 3:1, Jeremiah 4:22, 1 Corinthians 3:19, James 3:15

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 17:13 - Shammah 1 Chronicles 27:32 - uncle Luke 16:8 - done

Cross-References

Genesis 12:6
Abram traveled through the land as far as the town of Shechem and then to the big tree at Moreh. The Canaanites were living in the land at that time.
Genesis 13:8
So Abram said to Lot, "There should be no arguing between you and me or between your people and my people. We are all brothers.
Genesis 13:9
We should separate. You can choose any place you want. If you go to the left, I will go to the right. If you go to the right, I will go to the left."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But Amnon had a friend,.... Though in the issue his friendship proved his ruin:

whose name [was] Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother; so that they were own cousins, the same with Shammah, 1 Samuel 16:9;

and Jonadab [was] a very subtle man; a very penetrating man into the dispositions of men, and could judge by their countenances what they were, and the affections of their minds, and had a talent in forming schemes; he was wise to do evil and was wickedly cunning.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Shimeah - Called Shamma (marginal reference), was Jesse’s third son.

Subtil - literally, wise. The word is generally used in a good sense, but here, and in Job 5:13, it means crafty.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 13:3. Jonadab was a very subtle man. — And most diabolic advice did he give to his cousin. We talk of the simplicity and excellence of primitive times! "Say not thou what is the cause that the former days were better than these." Take them altogether, we may thank God that they are past, and pray him that they may never return.


 
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