The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 13:12
Things that ought not to be done in Israel. The plea of Tamar, "no such thing ought to be done in Israel," is interesting, as showing that the sentiment was prevalent amongst the Israelites, morally imperfect as they were, that they were not to be as the nations around them; that practices prevalent elsewhere were altogether out of keeping with their position and calling "It may be so elsewhere; but it must not be so in Israel." A similar sentiment as to what is statable and becoming is... read more
The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 13:12
Do not force me; literally, do not humble me. It is to be regretted that the word should be changed, as it bears testimony to the nobleness of the Hebrew women, who regarded their chastity as their crown of honour. The word folly is used in the sense of unchastity in Genesis 34:7 and elsewhere, and it is noteworthy that the Jews thus connected crime with stupidity. Vain, that is, empty persons were the criminal part of the population ( 9:4 ), and to call a man "a fool" was to attribute... read more