The Meaning of 2 Samuel 13:19 Explained

2 Samuel 13:19

KJV: And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of divers colours that was on her, and laid her hand on her head, and went on crying.

YLT: And Tamar taketh ashes for her head, and the long coat that is on her she hath rent, and putteth her hand on her head, and goeth, going on and crying;

Darby: And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her vest of many colours which was on her, and laid her hand on her head, and went away, crying out as she went.

ASV: And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of divers colors that was on her; and she laid her hand on her head, and went her way, crying aloud as she went.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Tamar  put  ashes  on her head,  and rent  her garment  of divers colours  that [was] on her, and laid  her hand  on her head,  and went  on  crying. 

What does 2 Samuel 13:19 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Samuel 13:15-27 - Absalom Executes Judgment
When men yield to irregular passion, they go from one extreme to the other-from wicked love to wicked hate. If women would but realize this, how often it would save them from lives of misery. To yield to a man's impulse is not to secure his loyalty, but to alienate and perhaps destroy it.
Absalom was Tamar's own brother and, since her father had failed her, was therefore her natural protector. Recommending her to hold her peace, Absalom quietly awaited a suitable opportunity for wreaking vengeance; but she, poor girl, had to face a blighted life. The crime of her betrayal would hang over it as a dark cloud which even the vengeance that Absalom was about to take could never remove. How many myriads of girls have had to face the same sad lot!
It was David's duty, as her father, to punish the evildoer. The law enjoined the penalty of death for such an offense, Leviticus 18:9; Leviticus 18:29. But David's hands were not clean. He had himself incurred the same penalty, and could not condemn in another what he had condoned in himself. Besides this, the Septuagint adds, "he loved Amnon, because he was his first-born." How tortuous are the ways of sin! [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Samuel 13

1  Amnon loving Tamar, by Jonadab's counsel feigning himself sick, ravishes her
15  He hates her, and shamefully turns her away
19  Absalom entertains her, and conceals his purpose
23  At a sheep-shearing among all the king's sons, he kills Amnon
31  David grieving at the news, is comforted by Jonadab
37  Absalom flies to Talmai at Geshur

What do the individual words in 2 Samuel 13:19 mean?

And put Tamar ashes on her head and her robe of many colors that [was] on her tore and laid her hand and went away and crying bitterly
וַתִּקַּ֨ח תָּמָ֥ר אֵ֙פֶר֙ עַל־ רֹאשָׁ֔הּ וּכְתֹ֧נֶת הַפַּסִּ֛ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָלֶ֖יהָ קָרָ֑עָה וַתָּ֤שֶׂם יָדָהּ֙ וַתֵּ֥לֶךְ הָל֖וֹךְ וְזָעָֽקָה

וַתִּקַּ֨ח  And  put 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
תָּמָ֥ר  Tamar 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: תָּמָר 
Sense: widow of Er, the son of Judah; fiancee of Shelah, another son of Judah; wife of Judah and mother of Pharez and Zerah.
אֵ֙פֶר֙  ashes 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֵפֶר  
Sense: ashes.
רֹאשָׁ֔הּ  her  head 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
וּכְתֹ֧נֶת  and  her  robe 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: כֻּתֹּנֶת  
Sense: tunic, under-garment.
הַפַּסִּ֛ים  of  many  colors 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: פַּס  
Sense: flat (of the hand or foot), palm, sole.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  that  [was] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
עָלֶ֖יהָ  on  her 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
קָרָ֑עָה  tore 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: קָרַע  
Sense: to tear, tear in pieces.
וַתָּ֤שֶׂם  and  laid 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
יָדָהּ֙  her  hand 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
וַתֵּ֥לֶךְ  and  went 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
הָל֖וֹךְ  away 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
וְזָעָֽקָה  and  crying  bitterly 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: זָעַק  
Sense: to cry, cry out, call, call for help.