Why didn't David execute his son Amnon for raping his half-sister
Tamar?
David was saddened by Amnon's rape of Tamar (2 Sam.13:21), but he
couldn't bring himself to punish Amnon, who was his firstborn son
(2 Sam.3:2); the Septuagint adds this remark to its translation
of v.21. In any case, having sex with a sister (or half-sister)
doesn't carry the death penalty. The punishment is KARESS
("cutting off") -- premature death without issue (Lev.20:17). This
is a Divine punishment; the courts don't execute the transgressor,
even if there were witnesses.
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