Back to People of the Bible
Amnon was the eldest son of David, through his wife Ahinoam. Ahinoam was a Jezreelite. After doing some research I found that Jezreel was a town in the territory of Issachar.[1] He is the older brother of Absalom, Solomon, and Tamar, daughter of David, along with Daniel (also known as Chileab), Adonijah, Shephatiah, and Ithream. No information is given about Amnon’s progeny.
Most of what we know about Amnon is told in 2 Samuel 13. It is here that we learn of his incestuous infatuation with his sister, Tamar, and how he plots to take advantage of her and rape her. With the aid a his first cousin and close friend, Amnon lures Tamar to his room under false pretenses then forces himself upon her. Despite claiming to love Tamar, it is evident both before the rape (when Tamar begs him to do things the right way and may her first) and after the rape (when he decides that he hates her and sends her away), he never cared about her.
Amnon actually breaks 4 laws when he commits this transgression:
It is unclear how many of his siblings are made aware of his transgression, but we know that at least Absalom is aware. Absalom is determined to avenge Tamar’s honor and plots to kill Amnon. During a celebratory trip with all the brothers present, Absalom instructs his servants to kill Amnon when he becomes drunk with the wine. When their father, David, learns the news he is at peace because he knows justice has been served on behalf of Tamar.
I am not a psychologist, nor have I taken any psychology classes, however, I am convinced that Amnon had a mental illness. There are three main factors that cause me to believe this:
Majority of people do not find their siblings to be sexually attractive—this is known as the Westermarck effect.[2] Though still a theory, the Westermarck effect suggests that two people who grow up together in a sibling-like atmosphere before the age of 6 will essentially repel each other in terms of sexual attraction. Despite not being experts on this theory, most people would come to the same conclusion very easily.
On the other end of the spectrum, however, is something call Genetic Sexual Attraction (GSA), This usually occurs when long lost siblings meet—they did not spend their early years together and thus the repulsion that should have developed is not there. Despite the knowledge that the person is a sibling, parent, or child, they are still able to develop sexual and romantic attraction to the person. While, I don’t think this is a named mental illness, it is something that people seek out therapy for.[3]