Who was Tamar in the Bible?
David's daughter, during the united monarchy
Tamar was the beautiful daughter of King David and full sister of Absalom (2Sa.13.1; 1Ch.3.9). Tamar appears in 19 verses across 5 books of the Bible.
The Bible uses the name Tamar for 2 different people. All 2 are below, each with its own passages.
Tamar, daughter of King David
Tamar was the beautiful daughter of King David and full sister of Absalom (2Sa.13.1; 1Ch.3.9). She was raped by her half-brother Amnon, who then rejected her (2Sa.13.1-19). Tamar's tragedy led to Absalom's murder of Amnon and eventual rebellion against David (2Sa.13.20-39). Her story illustrates the dysfunctional relationships and violence within David's family.
Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.
Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.
Tamar in Genesis
Tamar was the daughter-in-law of Judah, married first to his son Er and then to Onan (Gen.38.6-11). After being wronged by Judah, Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute and conceived twins by him (Gen.38.13-24). She gave birth to Perez and Zerah, who became ancestors of the tribe of Judah (Gen.38.29-30; Rut.4.12; 1Ch.2.4). Tamar is praised for her righteousness in contrast to Judah (Gen.38.26). She is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus (Mat.1.3).
7 verses: 1 Chronicles 2:4, Genesis 38:6, Genesis 38:11, Genesis 38:13, Genesis 38:24, Matthew 1:3, Ruth 4:12
Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.
Where does Tamar appear in the Bible?
Tamar is referenced in 19 verses across 5 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.
- 1 Chronicles 3:9
- 2 Samuel 13:1
- 2 Samuel 13:2
- 2 Samuel 13:4
- 2 Samuel 13:5
- 2 Samuel 13:6
- 2 Samuel 13:7
- 2 Samuel 13:8
- 2 Samuel 13:10
- 2 Samuel 13:19
- 2 Samuel 13:20
- 2 Samuel 13:22
Showing the first 12 of 19.
Open all 19 references in ProtosWhat else appears in these passages?
These turn up in the same passages as Tamar.
Common questions
How many people in the Bible are called Tamar?
Tamar refers to 2 different people in the Bible: Tamar, daughter of King David; Tamar in Genesis.
How many times does the Bible mention Tamar?
Tamar appears in 19 verses across 5 books, most often in 2 Samuel, which accounts for 11 of them.
Which books of the Bible mention Tamar?
2 Samuel, Genesis, 1 Chronicles, Matthew, Ruth.
Where can I read every verse about Tamar?
This page lists 12 of them. Protos carries all 19, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.
