שמואל ב, פרק י״ג, פסוק י״ב

In a moment of profound distress, a helpless young woman stands before her attacker, desperately trying to talk him out of his intentions. She presents a series of moral, familial, and national arguments, building her defense on three main pillars: the inherent wrongness of the deed, the preservation of her own dignity, and the protection of his honor [מלבי״ם, אברבנאל].

She appeals to their family bond, a plea that commentators understand in two distinct ways. The straightforward reading is one of sheer shock and disbelief: since they are siblings, how could he even consider such a terrible offense? [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל]. Conversely, a different tradition suggests she is actually hinting that they are not legally siblings at all. Because her mother conceived her before converting, she is not considered his sister under Jewish law. She begs him not to resort to violence, pointing out that they could be properly married and the king would not stand in their way [רלב״ג, חומת אנך]. Yet, even if there is no blood relation and no prohibition of incest, nothing can ever justify an act of force [אלשיך].

She explicitly pleads with him not to rape her [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ], emphasizing that such an assault is fundamentally an act of torment and sorrow [מצודת ציון]. She tries to prevent the physical and emotional devastation, knowing that regardless of how the assault is carried out, it will bring inescapable disgrace upon them both [אלשיך].

To strengthen her case, she appeals to their national moral code. While it might have been common in neighboring cultures for young men to take women by force, such behavior completely contradicts the customs of the Israelites [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Her argument goes beyond the issue of incest; she condemns the very act of raping a virgin and taking a woman through promiscuity rather than through an honorable marriage [מצודת דוד, רלב״ג]. By framing it this way, she evokes the ancient tragedy of Shechem and Dinah to remind him just how severe and destructive such an offense truly is [מלבי״ם]. She cries out against the sheer disgrace of his plan, labeling the act as deeply shameful, ugly, and abominable [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ].