King David … was furious: David was deeply angry about what happened, but he does not seem to have punished Amnon.
Some ancient texts, including the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Greek version, add an explanation. They say David did not punish Amnon because he loved him. Another possibility is that David, who had committed sexual sin himself (see 2 Samuel 11:1–12:24), felt unable to judge his son for a similar offense. A third possibility is that David saw this event as a form of God’s “eye for an eye” judgment for his own wrongdoing.