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Texts -- Genesis 38:3-30 (NET)

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38:3 She became pregnant and had a son . Judah named him Er . 38:4 She became pregnant again and had another son , whom she named Onan . 38:5 Then she had yet another son , whom she named Shelah . She gave birth to him in Kezib . 38:6 Judah acquired a wife for Er his firstborn ; her name was Tamar . 38:7 But Er , Judah’s firstborn , was evil in the Lord’s sight , so the Lord killed him. 38:8 Then Judah said to Onan , “Have sexual relations with your brother’s wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her so that you may raise up a descendant for your brother .” 38:9 But Onan knew that the child would not be considered his. So whenever he had sexual relations with his brother’s wife , he withdrew prematurely so as not to give his brother a descendant . 38:10 What he did was evil in the Lord’s sight , so the Lord killed him too . 38:11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar , “Live as a widow in your father’s house until Shelah my son grows up .” For he thought , “I don’t want him to die like his brothers .” So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house . 38:12 After some time Judah’s wife , the daughter of Shua , died . After Judah was consoled , he left for Timnah to visit his sheepshearers , along with his friend Hirah the Adullamite . 38:13 Tamar was told , “Look , your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep .” 38:14 So she removed her widow’s clothes and covered herself with a veil . She wrapped herself and sat at the entrance to Enaim which is on the way to Timnah . (She did this because she saw that she had not been given to Shelah as a wife , even though he had now grown up .) 38:15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face . 38:16 He turned aside to her along the road and said , “Come on ! I want to have sex with you.” (He did not realize it was his daughter-in-law .) She asked , “What will you give me in exchange for having sex with you?” 38:17 He replied , “I’ll send you a young goat from the flock .” She asked , “Will you give me a pledge until you send it?” 38:18 He said , “What pledge should I give you?” She replied , “Your seal , your cord , and the staff that’s in your hand .” So he gave them to her and had sex with her. She became pregnant by him. 38:19 She left immediately , removed her veil , and put on her widow’s clothes . 38:20 Then Judah had his friend Hirah the Adullamite take a young goat to get back from the woman the items he had given in pledge , but Hirah could not find her. 38:21 He asked the men who were there , “Where is the cult prostitute who was at Enaim by the road ?” But they replied , “There has been no cult prostitute here.” 38:22 So he returned to Judah and said , “I couldn’t find her. Moreover , the men of the place said , ‘There has been no cult prostitute here .’” 38:23 Judah said , “Let her keep the things for herself. Otherwise we will appear to be dishonest . I did indeed send this young goat , but you couldn’t find her.” 38:24 After three months Judah was told , “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to prostitution , and as a result she has become pregnant .” Judah said , “Bring her out and let her be burned !” 38:25 While they were bringing her out , she sent word to her father-in-law : “I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong.” Then she said , “Identify the one to whom the seal , cord , and staff belong.” 38:26 Judah recognized them and said , “She is more upright than I am, because I wouldn’t give her to Shelah my son .” He did not have sexual relations with her again . 38:27 When it was time for her to give birth , there were twins in her womb . 38:28 While she was giving birth , one child put out his hand , and the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his hand , saying , “This one came out first .” 38:29 But then he drew back his hand , and his brother came out before him. She said , “How you have broken out of the womb !” So he was named Perez . 38:30 Afterward his brother came out – the one who had the scarlet thread on his hand – and he was named Zerah .

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Tamar

    [ebd] palm. (1.) A place mentioned by Ezekiel (47:19; 48:28), on the southeastern border of Palestine. Some suppose this was "Tadmor" (q.v.). (2.) The daughter-in-law of Judah, to whose eldest son, Er, she was married (Gen. 38:6)....
    [smith] (palm tree). The wife successively of the two sons of Judah, Er and Onan. (Genesis 38:8-30) (B.C. about 1718.) Her importance in the sacred narrative depends on the great anxiety to keep up the lineage of Judah. It seemed as...
    [nave] TAMAR 1. Wife of the sons of Judah, Gen. 38:6-24; Ruth 4:12; 1 Chr. 2:4. Called Thamar, Matt. 1:3. 2. Daughter of David, 2 Sam. 13:1-32; 1 Chr. 3:9. 3. Daughter of Absalom, 2 Sam. 14:27. 4. A city of unknown location, Ez...

  • HARLOT

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. zonah (Gen. 34:31; 38:15). In verses 21, 22 the Hebrew word used in kedeshah, i.e., a woman consecrated or devoted to prostitution in connection with the abominable worship of Asherah or Astarte, the Syrian Venus. ...
    [isbe] HARLOT - har'-lot: This name replaces in the Revised Version (British and American) "whore" of the King James Version. It stands for several words and phrases used to designate or describe the unchaste woman, married or unma...
    [smith] That this class of persons existed in the earliest states of society is clear from (Genesis 38:15) Rahab, (Joshua 2:1) is said by the Chald. Paraphr. to have been an innkeeper; but if there were such persons, considering what...

  • RING

    [ebd] Used as an ornament to decorate the fingers, arms, wrists, and also the ears and the nose. Rings were used as a signet (Gen. 38:18). They were given as a token of investment with authority (Gen. 41:42; Esther 3:8-10; 8:2), a...
    [isbe] RING - (Anglo-Saxon, Hring, "ring"): The word renders (the American Standard Revised Version) two Hebrew words (in the King James Version and the English Revised Version three) and two Greek words. Tabba`ath, the principal H...

  • BEN-AMMI

    [isbe] BEN-AMMI - ben-am'-i (ben `ammi, "son of my kinsman," Gen 19:38): The progenitor of the Ammonites was a son of Lot's younger daughter, born after the destruction of Sodom. The account of his birth as well as that of Moab was...

  • GENESIS, 1-2

    [isbe] GENESIS, 1-2 - jen'-e-sis: I. GENERAL DATA 1. The Name 2. Survey of Contents 3. Connection with Succeeding Books II. COMPOSITION OF GENESIS IN GENERAL 1. Unity of the Biblical Text (1) The Toledhoth (2) Further Indication of...

  • JACOB (1)

    [isbe] JACOB (1) - ja'-kub: I. NAME 1. Form and Distribution 2. Etymology and Associations II. HIS PLACE IN THE PATRIARCHAL SUCCESSION 1. As the Son of Isaac and Rebekah 2. As the Brother of Esau 3. As the Father of the Twelve III....

  • HUSBAND'S BROTHER

    [isbe] HUSBAND'S BROTHER - (yabham, "brother-in-law"; epigambreuo; Late Latin levir): He was required (Dt 25:5-10; Mt 22:24) "to perform the duty of a husband's brother" (yibbemah); that is, if his brother, living with him on the p...

  • GENEALOGY, 8 part 1

    [isbe] GENEALOGY, 8 part 1 - 8. Principal Genealogies and Lists: In the early genealogies the particular strata to which each has been assigned by reconstructive critics is here indicated by J, the Priestly Code (P), etc. The signs...

  • JERAHMEEL; JERAHMEELITES

    [isbe] JERAHMEEL; JERAHMEELITES - je-ra'-me-el, je-ra'-me-el-its (yerachme'el, "may God have compassion!"): (1) In 1 Ch 2:9,25,26,27,33,42, he is described as the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah by Tamar his daugh...

  • Adultery

    [nave] ADULTERY. Gen. 20:3; 2 Sam. 12:14; Job 24:15-17 v. 18.; Job 31:1, 9-12; Prov. 2:16, 18, 19 v. 17.; Prov. 5:3, 4 vs. 5-22.; Prov. 6:24-29, 32, 33; Prov. 7:5-23; Prov. 9:13-18; Prov. 22:14; Prov. 23:27, 28; Prov. 29:3; Prov. ...

  • Judah

    [nave] JUDAH 1. Son of Jacob, Gen. 35:23. Intercedes for Joseph's life when his brethren were about to slay him, and proposes that they sell him to the Ishmaelites, Gen. 37:26, 27. Takes two wives, Gen. 38:1-6. Dwells at Chezib,...

  • Onan

    [ebd] strong, the second son of Judah (Gen. 38:4-10; comp. Deut. 25:5; Matt. 22:24). He died before the going down of Jacob and his family into Egypt.
    [isbe] ONAN - o'-nan ('onan, "vigorous"; compare ONAM, a "son" of Judah (Gen 38:4,8-10; 46:12; Nu 26:19; 1 Ch 2:3); "The story of the untimely death of Er and Onan implies that two of the ancient clans of Judah early disappeared" (...
    [smith] (strong), the second son of Judah by the Canaanitess, "the daughter of Shua." (Genesis 38:4; 1 Chronicles 2:3) "What he did was evil in the eyes of Jehovah and he slew him also, as he had slain his elder brother. (Genesis ...
    [nave] ONAN, son of Judah. Slain for his refusal to raise seed to his brother, Gen. 38:4, 8-10; 46:12; Num. 26:19; 1 Chr. 2:3.

  • Shelah

    [ebd] petition. (1.) Judah's third son (Gen. 38:2, 5, 11, 14). (2.) A son of Arphaxad (1 Chr. 1:18).
    [isbe] SHELAH - she'-la (shelah; Sala): (1) The youngest son of Judah and the daughter of Shua the Canaanite (Gen 38:5,11,14,26; 46:12; Nu 26:20 (16); 1 Ch 2:3; 4:21). He gave his name to the family of the Shelanites (Nu 26:20 (16)...
    [smith] (a petition). The youngest son of Judah. (Genesis 38:5,11,14,26; 46:10; Numbers 26:20; 1 Chronicles 2:3; 4:21) (B.C. before 1706.) The proper form of the name of Salah. (1 Chronicles 1:18,24)
    [nave] SHELAH 1. Son of Judah, Gen. 38:5, 11, 14, 26; 46:12; Num. 26:20; 1 Chr. 2:3; 4:21. 2. See: Salah.

  • Pledge

    [isbe] PLEDGE - plej (verbs chabhal (10 times), `arabh (2 Ki 18:23 = Isa 36:8); nouns chahal (Ezek 18:12,16; 33:15), chabcholah (Ezek 18:7), `arubbah), (1 Sam 17:18), erabhon (Gen 38:17,18,20); also abhoT (Dt 24:10-13) and (the Rev...
    [nave] PLEDGE, Gen. 38:17-20. Creditor must not enter house of a debtor to take, Deut. 24:10-13. See: Surety.

  • Er

    [isbe] ER - ar (`er, "watcher"; Er'): (1) The eldest son of Judah, the son of Jacob, by Shua the Canaanite. Judah took for him a wife named Tamar. It is recorded that Er "was wicked in the sight of Yahweh; and Yahweh slew him" (Gen...
    [smith] (watchful). First-born of Judah. Er "was wicked in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord slew him." (Genesis 38:3-7; Numbers 26:19) Descendant of Shelah the son of Judah. (1 Chronicles 4:21) Son of Jose and father of Elmoda...
    [nave] ER 1. Son of Judah, Gen. 38:3, 6, 7; 46:12; Num. 26:19; 1 Chr. 2:3. 2. A son of Shelah, 1 Chr. 4:21. 3. An ancestor of Jesus, Luke 3:28.

  • Women

    [nave] WOMEN Creation of, Gen. 1:27; 2:21, 22. Named, Gen. 2:23. Fall of, and curse upon, Gen. 3:1-16; 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:14. Promise to, Gen. 3:15. Had separate apartments in dwellings, Gen. 24:67; 31:33; Esth. 2:9, 11. Ve...

  • Sheep

    [ebd] are of different varieties. Probably the flocks of Abraham and Isaac were of the wild species found still in the mountain regions of Persia and Kurdistan. After the Exodus, and as a result of intercourse with surrounding nat...
    [isbe] SHEEP - shep: 1. Names: The usual Hebrew word is tso'n, which is often translated "flock," e.g. "Abel .... brought of the firstlings of his flock" (Gen 4:4); "butter of the herd, and milk of the flock" (Dt 32:14). The King J...
    [nave] SHEEP Offered in sacrifice, by Abel, Gen. 4:4; by Noah, Gen. 8:20; by Abraham, Gen. 22:13. See: Offerings. Required in the Mosaic offerings, See: Offerings. The land of Bashan adapted to the raising of, Deut. 32:14; Bozra...

  • Bracelet

    [ebd] (1.) Anklets (Num. 31:50; 2 Sam. 1:10), and with reference to men. (2.) The rendering of a Hebrew word meaning fasteners, found in Gen. 24:22, 30, 47. (3.) In Isa. 3:19, the rendering of a Hebrew word meaning chains, i.e., t...
    [isbe] BRACELET - bras'-let ('ets`adhah, chach, tsamidh, pathil, sheroth): Used to translate a number of Hebrew words, only one of which means a band for the arm ('ets`adhah), as in 2 Sam 1:10, "the bracelet that was on his arm." I...
    [smith] [See ARMLET] Bracelets of fine twisted Venetian gold are still common in Egypt. In (Genesis 38:18,25) the word rendered "bracelet" means probably a string by which a seal-ring was suspended. Men as well as women wore bracelet...
    [nave] BRACELET Present of, Gen. 24:22. Worn by women, Gen. 24:30; Isa. 3:19; by men, Gen. 38:18, 25. Dedicated to the tabernacle, Ex. 35:22; Num. 31:50. Taken as spoils, Num. 31:50; 2 Sam. 1:10. Figurative Ezek. 16:11.

  • EARNEST

    [ebd] The Spirit is the earnest of the believer's destined inheritance (2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Eph. 1:14). The word thus rendered is the same as that rendered "pledge" in Gen. 38:17-20; "indeed, the Hebrew word has simply passed into t...
    [isbe] EARNEST - ur'-nest (arrhabon): Found three times in the New Testament: The "earnest of our inheritance" (Eph 1:14); "the earnest of the Spirit" (2 Cor 1:22; 5:5). It has an equivalent in Hebrew `erabhon (found in Gen 38:17,1...
    [smith] (2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:14) The Hebrew word was used generally for pledge , (Genesis 38:17) and in its cognate forms for surety, (Proverbs 17:18) and hostage . (2 Kings 14:14) The Greek derivative, however...

  • PALESTINE, 1

    [isbe] PALESTINE, 1 - pal'-es-tin (pelesheth; Phulistieim, Allophuloi; the King James Version Joel 3:4 (the Revised Version (British and American) "Philistia"), "Palestina"; the King James Version Ex 15:14; Isa 14:29,31; compare Ps...
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The events recorded in Genesis stretch historically from Creation to Joseph's death, a period of at least 2500 years. The first part of the book (ch. 1-11) is not as easy to date precisely as the second part (ch. 12-50). The ...
  • Genesis provides the historical basis for the rest of the Bible and the Pentateuch, particularly the Abrahamic Covenant. Chapters 1-11 give historical background essential to understanding that covenant, and chapters 12-50 re...
  • The structure of Genesis is very clear. The phrase "the generations of"(toledotin Hebrew, from yaladmeaning "to bear, to generate") occurs ten times (really eleven times since 36:9 repeats 36:1), and in each case it introduce...
  • The Lord destroyed the corrupt, violent human race and deluged its world, but He used righteous Noah to preserve life and establish a new world after the Flood."Noah's experience presents decisively the author's assertion tha...
  • "The Babel account (11:1-9) is not the end of early Genesis. If it were, the story would conclude on the sad note of human failure. But as with earlier events in Genesis 1-11, God's grace once again supersedes human sin, insu...
  • One of the significant changes in the emphasis that occurs at this point in Genesis is from cursing in the primeval record to blessing in the patriarchal narratives. The Abrahamic Covenant is most important in this respect. H...
  • A major theme of the Pentateuch is the partial fulfillment of the promises to the patriarchs. The promises in Genesis 12:1-3 and 7 are the fountainhead from which the rest of the Pentateuch flows.397Walter Kaiser labeled the ...
  • "These verses are of fundamental importance for the theology of Genesis, for they serve to bind together the primeval history and the later patriarchal history and look beyond it to the subsequent history of the nation."414"W...
  • The second crisis Abram faced arose because of a famine in Canaan. Abram chose to sojourn in the Nile Valley until it was past. In this incident Abram tried to pass Sarai off as his sister because he feared for his life. By d...
  • Abram asked God to strengthen his faith. In response Yahweh promised to give the patriarch innumerable descendants. This led Abram to request some further assurance that God would indeed do what He promised. God graciously ob...
  • Sarai and Abram tried to obtain the heir God had promised them by resorting to a culturally acceptable custom of their day even though it involved a failure to trust God. This fleshly act created serious complications for Abr...
  • Abraham's purchase of a burial site in the Promised Land demonstrated his intention to remain in Canaan rather than going back to his native homeland. Since he was a sojourner in Canaan his friends probably expected him to bu...
  • A new toledotbegins with 25:19. Its theme is "the acquisition of the blessing and its development and protection by the Lord."625Moses set up the whole Jacob narrative in a chiastic structure that emphasizes the fulfillment o...
  • This chapter seems at first out of place since it interrupts the story of Joseph, but remember that this is the toledotof Jacob. This is the story of what happened to his whole family, not just Joseph. The central problem wit...
  • Jacob blessed all 12 of his sons and foretold what would become of each of them and their descendants. He disqualified Reuben, Simeon, and Levi from leadership and gave that blessing to Judah. He granted the double portion to...
  • Aalders, Gerhard Charles. Genesis. The Bible Student's Commentary series. 2 vols. Translated by William Heynen. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas...
  • The preceding two chapters specify correct behavior. This one sets forth the punishments for disobedience. Chapters 18-19 already discussed most of the subjects dealt with in this chapter."The difference between the laws in t...
  • The people were to buy and sell property in view of the upcoming year of jubilee since in that year all property would revert to its original tribal leasees. This special year reminded the Israelites that they did not really ...
  • The purpose of the levirate marriage ordinance was to enable a man who died before fathering an heir to obtain one and so perpetuate his name and estate. "Levirate"comes from the Latin word levirmeaning husband's brother."The...
  • God eventually withdrew the famine from Judah (v. 6) probably in response to His people's calling out to Him for deliverance (cf. Judg. 3:9, 15; 4:3; 6:6; 10:10; 16:28). This verse sounds one of the major themes of the story:...
  • Probably the practice of standing on land one possessed led to the custom of using the sandal as a symbol of possession in land transactions (v. 7; cf. Gen. 13:17; Deut. 1:36; 11:24; Josh. 1:3; 14:9).80Most scholars believe t...
  • Verse 13 is a key verse in the book because it records the fulfillment of Naomi and Ruth's plans to obtain rest (2:2; 3:1-5).82A son was indispensable to the continuation of the line of Boaz as well as that of Mahlon and Elim...
  • Far from being an unimportant postscript this genealogy helps us see one of the main purposes for which God gave us this book.Why does the genealogy start with Perez? Perez was the illegitimate son of Judah (1 Chron. 2:5) who...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • 105:7-11 God remembered His people (v. 7, cf. v. 42) so His people should remember Him (v. 5). God had been faithful to the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1-3, 7; 15:18-21; 22:15-18; 28:13-15). He made this covenant with Abraham...
  • 1:5-6 The young lady felt embarrassed because she had very dark skin as a result of having to tend her family's grapevines. Female courtiers did not work outdoors, so their skin was lighter than women who labored in the field...
  • These verses summarize the theme of the book.8:5a Evidently these are the words of the daughters of Jerusalem. The couple is coming up out of the wilderness. The "wilderness"connoted Israel's 40 years of trials to the Jewish ...
  • 3:1 God posed the question to His people of what happens in a divorce. The answer to His rhetorical question is, no, a husband who divorces his wife, if she goes to live with another man, will not return to her.92The Mosaic L...
  • Sometime later that day another group of leaders approached Jesus with another question but with the same purpose, to trap Him in a theological controversy that would destroy His reputation.22:23 The Pharisees believed in res...
  • This incident was also relevant for Luke's original Greek readers. The question of the resurrection of the body was important in Greek philosophy (cf. 1 Cor. 15). Luke used this incident in his narrative to bring Jesus' confr...
  • Having claimed singleness of purpose in his dealings with the Corinthians, Paul proceeded to help them appreciate the fact that his behavior had been consistent with his Spirit-led purposes."Long-range plans may need to be mo...
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