38:1 At that time Judah left 1 his brothers and stayed 2 with an Adullamite man 3 named Hirah.
38:2 There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man 4 named Shua. 5 Judah acquired her as a wife 6 and had marital relations with her. 7 38:3 She became pregnant 8 and had a son. Judah named 9 him Er. 38:4 She became pregnant again and had another son, whom she named Onan. 38:5 Then she had 10 yet another son, whom she named Shelah. She gave birth to him in Kezib. 11
38:6 Judah acquired 12 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 13 your brother’s wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her so that you may raise 14 up a descendant for your brother.” 15 38:9 But Onan knew that the child 16 would not be considered his. 17 So whenever 18 he had sexual relations with 19 his brother’s wife, he withdrew prematurely 20 so as not to give his brother a descendant. 38:10 What he did was evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord 21 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, 22 “I don’t want him to die like his brothers.” 23 So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.
38:12 After some time 24 Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah was consoled, he left for Timnah to visit his sheepshearers, along with 25 his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 38:13 Tamar was told, 26 “Look, your father-in-law is going up 27 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 28 she saw that she had not been given to Shelah as a wife, even though he had now grown up.) 29
38:15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute 30 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.” 31 (He did not realize 32 it was his daughter-in-law.) She asked, “What will you give me in exchange for having sex with you?” 33 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?” 34 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. 35 She became pregnant by him. 38:19 She left immediately, 36 removed her veil, and put on her widow’s clothes.
38:20 Then Judah had his friend Hirah 37 the Adullamite take a young goat to get back from the woman the items he had given in pledge, 38 but Hirah 39 could not find her. 38:21 He asked the men who were there, 40 “Where is the cult prostitute 41 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 42 for herself. Otherwise we will appear to be dishonest. 43 I did indeed send this young goat, but you couldn’t find her.”
38:24 After three months Judah was told, 44 “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to prostitution, 45 and as a result she has become pregnant.” 46 Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!” 38:25 While they were bringing her out, she sent word 47 to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong.” 48 Then she said, “Identify 49 the one to whom the seal, cord, and staff belong.” 38:26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more upright 50 than I am, because I wouldn’t give her to Shelah my son.” He did not have sexual relations with her 51 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 52 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. 53 She said, “How you have broken out of the womb!” 54 So he was named Perez. 55 38:30 Afterward his brother came out – the one who had the scarlet thread on his hand – and he was named Zerah. 56
27:9 So in this way Jacob’s sin will be forgiven, 59
and this is how they will show they are finished sinning: 60
They will make all the stones of the altars 61
like crushed limestone,
and the Asherah poles and the incense altars will no longer stand. 62
27:10 For the fortified city 63 is left alone;
it is a deserted settlement
and abandoned like the desert.
Calves 64 graze there;
they lie down there
and eat its branches bare. 65
27:11 When its branches get brittle, 66 they break;
women come and use them for kindling. 67
For these people lack understanding, 68
therefore the one who made them has no compassion on them;
the one who formed them has no mercy on them.
27:12 At that time 69 the Lord will shake the tree, 70 from the Euphrates River 71 to the Stream of Egypt. Then you will be gathered up one by one, O Israelites. 72 27:13 At that time 73 a large 74 trumpet will be blown, and the ones lost 75 in the land of Assyria will come, as well as the refugees in 76 the land of Egypt. They will worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem. 77
9:9 “For look, I am giving a command
and I will shake the family of Israel together with all the nations.
It will resemble a sieve being shaken,
when not even a pebble falls to the ground. 78
9:10 All the sinners among my people will die by the sword –
the ones who say, ‘Disaster will not come near, it will not confront us.’
1 tn Heb “went down from.”
2 tn Heb “and he turned aside unto.”
3 tn Heb “a man, an Adullamite.”
4 tn Heb “a man, a Canaanite.”
5 tn Heb “and his name was Shua.”
6 tn Heb “and he took her.”
7 tn Heb “and he went to her.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
8 tn Or “she conceived” (also in the following verse).
9 tc Some
10 tn Heb “and she added again and she gave birth.” The first verb and the adverb emphasize that she gave birth once more.
11 tn Or “and he [i.e., Judah] was in Kezib when she gave birth to him.”
12 tn Heb “and Judah took.”
13 tn Heb “go to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
14 tn The imperative with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose.
15 sn Raise up a descendant for your brother. The purpose of this custom, called the levirate system, was to ensure that no line of the family would become extinct. The name of the deceased was to be maintained through this custom of having a child by the nearest relative. See M. Burrows, “Levirate Marriage in Israel,” JBL 59 (1940): 23-33.
16 tn Heb “offspring.”
17 tn Heb “would not be his,” that is, legally speaking. Under the levirate system the child would be legally considered the child of his deceased brother.
18 tn The construction shows that this was a repeated practice and not merely one action.
19 tn Heb “he went to.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
20 tn Heb “he spoiled [his semen] to the ground.” Onan withdrew prematurely and ejaculated on the ground to prevent his brother’s widow from becoming pregnant.
21 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
22 tn Heb “said.”
23 tn Heb “Otherwise he will die, also he, like his brothers.”
24 sn After some time. There is not enough information in the narrative to know how long this was. The text says “the days increased.” It was long enough for Shelah to mature and for Tamar to realize she would not have him.
25 tn Heb “and he went up to the shearers of his sheep, he and.”
26 tn Heb “And it was told to Tamar, saying.”
27 tn The active participle indicates the action was in progress or about to begin.
28 tn The Hebrew text simply has “because,” connecting this sentence to what precedes. For stylistic reasons the words “she did this” are supplied in the translation and a new sentence begun.
29 tn Heb “she saw that Shelah had grown up, but she was not given to him as a wife.”
30 tn Heb “he reckoned her for a prostitute,” which was what Tamar had intended for him to do. She obviously had some idea of his inclinations, or she would not have tried this risky plan.
31 tn Heb “I will go to you.” The imperfect verbal form probably indicates his desire here. The expression “go to” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
32 tn Heb “for he did not know that.”
33 tn Heb “when you come to me.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
34 tn Heb “until you send.”
35 tn Heb “and he went to her.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
36 tn Heb “and she arose and left,” the first verb in the pair emphasizing that she wasted no time.
37 tn Heb “sent by the hand of his friend.” Here the name of the friend (“Hirah”) has been included in the translation for clarity.
38 tn Heb “to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand.”
39 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Judah’s friend Hirah the Adullamite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
40 tn Heb “the men of her place,” that is, who lived at the place where she had been.
41 sn The Hebrew noun translated “cult prostitute” is derived from a verb meaning “to be set apart; to be distinct.” Thus the term refers to a woman who did not marry, but was dedicated to temple service as a cult prostitute. The masculine form of this noun is used for male cult prostitutes. Judah thought he had gone to an ordinary prostitute (v. 15); but Hirah went looking for a cult prostitute, perhaps because it had been a sheep-shearing festival. For further discussion see E. M. Yamauchi, “Cultic Prostitution,” Orient and Occident (AOAT), 213-23.
42 tn The words “the things” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
43 tn Heb “we will become contemptible.” The Hebrew word בּוּז (buz) describes the contempt that a respectable person would have for someone who is worthless, foolish, or disreputable.
44 tn Heb “it was told to Judah, saying.”
45 tn Or “has been sexually promiscuous.” The verb may refer here to loose or promiscuous activity, not necessarily prostitution.
46 tn Heb “and also look, she is with child by prostitution.”
47 tn Heb “she was being brought out and she sent.” The juxtaposition of two clauses, both of which place the subject before the predicate, indicates synchronic action.
48 tn Heb “who these to him.”
49 tn Or “ recognize; note.” This same Hebrew verb (נָכַר, nakhar) is used at the beginning of v. 26, where it is translated “recognized.”
50 tn Traditionally “more righteous”; cf. NCV, NRSV, NLT “more in the right.”
51 tn Heb “and he did not add again to know her.” Here “know” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
52 tn The word “child” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
53 tn Heb “Look, his brother came out.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through the midwife’s eyes. The words “before him” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
54 tn Heb “How you have made a breach for yourself!” The Hebrew verb translated “make a breach” frequently occurs, as here, with a cognate accusative. The event provided the meaningful name Perez, “he who breaks through.”
55 sn The name Perez means “he who breaks through,” referring to Perez reaching out his hand at birth before his brother was born. The naming signified the completion of Tamar’s struggle and also depicted the destiny of the tribe of Perez who later became dominant (Gen 46:12 and Num 26:20). Judah and his brothers had sold Joseph into slavery, thinking they could thwart God’s plan that the elder brothers should serve the younger. God demonstrated that principle through these births in Judah’s own family, affirming that the elder will serve the younger, and that Joseph’s leadership could not so easily be set aside. See J. Goldin, “The Youngest Son; or, Where Does Genesis 38 Belong?” JBL 96 (1977): 27-44.
56 sn Perhaps the child was named Zerah because of the scarlet thread. Though the Hebrew word used for “scarlet thread” in v. 28 is not related to the name Zerah, there is a related root in Babylonian and western Aramaic that means “scarlet” or “scarlet thread.” In Hebrew the name appears to be derived from a root meaning “to shine.” The name could have originally meant something like “shining one” or “God has shined.” Zerah became the head of a tribe (Num 26:20) from whom Achan descended (Josh 7:1).
57 tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.
58 tn The words “to marry” (and the words “as wives” in the following clause) are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
59 tn Or “be atoned for” (NIV); cf. NRSV “be expiated.”
60 tn Heb “and this [is] all the fruit of removing his sin.” The meaning of the statement is not entirely clear, though “removing his sin” certainly parallels “Jacob’s sin will be removed” in the preceding line. If original, “all the fruit” may refer to the result of the decision to remove sin, but the phrase may be a corruption of לְכַפֵּר (lekhaper, “to atone for”), which in turn might be a gloss on הָסִר (hasir, “removing”).
61 tn Heb “when he makes the stones of an altar.” The singular “altar” is collective here; pagan altars are in view, as the last line of the verse indicates. See also 17:8.
62 sn As interpreted and translated above, this verse says that Israel must totally repudiate its pagan religious practices in order to experience God’s forgiveness and restoration. Another option is to understand “in this way” and “this” in v. 9a as referring back to the judgment described in v. 8. In this case כָּפַר (kafar, “atone for”) is used in a sarcastic sense; Jacob’s sin is “atoned for” and removed through severe judgment. Following this line of interpretation, one might paraphrase the verse as follows: “So in this way (through judgment) Jacob’s sin will be “atoned for,” and this is the way his sin will be removed, when he (i.e., God) makes all the altar stones like crushed limestone….” This interpretation is more consistent with the tone of judgment in vv. 8 and 10-11.
63 sn The identity of this city is uncertain. The context suggests that an Israelite city, perhaps Samaria or Jerusalem, is in view. For discussions of interpretive options see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:496-97, and Paul L. Redditt, “Once Again, the City in Isaiah 24-27,” HAR 10 (1986), 332.
64 tn The singular form in the text is probably collective.
65 tn Heb “and destroy her branches.” The city is the antecedent of the third feminine singular pronominal suffix. Apparently the city is here compared to a tree. See also v. 11.
66 tn Heb “are dry” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
67 tn Heb “women come [and] light it.” The city is likened to a dead tree with dried up branches that is only good for firewood.
68 tn Heb “for not a people of understanding [is] he.”
69 tn Heb “and it will be in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
70 tn Heb “the Lord will beat out.” The verb is used of beating seeds or grain to separate the husk from the kernel (see Judg 6:11; Ruth 2:17; Isa 28:27), and of beating the olives off the olive tree (Deut 24:20). The latter metaphor may be in view here, where a tree metaphor has been employed in the preceding verses. See also 17:6.
71 tn Heb “the river,” a frequent designation in the OT for the Euphrates. For clarity most modern English versions substitute the name “Euphrates” for “the river” here.
72 sn The Israelites will be freed from exile (likened to beating the olives off the tree) and then gathered (likened to collecting the olives).
73 tn Heb “and it will be in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
74 tn Traditionally, “great” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NLT); CEV “loud.”
75 tn Or “the ones perishing.”
76 tn Or “the ones driven into.”
77 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
78 tn Heb “like being shaken with a sieve, and a pebble does not fall to the ground.” The meaning of the Hebrew word צְרוֹר (tsÿror), translated “pebble,” is unclear here. In 2 Sam 17:13 it appears to refer to a stone. If it means “pebble,” then the sieve described in v. 6 allows the grain to fall into a basket while retaining the debris and pebbles. However, if one interprets צְרוֹר as a “kernel of grain” (cf. NASB, NIV, NKJV, NLT) then the sieve is constructed to retain the grain and allow the refuse and pebbles to fall to the ground. In either case, the simile supports the last statement in v. 8 by making it clear that God will distinguish between the righteous (the grain) and the wicked (the pebbles) when he judges, and will thereby preserve a remnant in Israel. Only the sinners will be destroyed (v. 10).