Genesis 38:17-20

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.


tn Heb “until you send.”

tn Heb “and he went to her.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

tn Heb “and she arose and left,” the first verb in the pair emphasizing that she wasted no time.

tn Heb “sent by the hand of his friend.” Here the name of the friend (“Hirah”) has been included in the translation for clarity.

tn Heb “to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand.”

tn Heb “he”; the referent (Judah’s friend Hirah the Adullamite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.