Genesis 38:1-6

Judah and Tamar

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.

[38:1]  ¹ tn Heb “went down from.”

[38:1]  ² tn Heb “and he turned aside unto.”

[38:1]  ³ tn Heb “a man, an Adullamite.”

[38:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “a man, a Canaanite.”

[38:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “and his name was Shua.”

[38:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “and he took her.”

[38:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “and he went to her.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:3]  ⁸ tn Or “she conceived” (also in the following verse).

[38:3]  ⁹ tc Some mss read this verb as feminine, “she called,” to match the pattern of the next two verses. But the MT, “he called,” should probably be retained as the more difficult reading.

[38:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and she added again and she gave birth.” The first verb and the adverb emphasize that she gave birth once more.

[38:5]  ¹¹ tn Or “and he [i.e., Judah] was in Kezib when she gave birth to him.”

[38:6]  ¹² tn Heb “and Judah took.”