Genesis 38:14-23

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 ¹  she saw that she had not been given to Shelah as a wife, even though he had now grown up.) ² 

38:15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute ³  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.” ⁴  (He did not realize ⁵  it was his daughter-in-law.) She asked, “What will you give me in exchange for having sex with you?” ⁶  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?” ⁷  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. ⁸  She became pregnant by him. 38:19 She left immediately, ⁹  removed her veil, and put on her widow’s clothes.

38:20 Then Judah had his friend Hirah ¹⁰  the Adullamite take a young goat to get back from the woman the items he had given in pledge, ¹¹  but Hirah ¹²  could not find her. 38:21 He asked the men who were there, ¹³  “Where is the cult prostitute ¹⁴  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 ¹⁵  for herself. Otherwise we will appear to be dishonest. ¹⁶  I did indeed send this young goat, but you couldn’t find her.”

[38:14]  ¹ 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.

[38:14]  ² tn Heb “she saw that Shelah had grown up, but she was not given to him as a wife.”

[38:15]  ³ 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.

[38:16]  ⁴ 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.

[38:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “for he did not know that.”

[38:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “when you come to me.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “until you send.”

[38:18]  ⁸ tn Heb “and he went to her.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:19]  ⁹ tn Heb “and she arose and left,” the first verb in the pair emphasizing that she wasted no time.

[38:20]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “sent by the hand of his friend.” Here the name of the friend (“Hirah”) has been included in the translation for clarity.

[38:20]  ¹¹ tn Heb “to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand.”

[38:20]  ¹² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Judah’s friend Hirah the Adullamite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[38:21]  ¹³ tn Heb “the men of her place,” that is, who lived at the place where she had been.

[38:21]  ¹⁴ 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.

[38:23]  ¹⁵ tn The words “the things” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[38:23]  ¹⁶ 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.