Genesis 38:26

38:26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more upright ¹  than I am, because I wouldn’t give her to Shelah my son.” He did not have sexual relations with her ²  again.

Genesis 44:16

44:16 Judah replied, “What can we say ³  to my lord? What can we speak? How can we clear ourselves? ⁴  God has exposed the sin of your servants! ⁵  We are now my lord’s slaves, we and the one in whose possession the cup was found.”

[38:26]  ¹ tn Traditionally “more righteous”; cf. NCV, NRSV, NLT “more in the right.”

[38:26]  ² tn Heb “and he did not add again to know her.” Here “know” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[44:16]  ³ tn The imperfect verbal form here indicates the subject’s potential.

[44:16]  ⁴ tn The Hitpael form of the verb צָדֵק (tsadeq) here means “to prove ourselves just, to declare ourselves righteous, to prove our innocence.”

[44:16]  ⁵ sn God has exposed the sin of your servants. The first three questions are rhetorical; Judah is stating that there is nothing they can say to clear themselves. He therefore must conclude that they have been found guilty.