Genesis 38:6

38:6 Judah acquired ¹  a wife for Er his firstborn; her name was Tamar.

Genesis 38:13

38:13 Tamar was told, ²  “Look, your father-in-law is going up ³  to Timnah to shear his sheep.”

Genesis 38:11

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, ⁴  “I don’t want him to die like his brothers.” ⁵  So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.

Genesis 14:7

14:7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh) again, ⁶  and they conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazazon Tamar.

Genesis 38:24

38:24 After three months Judah was told, ⁷  “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to prostitution, ⁸  and as a result she has become pregnant.” ⁹  Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!”

Genesis 38:8-9

38:8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Have sexual relations with ¹⁰  your brother’s wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her so that you may raise ¹¹  up a descendant for your brother.” ¹²  38:9 But Onan knew that the child ¹³  would not be considered his. ¹⁴  So whenever ¹⁵  he had sexual relations with ¹⁶  his brother’s wife, he withdrew prematurely ¹⁷  so as not to give his brother a descendant.

Genesis 38:16

38:16 He turned aside to her along the road and said, “Come on! I want to have sex with you.” ¹⁸  (He did not realize ¹⁹  it was his daughter-in-law.) She asked, “What will you give me in exchange for having sex with you?” ²⁰ 

Genesis 38:26

38:26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more upright ²¹  than I am, because I wouldn’t give her to Shelah my son.” He did not have sexual relations with her ²²  again.

Genesis 38:14

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 ²³  she saw that she had not been given to Shelah as a wife, even though he had now grown up.) ²⁴ 

[38:6]  ¹ tn Heb “and Judah took.”

[38:13]  ² tn Heb “And it was told to Tamar, saying.”

[38:13]  ³ tn The active participle indicates the action was in progress or about to begin.

[38:11]  ³ tn Heb “said.”

[38:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “Otherwise he will die, also he, like his brothers.”

[14:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “they returned and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh).” The two verbs together form a verbal hendiadys, the first serving as the adverb: “they returned and came” means “they came again.” Most English translations do not treat this as a hendiadys, but translate “they turned back” or something similar. Since in the context, however, “came again to” does not simply refer to travel but an assault against the place, the present translation expresses this as “attacked…again.”

[38:24]  ⁵ tn Heb “it was told to Judah, saying.”

[38:24]  ⁶ tn Or “has been sexually promiscuous.” The verb may refer here to loose or promiscuous activity, not necessarily prostitution.

[38:24]  ⁷ tn Heb “and also look, she is with child by prostitution.”

[38:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “go to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:8]  ⁷ tn The imperative with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose.

[38:8]  ⁸ 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.

[38:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “offspring.”

[38:9]  ⁸ 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.

[38:9]  ⁹ tn The construction shows that this was a repeated practice and not merely one action.

[38:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he went to.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:9]  ¹¹ 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.

[38:16]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Heb “for he did not know that.”

[38:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “when you come to me.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:26]  ⁹ tn Traditionally “more righteous”; cf. NCV, NRSV, NLT “more in the right.”

[38:26]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and he did not add again to know her.” Here “know” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:14]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn Heb “she saw that Shelah had grown up, but she was not given to him as a wife.”