The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Genesis 38
1 At that time, Judah went down from his
brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite,
whose name was Hirah.
2 There, Judah saw the daughter of a
certain Canaanite man named Shua. He
took her, and went in to her.
3 She conceived, and bore a son; and he
named him Er.
4 She conceived again, and bore a son;
and she named him Onan.
5 She yet again bore a son, and named
him Shelah. He was at Chezib when she
bore him.
6 Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn,
and her name was Tamar.
7 Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in
Yahweh’s sight. So Yahweh killed him.
8 Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your
brother’s wife, and perform the duty of
a husband’s brother to her, and raise up
offspring for your brother.”
9 Onan knew that the offspring wouldn’t
be his; and when he went in to his
brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the
ground, lest he should give offspring to his
brother.
10 The thing which he did was evil in
Yahweh’s sight, and he killed him also.
11 Then Judah said to Tamar, his
daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your
father’s house, until Shelah, my son, is
grown up;” for he said, “Lest he also die,
like his brothers.” Tamar went and lived
in her father’s house.
12 After many days, Shua’s daughter, the
wife of Judah, died. Judah was comforted,
and went up to his sheep shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah, the Adullamite.
13 Tamar was told, “Behold, your fatherin-law is going up to Timnah to shear his
sheep.”
14 She took off the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil,
and wrapped herself, and sat in the gate of
Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah; for
she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she
wasn’t given to him as a wife.
15 When Judah saw her, he thought that
she was a prostitute, for she had covered
her face.
16 He turned to her by the way, and said,
“Please come, let me come in to you,” for
he didn’t know that she was his daughterin-law.
She said, “What will you give me, that
you may come in to me?”
17 He said, “I will send you a young goat
from the flock.”
She said, “Will you give me a pledge,
until you send it?”
18 He said, “What pledge will I give you?”
She said, “Your signet and your cord, and
your staff that is in your hand.”
He gave them to her, and came in to her,
and she conceived by him.
19 She arose, and went away, and put off
her veil from her, and put on the garments
of her widowhood.
20 Judah sent the young goat by the hand
of his friend, the Adullamite, to receive
the pledge from the woman’s hand, but he
didn’t find her.
21 Then he asked the men of her place,
saying, “Where is the prostitute, that was
at Enaim by the road?”
They said, “There has been no prostitute
here.”
22 He returned to Judah, and said, “I
haven’t found her; and also the men of the
place said, ‘There has been no prostitute
here.’
23 Judah said, “Let her keep it, lest we
be shamed. Behold, I sent this young goat,
and you haven’t found her.”
24 About three months later, Judah was
told, “Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has
played the prostitute. Moreover, behold,
she is with child by prostitution.”
Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be
burned.”
25 When she was brought out, she sent to
her father-in-law, saying, “I am with child
by the man who owns these.” She also
said, “Please discern whose these are—the
signet, and the cords, and the staff.”
26 Judah acknowledged them, and said,
“She is more righteous than I, because I
didn’t give her to Shelah, my son.”
He knew her again no more.
27 Inthe time ofher travail, behold,twins
were in her womb.
28 When she travailed, one put out a
hand, and the midwife took and tied a
scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This
came out first.”
29 As he drew back his hand, behold, his
brother came out, and she said, “Why have
you made a breach for yourself?” Therefore his name was called Perez.†
30 Afterward his brother came out, who
had the scarlet thread on his hand, and his
name was called Zerah.‡
38:29 Perez means “breaking out”. ‡ 38:30 Zerah means “scarlet” or “brightness”