Genesis 38: Judah and Tamar
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What happens?
Judah marries a Canaanite woman and has three sons. Tamar is married to the eldest; he and the second son both die, and Judah does not give her to the third. Veiled, Tamar is taken by Judah for a prostitute and becomes pregnant by him; the pledge he gave her shows he is the father, and she gives birth to twins, Perez and Zerah.
Who is speaking?
Judah, Tamar, Judah's friend Hirah, the men of Enaim and the midwife speak. God does not speak in this chapter. The narrator says twice that Yahweh put one of Judah's sons to death (verses 7 and 10). God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1At that time, Judah went down from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.
In plain English: At that time Judah left his brothers and went down to a man from Adullam named Hirah.
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2There, Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite man named Shua. He took her, and went in to her.
In plain English: There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He took her as his wife and slept with her.
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3She conceived, and bore a son; and he named him Er.
In plain English: She became pregnant and had a son, and he named him Er.
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4She conceived again, and bore a son; and she named him Onan.
In plain English: She became pregnant again and had a son, and she named him Onan.
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5She yet again bore a son, and named him Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him.
In plain English: She had yet another son and named him Shelah. He was at Chezib when she gave birth to him.
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6Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.
In plain English: Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn. Her name was Tamar.
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7Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in Yahweh’s sight. So Yahweh killed him.
In plain English: But Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in Yahweh's sight, so Yahweh put him to death.
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8Judah 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.”
In plain English: Then Judah said to Onan, "Go and sleep with your brother's wife. Do the duty of a husband's brother for her, and raise up children for your brother."
The Hebrew word: "Do the duty of a husband's brother" is one word in Hebrew, yabam: to marry a dead brother's widow.
Good to know: The law later describes this duty: if a man dies with no son, his brother marries the widow, and her first son carries on the dead brother's name ().
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9Onan 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.
In plain English: But Onan knew the children would not be his. So when he slept with his brother's wife, he spilled his seed on the ground, so that he would not give his brother children.
Church tradition: Some churches have used this verse in teaching against birth control. Others read Onan's wrong as his refusal to give his dead brother children. The verse itself gives his reason: he knew the children would not be his, and he did not want to give his brother offspring.
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10The thing which he did was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and he killed him also.
In plain English: What he did was evil in Yahweh's sight, and Yahweh put him to death too.
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11Then 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.
In plain English: Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Live as a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah is grown up," because he said, "Otherwise he may die too, like his brothers." So Tamar went and lived in her father's house.
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12After 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.
In plain English: After a long time, Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had been comforted, he went up to Timnah, to the men shearing his sheep, with his friend Hirah from Adullam.
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13Tamar was told, “Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”
In plain English: Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep."
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14She 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.
In plain English: She took off her widow's clothes, covered herself with a veil, wrapped herself up, and sat at the entrance to Enaim (or: in an open place), on the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah had grown up, and she had not been given to him as his wife.
The Hebrew words: "The gate of Enaim" is petach enayim, "the opening of Enaim". Enaim is a place name (the dictionary gives "double fountain"), but enayim is also the word for "eyes".
How it is translated: Older Bibles like the King James read it as "an open place" here, and as "openly" in .
What changes: Read as a place, Tamar sat at the entrance to the town of Enaim. Read the other way, she sat out in the open, on the road to Timnah.
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15When Judah saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.
In plain English: When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, because she had covered her face.
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16He 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 daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?”
In plain English: He turned aside to her by the road and said, "Come, let me sleep with you," because he did not know she was his daughter-in-law. She said, "What will you give me to sleep with me?"
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17He said, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” She said, “Will you give me a pledge, until you send it?”
In plain English: He said, "I will send you a young goat from the flock." She said, "Will you give me a pledge until you send it?"
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18He 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.
In plain English: He said, "What pledge should I give you?" She said, "Your seal, your cord, and the staff in your hand." He gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.
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19She arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.
In plain English: She got up and left. She took off her veil and put her widow's clothes back on.
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20Judah 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.
In plain English: Judah sent the young goat with his friend from Adullam, to get the pledge back from the woman, but he did not find her.
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21Then 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.”
In plain English: He asked the men of that place, "Where is the prostitute (or: the shrine prostitute) who was at Enaim, by the road?" They said, "There has been no prostitute here."
The Hebrew word: Here and in the word for "prostitute" is qedeshah, from the word for "holy" or "set apart". In , when Judah sees her, the text uses the ordinary word, zonah, and uses words from the same family.
How it is translated: This Bible says "prostitute" in all 4 verses that use qedeshah. The dictionary gives "a female devotee".
What changes: Read as "shrine prostitute", Hirah asks for a woman who served at a shrine, not an ordinary prostitute. The text does not say why he uses this word.
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22He returned to Judah, and said, “I haven’t found her; and also the men of the place said, ‘There has been no prostitute here.’”
In plain English: He went back to Judah and said, "I did not find her. And the men of the place said, 'There has been no prostitute here.'"
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23Judah said, “Let her keep it, lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this young goat, and you haven’t found her.”
In plain English: Judah said, "Let her keep the things, or we will be put to shame. I did send this young goat, and you did not find her."
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24About 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.”
In plain English: About three months later Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar has acted as a prostitute, and now she is pregnant because of it." Judah said, "Bring her out and let her be burned."
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25When 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.”
In plain English: As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law: "I am pregnant by the man who owns these." She also said, "Please look closely: whose are these, the seal, the cords, and the staff?"
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26Judah 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.
In plain English: Judah recognized them and said, "She is more righteous than I am (or: she is in the right, not I), because I did not give her to my son Shelah." And he did not sleep with her again.
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27In the time of her travail, behold, twins were in her womb.
In plain English: When the time came for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb.
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28When she travailed, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This came out first.”
In plain English: As she was giving birth, one of them put out a hand, and the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his hand, saying, "This one came out first."
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29As 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.
In plain English: But as he drew back his hand, his brother came out. She said, "Why have you broken out like this?" (or: "What a breach you have made!") That is why he was named Perez.
Good to know: Perez means "a breach", a breaking out. The name comes from the words said at his birth: "Why have you made a breach for yourself?" Perez is an ancestor of King David (), and names Judah, Tamar, Perez and Zerah in the family line of Jesus.
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30Afterward his brother came out, who had the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.
In plain English: Then his brother came out, the one with the scarlet thread on his hand, and he was named Zerah.
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