INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 38 This chapter is wholly taken up with matters relating to Judah, the fourth son of Jacob, from whom the Jews have their name, and from whom Christ sprung: it treats of his marriage with a Canaanitess, his children by her, their character and end, Genesis 38:1; of his inces... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT CAME TO PASS AT THAT TIME,.... This some refer to the time of Jacob's coming from Padanaram into Canaan, soon after he came to Shechem, and before the affair of Dinah; but to this may be objected the marriage of Judah at an age that may seem too early for him, his separation from his brethren... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JUDAH SAW THERE A DAUGHTER OF A CERTAIN CANAANITE,.... Onkelos and Jonathan, and so Jarchi and Ben Gersom, interpret it a "merchant", to take off the disgrace of his falling in love with, and marrying a Canaanitish woman, which was forbidden by his ancestors Abraham and Isaac, and which his fath... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SHE CONCEIVED, AND BARE A SON, AND HE CALLED HIS NAME ER. Which signifies a "watchman": but the reason of the name given by the Targum of Jonathan is, "because he should die without children;'' as if it was the same with Ariri, "childless".... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SHE CONCEIVED AGAIN, AND BARE A SON,.... As soon as she well could: AND SHE CALLED HIS NAME ONAN; the first son Judah gave the name to, but his wife named this, so called from grief or sorrow; the reason of it, according to the above Targum, was, "because his father would mourn for him;'' he... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SHE CONCEIVED, AND BARE A SON,.... A third son: AND CALLED HIS NAME SHELAH; which signifies tranquil, quiet, peaceable and prosperous, and is a word that comes from the same root as Shiloh, that famous son of Judah that should spring from him, Genesis 49:10 the reason of the name, as given by t... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JUDAH TOOK A WIFE FOR ER HIS FIRSTBORN,.... Chose one for him, and presented her to him for his liking, whom he approving of married: WHOSE NAME [WAS] TAMAR; which signifies a "palm tree": the Targum of Jonathan says, she was the daughter of Shem; but it is altogether improbable that a daughter... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ER, JUDAH'S FIRSTBORN, WAS WICKED IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD,.... That is, exceedingly wicked, as this phrase signifies, Genesis 13:13, was guilty of some very heinous sin, but what is not mentioned; according to the Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi, it was the same with his brother Onan's, Genesis... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JUDAH SAID UNTO ONAN,.... Some time after his brother's death: GO IN UNTO THY BROTHER'S WIFE, AND MARRY HER; Moses here uses a word not common for marriage, but which was peculiar to the marrying of a brother's wife according to a law given in his time: it appears to have been a custom before,... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ONAN KNEW THAT THE SEED SHOULD NOT BE HIS,.... Should not be called a son of his, but a son of his brother Er; this is to be understood only of the firstborn; all the rest of the children born afterwards were reckoned the children of the real parent of them; this shows this was a custom in use i... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE THING WHICH HE DID DISPLEASED THE LORD,.... Being done out of envy to his brother, and through want of affection to the memory of his name; and it may be out of covetousness to get his estate into his own hands, and especially as it frustrated the end of such an usage of marrying a brother's... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN SAID JUDAH TO TAMAR HIS DAUGHTER IN LAW,.... After the death of his two sons, who had successively married her: REMAIN A WIDOW AT THY FATHER'S HOUSE TILL SHELAH MY SON BE GROWN: who was his third and youngest son, though perhaps not more than a year younger than Onan; but he might not choose h... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IN PROCESS OF TIME THE DAUGHTER OF SHUAH, JUDAH'S WIFE, DIED,.... Shuah was his wife's father, who was a Canaanite, Genesis 38:2; what her name was is not certain, nor the exact time of her death; it was some time after Tamar was sent home to her father's house; and some take the death of Juda... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT WAS TOLD TAMAR,.... By some of her neighbours, or by some of Judah's family; SAYING, BEHOLD, THY FATHER IN LAW GOETH UP TO TIMNATH TO SHEAR HIS SHEEP; which might be told her as an indifferent thing, without any design in it; but she took notice of it, and it gave her an opportunity she want... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SHE PUT HER WIDOW'S GARMENTS OFF FROM HER,.... By which it appears that in those times and countries it was usual for widows to have a different apparel from others, especially in the time of their mourning, as it has been since in other nations, and with us at this day, and which is commonly ca... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN JUDAH SAW HER, HE THOUGHT HER [TO BE] AN HARLOT,.... By her posture and the place she was in: BECAUSE SHE HAD COVERED HER FACE; with her veil, that he did not know her; for this is not given as a reason why he took her to be an harlot; the reason of this was, because she sat in the public road... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE TURNED UNTO HER BY THE WAY,.... Which led to her; he turned out of the way in which he was to that where she sat; and very probably it was at some little distance from the way, and therefore he turned aside to it, his lust towards her being excited at the sight of her; perhaps he left his fri... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SAID, I WILL SEND [THEE] A KID FROM THE FLOCK,.... Either from Timnath, where his flock was shearing, or rather from Adullam, where he lived; since it is probable he was now returning from Timnath, where he had been feasting and making merry with his shearers, and so in a disposition to commi... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SAID, WHAT PLEDGE SHALL I GIVE THEE?.... Being willing to part with anything for the gratification of his lust: AND SHE SAID, THY SIGNET, AND THY BRACELETS, AND THY STAFF THAT [IS] IN THINE HAND; she asks all these, that if one should be lost, or fail of being sufficient proof, the other mig... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SHE AROSE AND WENT AWAY,.... To her father's house immediately, as soon as ever she had parted with Judah; and lest she should be found by the person that would be sent with the kid, and be discovered, she made all the haste she could: AND LAID BY HER VEIL FROM HER, AND PUT ON THE GARMENTS OF H... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JUDAH SENT THE KID BY THE HAND OF HIS FRIEND THE ADULLAMITE,.... Who went with him to Timnath, and was privy to all this wickedness, and kept the secret; but would have acted the more friendly and faithful part had he dissuaded him from it: him he employed to carry the kid he had promised, and n... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN HE ASKED THE MEN OF THAT PLACE,.... Or "of her place" d, of the woman's place, supposing that she dwelt somewhere thereabout: SAYING, WHERE [IS] THE HARLOT THAT [WAS] OPENLY BY THE WAYSIDE? that sat there very publicly some little time ago: the word for "harlot" e comes from another, which sig... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE RETURNED TO JUDAH, AND SAID, I CANNOT FIND HER,.... That is, the Adullamite returned to him, and informed him that he could not find the harlot to whom he was sent to deliver the kid and receive the pledge, after he had made the strictest inquiry for her he could: AND ALSO THE MEN OF THE PLA... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JUDAH SAID, LET HER TAKE [IT] TO HER,.... The pledge, and make no further inquiry after her; LEST WE BE SHAMED; Judah for committing fornication, which even among Heathens, at least at that time of day, was reckoned a shameful action; and be laughed at also, for committing such a pledge to an w... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT CAME TO PASS ABOUT THREE MONTHS AFTER,.... The above affair happened, and when the pregnancy of Tamar began to be somewhat visible, as it does in women with child about that time: THAT IT WAS TOLD JUDAH, SAYING, TAMAR THY DAUGHTER IN LAW HATH PLAYED THE HARLOT: her being with child being obs... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN SHE [WAS] BROUGHT FORTH,.... From her father's house, not to the place of execution, or in order to be burnt, but to the court of judicature, in order to take tier trial: SHE SENT TO HER FATHER IN LAW, SAYING, BY THE MAN WHOSE THESE [ARE, AM] I WITH CHILD; she sent a messenger to him, and by... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JUDAH ACKNOWLEDGED [THEM],.... He knew them, and owned them to be his: AND SAID, SHE HATH BEEN MORE RIGHTEOUS THAN I; he means, not with respect to the sin of uncleanness committed by them, in which she was the greatest criminal; she sat not only in the way to tempt him to it, but she knew who... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT CAME TO PASS IN THE TIME OF HER TRAVAIL,.... When her time to bring forth was come, and her pains were on her, and her midwife with her: THAT, BEHOLD, TWINS [WERE] IN HER WOMB; which the midwife could discover before the birth of either.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT CAME TO PASS WHEN SHE TRAVAILED,.... Her birth throes came strong and quick upon her: THAT [THE ONE] PUT OUT [HIS] HAND; which showed that she was like to have a difficult and dangerous time of it; that the birth was not like to be according to the usual and natural order, which may be consi... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT CAME TO PASS AS HE DREW BACK HIS HAND,.... Into the "uterus" again; THAT, BEHOLD, HIS BROTHER CAME OUT; out of his mother's womb, and so was properly born first: AND SHE SAID; either Tamar, or rather, her midwife: HOW HAST THOU BROKEN FORTH? it was astonishing to her how it could be, havin... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AFTERWARD CAME OUT HIS BROTHER THAT HAD THE SCARLET THREAD UPON HIS HAND,.... By which it was known that he so far came out first; which confirms the remarkable birth of his brother, who notwithstanding got the start of him: AND HIS NAME WAS CALLED ZARAH; not from "rising", or his coming forth... [ Continue Reading ]