1And it came to pass at that timeH6256, that JudahH3063 went downH3381 from his brethrenH251, and turnedH5186 in to a certainH376 AdullamiteH5726, whose nameH8034 was HirahH2437. 2And JudahH3063 sawH7200 there a daughterH1323 of a certainH376 CanaaniteH3669, whose nameH8034 was ShuahH7770; and he took herH3947, and went inH935 unto her. 3And she conceivedH2029, and bareH3205 a sonH1121; and he calledH7121 his nameH8034 ErH6147. 4And she conceivedH2029 again, and bareH3205 a sonH1121; and she calledH7121 his nameH8034 OnanH209. 5And she yet again conceivedH3254, and bareH3205 a sonH1121; and calledH7121 his nameH8034 ShelahH7956: and he was at ChezibH3580, when she bareH3205 him. 6And JudahH3063 tookH3947 a wifeH802 for ErH6147 his firstbornH1060, whose nameH8034 was TamarH8559. 7And ErH6147, Judah'sH3063 firstbornH1060, was wickedH7451 in the sightH5869 of the LORDH3068; and the LORDH3068 slewH4191 him. 8And JudahH3063 saidH559 unto OnanH209, Go inH935 unto thy brother'sH251 wifeH802, and marryH2992 her, and raise upH6965 seedH2233 to thy brotherH251. 9And OnanH209 knewH3045 that the seedH2233 should not be his; and it came to pass, whenH518 he went inH935 unto his brother'sH251 wifeH802, that he spilledH7843 it on the groundH776, lestH1115 that he should giveH5414 seedH2233 to his brotherH251. 10And the thing whichH834 he didH6213 displeasedH3415 H5869 the LORDH3068: wherefore he slewH4191 him also. 11Then saidH559 JudahH3063 to TamarH8559 his daughter in lawH3618, RemainH3427 a widowH490 at thy father'sH1 houseH1004, till ShelahH7956 my sonH1121 be grownH1431 : for he saidH559, Lest peradventure he dieH4191 also, as his brethrenH251 did. And TamarH8559 wentH3212 and dweltH3427 in her father'sH1 houseH1004. 12And in processH7235 of timeH3117 the daughterH1323 of ShuahH7770 Judah'sH3063 wifeH802 diedH4191 ; and JudahH3063 was comfortedH5162, and went upH5927 unto his sheepshearersH1494 H6629 to TimnathH8553, he and his friendH7453 HirahH2437 the AdullamiteH5726. 13And it was toldH5046 TamarH8559, sayingH559, Behold thy father in lawH2524 goeth upH5927 to TimnathH8553 to shearH1494 his sheepH6629. 14And she putH5493 her widow'sH491 garmentsH899 offH5493 from her, and covered herH3680 with a vailH6809, and wrapped herselfH5968, and sat inH3427 an openH5869 placeH6607, which is by the wayH1870 to TimnathH8553; for she sawH7200 that ShelahH7956 was grownH1431, and she was not givenH5414 unto him to wifeH802. 15When JudahH3063 saw herH7200, he thoughtH2803 her to be an harlotH2181 ; because she had coveredH3680 her faceH6440. 16And he turnedH5186 unto her by the wayH1870, and saidH559, Go toH3051, I pray thee, let me come inH935 unto thee; for he knewH3045 not that she was his daughter in lawH3618. And she saidH559, What wilt thou giveH5414 me, that thou mayest come inH935 unto me? 17And he saidH559, I will sendH7971 thee a kidH5795 H1423 from the flockH6629. And she saidH559, Wilt thou giveH5414 me a pledgeH6162, till thou sendH7971 it? 18And he saidH559, WhatH834 pledgeH6162 shall I giveH5414 thee? And she saidH559, Thy signetH2368, and thy braceletsH6616, and thy staffH4294 that is in thine handH3027. And he gaveH5414 it her, and came inH935 unto her, and she conceivedH2029 by him. 19And she aroseH6965, and went awayH3212, and laid byH5493 her vailH6809 from her, and put onH3847 the garmentsH899 of her widowhoodH491. 20And JudahH3063 sentH7971 the kidH1423 H5795 by the handH3027 of his friendH7453 the AdullamiteH5726, to receiveH3947 his pledgeH6162 from the woman'sH802 handH3027: but he found herH4672 not. 21Then he askedH7592 the menH582 of that placeH4725, sayingH559, Where is the harlotH6948, that was openlyH5869 by the way sideH1870? And they saidH559, There was no harlotH6948 in thisH2088 place. 22And he returnedH7725 to JudahH3063, and saidH559, I cannotH3808 findH4672 her; and also the menH582 of the placeH4725 saidH559, that there was no harlotH6948 in this place. 23And JudahH3063 saidH559, Let her takeH3947 it to her, lest we be shamedH937: behold, I sentH7971 this kidH1423, and thou hast not foundH4672 her. 24And it came to pass about threeH7969 monthsH2320 after, that it was toldH5046 JudahH3063, sayingH559, TamarH8559 thy daughter in lawH3618 hath played the harlotH2181 ; and also, behold, she is with childH2030 by whoredomH2183. And JudahH3063 saidH559, Bring her forthH3318, and let her be burntH8313 . 25When she was brought forthH3318, she sentH7971 to her father in lawH2524, sayingH559, By the manH376, whose these are, am I with childH2030: and she saidH559, DiscernH5234, I pray thee, whose are these, the signetH2858, and braceletsH6616, and staffH4294. 26And JudahH3063 acknowledgedH5234 them, and saidH559, She hath been more righteousH6663 than I; because that I gaveH5414 her not to ShelahH7956 my sonH1121. And he knew herH3045 againH3254 no more. 27And it came to pass in the timeH6256 of her travailH3205, that, behold, twinsH8380 were in her wombH990. 28And it came to pass, when she travailedH3205, that the one put outH5414 his handH3027: and the midwifeH3205 tookH3947 and boundH7194 upon his handH3027 a scarlet threadH8144, sayingH559, This came outH3318 firstH7223. 29And it came to pass, as he drew backH7725 his handH3027, that, behold, his brotherH251 came outH3318 : and she saidH559, How hast thou broken forthH6555 ? this breachH6556 be upon thee: therefore his nameH8034 was calledH7121 PharezH6557. 30And afterwardH310 came outH3318 his brotherH251, that had the scarlet threadH8144 upon his handH3027: and his nameH8034 was calledH7121 ZarahH2226.
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary 1 Here is, 1. Judah's foolish friendship with a Canaanite-man. He went down from his brethren, and withdrew for a time from their society and his father's family, and got to be intimately acquainted with one Hirah, an Adullamite,
Gen 38:1. It is computed that he was now not much above fifteen or sixteen years of age, an easy prey to the tempter. Note, When young people that have been well educated begin to change their company, they will soon change their manners, and lose their good education. Those that go down from their brethren, that despise and forsake the society of the seed of Israel, and pick up Canaanites for their companions, are going down the hill apace. It is of great consequence to young people to choose proper associates; for these they will imitate, study to recommend themselves to, and, by their opinion of them, value themselves: an error in this choice is often fatal. 2. His foolish marriage with a Canaanite-woman, a match made, not by his father, who, it should seem, was not consulted, but by his new friend Hirah,
Gen 38:2. Many have been drawn into marriages scandalous and pernicious to themselves and their families by keeping bad company, and growing familiar with bad people: one wicked league entangles men in another. Let young people be admonished by this to take their good parents for their best friends, and to be advised by them, and not by flatterers, who wheedle them, to make a prey of them. 3. His children by this Canaanite, and his disposal of them. Three sons he had by her, Er, Onan, and Shelah. It is probable that she embraced the worship of the God of Israel, at least in profession, but, for aught that appears, there was little of the fear of God in the family. Judah married too young, and very rashly; he also married his sons too young, when they had neither wit nor grace to govern themselves, and the consequences were very bad. (1.) His first-born,
Er, was notoriously wicked; he was so
in the sight of the Lord, that is, in defiance of God and his law; or, if perhaps he was not wicked in the sight of God, to whom all men's wickedness is open; and what came of it? Why, God cut him off presently (
Gen 38:7):
The Lord slew him. Note, Sometimes God makes quick work with sinners, and takes them away in his wrath, when they are but just setting out in a wicked course of life. (2.) The next son,
Onan, was, according to the ancient usage, married to the widow, to preserve the name of his deceased brother that died childless. Though God had taken away his life for his wickedness, yet they were solicitous to preserve his memory; and their disappointment therein, through Onan's sin, was a further punishment of his wickedness. The custom of marrying the brother's widow was afterwards made one of the laws of Moses,
Deut 25:5. Onan, though he consented to marry the widow, yet, to the great abuse of his own body, of the wife that he had married, and of the memory of his brother that was gone, he refused to raise up seed unto his brother, as he was in duty bound. This was so much the worse because the Messiah was to descend from Judah, and, had he not been guilty of this wickedness, he might have had the honour of being one of his ancestors. Note, Those sins that dishonour the body and defile it are very displeasing to God and evidences of vile affections. (3.)
Shelah, the third son, was reserved for the widow (
Gen 38:11), yet with a design that he should not marry so young as his brothers had done,
lest he die also. Some think that Judah never intended to marry Shelah to Tamar, but unjustly suspected her to have been the death of her two former husbands (whereas it was their own wickedness that slew them), and then sent her to her father's house, with a charge to remain a widow. If so, it was an inexcusable piece of prevarication that he was guilty of. However, Tamar acquiesced for the present, and waited the issue.
12 It is a very ill-favoured story that is here told concerning Judah; one would not have expected such folly in Israel. Judah had buried his wife; and widowers have need to stand upon their guard with the utmost caution and resolution against all fleshly lusts. He was unjust to his daughter-in-law, either through negligence or design, in not giving her his surviving son, and this exposed her to temptation.
I. Tamar wickedly prostituted herself as a harlot to Judah, that, if the son might not, the father might raise up seed to the deceased. Some excuse this by suggesting that, though she was a Canaanite, yet she had embraced the true religion, and believed the promise made to Abraham and his seed, particularly that of the Messiah, who was to descend from the loins of Judah, and that she was therefore thus earnestly desirous to have a child by one of that family that she might have the honour, or at least stand fair for the honour, of being the mother of the Messiah. And, if this was indeed her desire, it had its success; she is one of the four women particularly named in the genealogy of Christ,
Matt 1:3. Her sinful practice was pardoned, and her good intention was accepted, which magnifies the grace of God, but can by no means be admitted to justify or encourage the like. Bishop Patrick thinks it probable that she hoped Shelah, who was by right her husband, might have come along with his father, and that he might have been allured to her embraces. There was a great deal of plot and contrivance in Tamar's sin. 1. She took an opportunity for it, when Judah had a time of mirth and feasting with his sheep-shearers. Note, Time of jollity often prove times of temptation, particularly to the sin of uncleanness; when men are fed to the full, the reins are apt to be let loose. 2. She exposed herself as a harlot
in an open place, Gen 38:14. Those that are, and would be, chaste, must be
keepers at home, Titus 2:5. It should seem, it was the custom of harlots, in those times, to cover their faces, that, though they were not ashamed, yet they might seem to be so. The sin of uncleanness did not then go so barefaced as it does now.
II. Judah was taken in the snare, and though it was ignorantly that he was guilty of incest with his daughter-in-law (not knowing who she was), yet he was willfully guilty of fornication: whoever she was, he knew she was not his wife, and therefore not to be touched. Nor was his sin capable, in the least, of such a charitable excuse as some make for Tamar, that though the action was bad the intention possibly might be good. Observe, 1. Judah's sin began in the eye (
Gen 38:15):
He saw her. Note, Those have eyes, and hearts too, full of adultery (as it is
2Pet 2:14), that catch at every bait that presents itself to them and are as tinder to every spark. We have need to make a covenant with our eyes, and to turn them from beholding vanity, lest the eye infect the heart. 2. It added to the scandal that the hire of a harlot (than which nothing is more infamous) was demanded, offered, and accepted -
a kid from the flock, a goodly price at which her chastity and honour were valued! Nay, had the consideration been thousands of rams, and ten thousand rivers of oil, it had not been a valuable consideration. The favour of God, the purity of the soul, the peace of conscience, and the hope of heaven, are too precious to be exposed to sale at any such rates; the Topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal them: what are those profited that lose their souls to gain the world? 3. It turned to the reproach of Judah that he left his jewels in pawn for a kid. Note, Fleshly lusts are not only brutish, but sottish, and ruining to men's secular interests. It is plain that whoredom, as well as wine, and new wine, takes away the heart first, else it would never take away the signet and the bracelets.
III. He lost his jewels by the bargain; he sent the kid, according to this promise, to redeem his pawn, but the supposed harlot could not be found. He sent it by his friend (who was indeed his
back-friend, because he was aiding and abetting in his evil deeds) the Adullamite, who came back without the pledge. It is a good account (if it be but true) of any place which they here gave,
there is no harlot in this place; for such sinners are the scandals and plagues of any place. Judah sits down content to lose his signet and his bracelets, and forbids his friend to make any further enquiry after them, giving this reason,
lest we be shamed, Gen 38:23. Either, 1. Lest his sin should come to be known publicly, and be talked of. Fornication and uncleanness have ever been looked upon as scandalous things and the reproach and shame of those that are convicted of them. Nothing will make those blush that are not ashamed of these. 2. Lest he should be laughed at as a fool for trusting a strumpet with his signet and his bracelets. He expresses no concern about the sin, to get that pardoned, only about the shame, to prevent that. Note, There are many who are more solicitous to preserve their reputation with men than to secure the favour of God and a good conscience;
lest we be shamed goes further with them than
lest we be damned. 24 Here is, I. Judah's rigour against Tamar, when he heard she was an adulteress. She was, in the eye of the law, Shelah's wife, and therefore her being with child by another was looked upon as an injury and reproach to Judah's family:
Bring her forth therefore, says Judah, the master of the family, and
let her be burnt; not burnt to death, but burnt in the cheek or forehead, stigmatized for a harlot. This seems probable,
Gen 38:24. Note, it is a common thing for men to be severe against those very sins in others in which yet they allow themselves; and so, in judging others, they condemn themselves,
Roma 2:1;
Roma 14:22. If he designed that she should be burnt to death, perhaps, under pretence of zeal against the sin, he was contriving how to get rid of his daughter-in-law, being loath to marry Shelah to her. Note, It is a common thing, but a very bad thing, to cover malice against men's persons with a show of zeal against their vices.
II. Judah's shame, when it was made to appear that he was the adulterer. She produced
the ring and the bracelets in court, which justified the fathering of the child upon Judah,
Gen 38:25,
Gen 38:26. Note, The wickedness that has been most secretly committed, and most industriously concealed, yet sometimes is strangely brought to light, to the shame and confusion of those who have said,
No eye sees. A bird of the air may carry the voice; however, there is a destroying day coming, when all will be laid open. Some of the Jewish writers observe that as Judah had said to his father,
See, is this thy son's coat? (
Gen 37:32) so it was now said to him, See, are these thy signet and bracelets? Judah, being convicted by his own conscience, 1. Confesses his sin:
She has been more righteous than I. He owns that a perpetual mark of infamy should be fastened rather upon him, who had been so much accessory to it. Note, Those offenders ought to be treated with the greatest tenderness to whom we have any way given occasion of offending. If servants purloin, and their masters, by withholding from them what is due, tempt them to it, they ought to forgive them. 2. He never returned to it again:
He knew her again no more. Note, Those do not truly repent of their sins that do not forsake them.
III. The building up of Judah's family hereby, notwithstanding, in the birth of Pharez and Zarah, from whom descended the most considerable families of the illustrious tribe of Judah. It should seem, the birth was hard to the mother, by which she was corrected for her sin. The children also, like Jacob and Esau, struggled for the birthright, and Pharez obtained it, who is ever named first, and from him Christ descended. He had his name from his breaking forth before his brother:
This breach be upon thee, which is applicable to those that sow discord, and create distance, between brethren. The Jews, as Zarah, bade fair for the birthright, and were marked with a scarlet thread, as those that came out first; but the Gentiles, like Pharez, as a son of violence, got the start of them, by that violence which the kingdom of heaven suffers, and attained to the righteousness of which the Jews came short. Yet, when the fulness of time is come, all Israel shall be saved. Both these sons are named in the genealogy of our Saviour (
Matt 1:3), to perpetuate the story, as an instance of the humiliation of our Lord Jesus. Some observe that the four eldest sons of Jacob fell under very foul guilt, Reuben and Judah under the guilt of incest, Simeon and Levi under that of murder; yet they were patriarchs, and from Levi descended the priests, from Judah the kings and Messiah. Thus they became examples of repentance, and monuments of pardoning mercy.