Genesis 38:26 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Judah identified them and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah." And he did not know her again.

NIV: Judah recognized them and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah." And he did not sleep with her again.

NASB: And Judah recognized them, and said, 'She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.' And he did not have relations with her again.

CSB: Judah recognized them and said, "She is more in the right than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah." And he did not know her intimately again.

NLT: Judah recognized them immediately and said, 'She is more righteous than I am, because I didn’t arrange for her to marry my son Shelah.' And Judah never slept with Tamar again.

KJV: And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.

NKJV: So Judah acknowledged them and said, “She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son.” And he never knew her again.

Judah realizes that he has been caught in a trap, laid for him by Tamar (Genesis 38:14–19). More than that, though, he realizes he is not merely guilty, but even more guilty than she is. He admits his guilt in not following through on his commitment to marry his third son to Tamar (Genesis 38:11). Tamar's desperate move was inspired by being a childless widow; Judah's broken promise left her with little hope.

It's important to note that Judah does not say Tamar is guiltless. Tamar's actions aren't justified, in any sense, but Judah fully realizes his role in creating the situation. And, of course, he's at least guilty of the basic sin for which he was just demanding Tamar suffer a death sentence. In essence, Judah says that whatever Tamar has done, his own sin is worse. He, too, is guilty of sexual immorality, as well as lying and abandoning a widow.

Scripture gives no details on the relationship between Judah and Tamar from this point forward. All we know is that Judah did not again sleep with her: there was no continued sexual relationship. Whether she was taken in as a full-fledged wife, or merely cared for in the household, we are not told. For all intents and purposes, Judah has taken on the "levirate" responsibility (Deuteronomy 25:5–6) which should have fallen to his son (Genesis 38:11).

Tamar's plan was extremely dangerous. She was fortunate, in a sense, to have become pregnant and had the opportunity to prove Judah's involvement. Once again, Israel's early history is marked by grand deception and startling revelations (Genesis 27:34–35; 29:21–27; 37:23–28).

Genesis 38:20–26 reveals the end of Tamar's scheme to obtain her rightful due as a widow. Her father-in-law, Judah, had refused to follow tradition by granting her marriage to his next son. So, she disguised herself as a prostitute and slept with Judah, keeping his signet and staff as payment. When Judah learns Tamar is pregnant, though widowed, he hypocritically demands she be killed for immorality. Tamar produces the staff and signet as proof that Judah is the father. He sheepishly admits his error.

Jacob's son Judah marries a Canaanite woman and has three sons. His first son marries a woman called Tamar but is put to death by God for an unnamed sin. Judah follows tradition and marries Er's widow to the next oldest brother. Onan takes advantage of the situation for sex, but deliberately refuses to give her children. God puts him to death as well. When Judah abandons Tamar, she disguises herself as a prostitute and has sex with him. Found to be pregnant, she proves Judah is the father, and he admits his guilt. She then gives birth to twin boys.

Genesis 38 departs from the story of Joseph (Genesis 37:26–28) to describe what happens when Judah moves away from his family at Hebron and marries a Canaanite woman. Two of his three sons are put to death by God, each while married to the same woman. When Judah abandons her, she works a scheme to trick him into having sex with her. Confronted with proof that he is the father in her scandalous pregnancy, she is allowed to live and gives birth to Judah's twin boys. The following chapter returns to a focus on Joseph and his rise within Egyptian society (Genesis 39:1).

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.