Genesis 38:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,”

NIV: When Tamar was told, 'Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,'

NASB: And Tamar was told, 'Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.'

CSB: Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep."

NLT: Someone told Tamar, 'Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.'

KJV: And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.

NKJV: And it was told Tamar, saying, “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”

Tamar had been married and widowed by two of Judah's sons, both killed by the Lord for their wickedness (Genesis 38:6–10). She had moved back in with her father's household, but she was waiting for Judah to decide his third son was old enough to marry her, as custom demanded (Genesis 38:11). The custom was meant to protect the rights of childless widows, as remarriage was difficult. The fact that Judah has no intention of making good on his promise (Genesis 38:14) means he has effectively abandoned her.

Enough time has passed since Judah's initial promise that the deception is clear. When Tamar learns Judah is on his way to Timnah, she hatches a plan to force her father-in-law to include her in his family and take care of her (Genesis 38:14–15).

Genesis 38:12–19 describes a plan devised by the childless widow, Tamar, to provide for her future after being abandoned by her father-in-law, Judah. He has violated tradition by delaying—refusing, it turns out—to give her to his next-oldest son, Shelah. Tamar disguises herself as a prostitute and engages in sex with Judah, keeping his signet ring and staff until he can pay her. This results in pregnancy, setting up a scandalous revelation.

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.

Accessed 5/7/2024 10:55:45 AM