Genesis 38:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then she arose and went away, and taking off her veil she put on the garments of her widowhood.

NIV: After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow's clothes again.

NASB: Then she got up and departed, and removed her veil and put on her widow’s garments.

CSB: She got up and left, then removed her veil and put her widow's clothes back on.

NLT: Afterward she went back home, took off her veil, and put on her widow’s clothing as usual.

KJV: And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

NKJV: So she arose and went away, and laid aside her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood.

Judah, on his way to celebrate sheep-shearing season, has stopped to buy the services of a roadside prostitute. What he did not realize is that this was his own widowed daughter-in-law, Tamar (Genesis 38:13–18). Tamar was not really a prostitute, but a desperate woman in disguise. She had been widowed by Judah's two oldest sons and then abandoned by him when the strong custom of the day—and his previous agreement—demanded she marry his third son (Genesis 38:11). When that did not happen (Genesis 38:14), Tamar had taken matters into her own hands.

After having sex with Judah in her guise as a prostitute, Tamar took his signet, cord, and staff as security against a future payment. She changes back into her widow's mourning clothes and goes home. Her plan, at this point, was likely to use Judah's signet and staff as evidence to shame him into following through on his promise. Realizing she is pregnant, however, would lead her to understand that her best option is to keep the items and wait (Genesis 38:24–25).

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 5/5/2024 1:26:14 AM