Genesis 38:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” Therefore his name was called Perez.

NIV: But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, 'So this is how you have broken out!' And he was named Perez.

NASB: But it came about as he drew back his hand that behold, his brother came out. Then she said, 'What a breach you have made for yourself!' So he was named Perez.

CSB: But then he pulled his hand back, out came his brother, and she said, "What a breakout you have made for yourself! " So he was named Perez.

NLT: But then he pulled back his hand, and out came his brother! 'What!' the midwife exclaimed. 'How did you break out first?' So he was named Perez.

KJV: And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez.

NKJV: Then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that his brother came out unexpectedly; and she said, “How did you break through? This breach be upon you!” Therefore his name was called Perez.

Tamar's twins are being born (Genesis 38:18, 24–26). As Genesis has made abundantly clear in the telling of Esau's and Jacob's story, birth order mattered a great deal in the ancient world. The oldest son will, by custom, hold both the birthright and the family blessing. Part of God's unique interaction with Israel was a constant disruption of this tradition (Genesis 25:23). In this case, one of the twins thrust out a hand before the other could emerge. Those familiar with childbirth would see this as a sign of an unusual, likely difficult labor.

A clever midwife tied a red thread around the wrist, indicating a firstborn son. Unexpectedly, however, the hand was drawn back, and the other baby was delivered first. In response, the midwife addresses the baby's remarkable breach. This leads to the boy—technically considered the younger twin—being named Perez, which means "break through."

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.