Genesis · Chapter 38

ver. 1-11.

II. Judah’s incest with his daughter-in-law Tamar, ver. 12-23. III. His confusion when it was discovered, ver. 24-26. IV. The birth of his twin sons in whom his family was built up, ver. 27-30. V. 1. Judah went down from his brethren-Withdrew for a time from his father’s family, and got intimately acquainted with one Hirah an Adullamite. When young people that have been well educated begin to change their company, they will soon change their manners, and lose their good education. They that go down from their brethren, that forsake the society of the seed of Israel, and pick up Canaanites for their companions, are going down the hill apace.

Verse 1. And it came to pass at that time] The facts mentioned here could not have happened at the times mentioned in the preceding chapter, as those times are all unquestionably too recent, for the very earliest of the transactions here recorded must have occurred long before the selling of Joseph. Mr. Ainsworth remarks “that Judah and his sons must have married when very young, else the chronology will not agree. For Joseph was born six years before Jacob left Laban and came into Canaan; Genesis 30:25, and Genesis 31:41. Joseph was seventeen years old when he was sold into Egypt, Genesis 37:2,25; he was thirty years old when he interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, Genesis 41:46. And nine years after, when there had been seven years of plenty and two years of famine, did Jacob with his family go down into Egypt, Genesis 41:53, 54, and Genesis 45:6, 11. And at their going down thither, Pharez, the son of Judah, whose birth is set down at the end of this chapter, had two sons, Hezron and Hamul, Genesis 46:8, 12. Seeing then from the selling of Joseph unto Israel’s going down into Egypt there cannot be above twenty-three years, how is it possible that Judah should take a wife, and have by her three sons successively, and Shelah the youngest of the three be marriageable when Judah begat Pharez of Tamar, Genesis 38:14, 24, and Pharez be grown up, married, and have two sons, all within so short a space? The time therefore here spoken of seems to have been soon after Jacob’s coming to Shechem, Genesis 33:18, before the history of Dinah, Genesis 34:1-31, though Moses for special cause relates it in this place.” I should rather suppose that this chapter originally stood after Genesis 33:1-20, and that it got by accident into this place. Dr. Hales, observing that some of Jacob’s son must have married remarkably young, says that “Judah was about forty-seven years old when Jacob’s family settled in Egypt. He could not therefore have been above fifteen at the birth of his eldest son Er; nor Er more than fifteen at his marriage with Tamar; nor could it have been more than two years after Er’s death till the birth of Judah’s twin sons by his daughter-in-law Tamar; nor could Pharez, one of them, be more than fifteen at the birth of his twin sons Herron and Hamul, supposing they were twins, just born before the departure from Canaan. For the aggregate of these numbers, 15, 15, 2, 15, or 47 years, gives the age of Judah; compare Genesis 38:1-30 with Genesis 46:12.” See the remarks of Dr. Kennicott, at the end of Clarke’s note at “Genesis 31:55”.

Adullamite] An inhabitant of Adullam, a city of Canaan, afterwards given for a possession to the sons of Judah, Joshua 15:1,35. It appears as if this Adullamite had kept a kind of lodging house, for Shuah the Canaanite and his family lodged with him; and there Judah lodged also. As the woman was a Canaanitess, Judah had the example of his fathers to prove at least the impropriety of such a connection.

1-11.

(2,) Judah’s incest with his daughter-in-law Tamar, 12-23. (3,) His confusion when it was discovered, 24-26.

(4,) The birth of his twin sons, in whom his family was built up, 27-30. NOTES ON CHAPTER 38.

Verse 1. At that time — That is, about that time; this expression, as also the words then, in those days, often referring in Scripture to a considerable space of time. For though these words, as Le Clerc well observes, seem to connect the following events with those spoken of in the former chapter, yet some of them, particularly Judah’s marriage, which leads to the rest, must have happened long before Joseph was sold into Egypt. This chapter must therefore be here placed out of the order of time, and the events here recorded must have happened soon after Jacob came from Mesopotamia into Canaan, though Moses, for some special reasons, relates them in this place. Judah went down from his brethren — Withdrew for a time from his father’s family, and got intimately acquainted with one Hirah an Adullamite. When young people that have been well educated, begin to change their company, they will soon change their manners, and lose their good education. They that go down from their brethren, that forsake the society of the seed of Israel, and pick up Canaanites for their companions, are going down the hill apace.

Verse 1. At that time. All the events of this chapter could not happen in the twenty-two years from the selling of Joseph, to Israel’s going down into Egypt; but according to Eben Ezra, as quoted by critics, Judah must have married a Canaanite before the sale of his brother. At the age of fourteen he left his father, and married this strange woman, by whom he had Er, Onan, and Shelah in three years. Judah’s morals were therefore corrupted at an early age, and this accounts for the tragic occurrences of his house.

THE FAMILY OF JUDAH, 1-30.

This chapter forms an essential part of the history of “the generations of Jacob.” Genesis 37:2. In that history “the two chief persons were Josephand Judah: Joseph, from his high character, his personal importance, his influence on the future destinies of the race, and his typical foreshadowing of the Messiah; Judah, from his obtaining the virtual right of leadership, and from his being the ancestor of David and of the Son of David. Hence at a natural pause in the history of Joseph, namely, when he had been now sold into Egypt and settled in Potiphar’s house, the historian recurs to the events in the family of Judah, which he carries down to the birth of Pharez, the next link in the ancestry of the Saviour. Thus he clears away all that was necessary to be told of the history of the twelve patriarchs, with the exception of that which was involved in the history of Joseph. There is also a remarkable contrast brought vividly out by this juxtaposition of the impure line of Judah and his children with the chastity and moral integrity of Joseph as seen in the succeeding chapter.” — Speaker’s Commentary.

1. At that time — During the time that Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings. Genesis 37:1. It does not say after these things, as in Genesis 22:1; so that the exact point of time is altogether indefinite. Judah went down from his brethren — Went southward from Shechem, perhaps on some errand to his grandfather Isaac, and before Jacob had removed from Shechem. Adullamite — A native of Adullam, a city in the plain some distance north-west of Hebron, which is mentioned in Joshua 15:35, among the cities of Judah, and situated between Jarmuth and Socoh. Its site has not been ascertained, but Eusebius and Jerome mention it as lying to the east of Eleutheropolis. On the cave of Adullam, famous in David’s history, see 1 Samuel 20:1. Turned in to — Not “pitched his tent up to,” or in the neighbourhood of, (Keil,) but, as the word is used in verse 16, and often elsewhere, in the sense of turning aside unto. What inclined him thus to turn in we are not told. It appears that once upon a time Judah, in passing down to Hebron, for some reason, accepted the hospitality of this Adullamite, and saw there a woman who so excited his love for her that he at once took her in marriage.

V. 2. He took her-To wife. His father, it should seem, was not consulted, but by his new friend Hirah.

Verse 2. He took her — To wife. His father, it should seem, was not consulted, but he acted by the advice of his new friend Hirah.

2. A certain Canaanite — This marriage with a Canaanitish woman was a source of many evils, and, to save his chosen people front complete affiliation with the heathen, and ruin from that cause, Jehovah brought them into Egypt, where years of bondage would prevent further contamination from them. Shuah — The father of Judah’s wife. See verse 12.

THE FAMILY OF JUDAH, 1-30.

This chapter forms an essential part of the history of “the generations of Jacob.” Genesis 37:2. In that history “the two chief persons were Josephand Judah: Joseph, from his high character, his personal importance, his influence on the future destinies of the race, and his typical foreshadowing of the Messiah; Judah, from his obtaining the virtual right of leadership, and from his being the ancestor of David and of the Son of David. Hence at a natural pause in the history of Joseph, namely, when he had been now sold into Egypt and settled in Potiphar’s house, the historian recurs to the events in the family of Judah, which he carries down to the birth of Pharez, the next link in the ancestry of the Saviour. Thus he clears away all that was necessary to be told of the history of the twelve patriarchs, with the exception of that which was involved in the history of Joseph. There is also a remarkable contrast brought vividly out by this juxtaposition of the impure line of Judah and his children with the chastity and moral integrity of Joseph as seen in the succeeding chapter.” — Speaker’s Commentary.

1. At that time — During the time that Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings. Genesis 37:1. It does not say after these things, as in Genesis 22:1; so that the exact point of time is altogether indefinite. Judah went down from his brethren — Went southward from Shechem, perhaps on some errand to his grandfather Isaac, and before Jacob had removed from Shechem. Adullamite — A native of Adullam, a city in the plain some distance north-west of Hebron, which is mentioned in Joshua 15:35, among the cities of Judah, and situated between Jarmuth and Socoh. Its site has not been ascertained, but Eusebius and Jerome mention it as lying to the east of Eleutheropolis. On the cave of Adullam, famous in David’s history, see 1 Samuel 20:1. Turned in to — Not “pitched his tent up to,” or in the neighbourhood of, (Keil,) but, as the word is used in verse 16, and often elsewhere, in the sense of turning aside unto. What inclined him thus to turn in we are not told. It appears that once upon a time Judah, in passing down to Hebron, for some reason, accepted the hospitality of this Adullamite, and saw there a woman who so excited his love for her that he at once took her in marriage.

THE FAMILY OF JUDAH, 1-30.

This chapter forms an essential part of the history of “the generations of Jacob.” Genesis 37:2. In that history “the two chief persons were Josephand Judah: Joseph, from his high character, his personal importance, his influence on the future destinies of the race, and his typical foreshadowing of the Messiah; Judah, from his obtaining the virtual right of leadership, and from his being the ancestor of David and of the Son of David. Hence at a natural pause in the history of Joseph, namely, when he had been now sold into Egypt and settled in Potiphar’s house, the historian recurs to the events in the family of Judah, which he carries down to the birth of Pharez, the next link in the ancestry of the Saviour. Thus he clears away all that was necessary to be told of the history of the twelve patriarchs, with the exception of that which was involved in the history of Joseph. There is also a remarkable contrast brought vividly out by this juxtaposition of the impure line of Judah and his children with the chastity and moral integrity of Joseph as seen in the succeeding chapter.” — Speaker’s Commentary.

1. At that time — During the time that Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings. Genesis 37:1. It does not say after these things, as in Genesis 22:1; so that the exact point of time is altogether indefinite. Judah went down from his brethren — Went southward from Shechem, perhaps on some errand to his grandfather Isaac, and before Jacob had removed from Shechem. Adullamite — A native of Adullam, a city in the plain some distance north-west of Hebron, which is mentioned in Joshua 15:35, among the cities of Judah, and situated between Jarmuth and Socoh. Its site has not been ascertained, but Eusebius and Jerome mention it as lying to the east of Eleutheropolis. On the cave of Adullam, famous in David’s history, see 1 Samuel 20:1. Turned in to — Not “pitched his tent up to,” or in the neighbourhood of, (Keil,) but, as the word is used in verse 16, and often elsewhere, in the sense of turning aside unto. What inclined him thus to turn in we are not told. It appears that once upon a time Judah, in passing down to Hebron, for some reason, accepted the hospitality of this Adullamite, and saw there a woman who so excited his love for her that he at once took her in marriage.

Verse 5. And he was at Chezib when she bare him.] This town is supposed to be the same with Achzib, which fell to the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:44. “The name,” says Ainsworth, “has in Hebrew the signification of lying; and to it the prophet alludes, saying the houses of Achzib shall be (Achzab) a lie to the kings of Israel, Micah 1:14.”

5. At Chezib — Probably the same as Achzib, mentioned in Joshua 15:44, and Micah 1:14. This was probably at the modern Kusaba, fifteen miles southwest of Beit-jibrin. This mention of her bearing Shelah at Chezib intimates that Er and Onan were born elsewhere. Judah at this time probably led a wandering life, and his being with his brethren at Dothan (Genesis 37:26) does not involve, as Keil argues, that he was unmarried at that time.

THE FAMILY OF JUDAH, 1-30.

This chapter forms an essential part of the history of “the generations of Jacob.” Genesis 37:2. In that history “the two chief persons were Josephand Judah: Joseph, from his high character, his personal importance, his influence on the future destinies of the race, and his typical foreshadowing of the Messiah; Judah, from his obtaining the virtual right of leadership, and from his being the ancestor of David and of the Son of David. Hence at a natural pause in the history of Joseph, namely, when he had been now sold into Egypt and settled in Potiphar’s house, the historian recurs to the events in the family of Judah, which he carries down to the birth of Pharez, the next link in the ancestry of the Saviour. Thus he clears away all that was necessary to be told of the history of the twelve patriarchs, with the exception of that which was involved in the history of Joseph. There is also a remarkable contrast brought vividly out by this juxtaposition of the impure line of Judah and his children with the chastity and moral integrity of Joseph as seen in the succeeding chapter.” — Speaker’s Commentary.

1. At that time — During the time that Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings. Genesis 37:1. It does not say after these things, as in Genesis 22:1; so that the exact point of time is altogether indefinite. Judah went down from his brethren — Went southward from Shechem, perhaps on some errand to his grandfather Isaac, and before Jacob had removed from Shechem. Adullamite — A native of Adullam, a city in the plain some distance north-west of Hebron, which is mentioned in Joshua 15:35, among the cities of Judah, and situated between Jarmuth and Socoh. Its site has not been ascertained, but Eusebius and Jerome mention it as lying to the east of Eleutheropolis. On the cave of Adullam, famous in David’s history, see 1 Samuel 20:1. Turned in to — Not “pitched his tent up to,” or in the neighbourhood of, (Keil,) but, as the word is used in verse 16, and often elsewhere, in the sense of turning aside unto. What inclined him thus to turn in we are not told. It appears that once upon a time Judah, in passing down to Hebron, for some reason, accepted the hospitality of this Adullamite, and saw there a woman who so excited his love for her that he at once took her in marriage.

V. 7. And Er was wicked in the sight of the Lord-That is, in defiance of God and his law. And what came of it? Why God cut him off presently, The Lord slew him. The next brother Onan was, according to the ancient usage, married to the widow, to preserve the name of his deceased brother that died childless. This custom of marrying the brother’s widow was afterward made one of the laws of Moses, Deuteronomy 25:5. Onan, though he consented to marry the widow, yet to the great abuse of his own body, of the wife he had married, and the memory of his brother that was gone, he refused to raise up seed unto his brother. Those sins that dishonour the body are very displeasing to God, and the evidence of vile actions. Observe,

the thing which he did displeased the Lord-And it is to be feared, thousands, especially of single persons, by this very thing, still displeased the Lord, and destroy their own souls.

Verse 7. Er-was wicked in the sight of the Lord] What this wickedness consisted in we are not told; but the phrase sight of the Lord being added, proves that it was some very great evil. It is worthy of remark that the Hebrew word used to express Er’s wickedness is his own name, the letters reversed. Er r[ wicked, [r ra. As if the inspired writer had said, “Er was altogether wicked, a completely abandoned character.”

Verses 7, 8. Er was wicked in the sight of the Lord — That is, in defiance of God, and his law. And the Lord slew him — Cut him off by an untimely death, before he had any children by Tamar. As long life among the Jews was generally reckoned a blessing from God; so an untimely death was accounted a punishment. The next brother, Onan, was, according to the ancient usage, married to the widow, to preserve the name of his deceased brother that died childless. This custom of marrying the brother’s widow was afterward made one of the laws of Moses, Deuteronomy 25:5. Onan, though he consented to marry the widow, yet, to the great abuse of his own body, and of the wife he had married, and to the dishonour of the memory of his brother that was gone, refused to raise up seed unto his brother. And this story seems to be recorded by the Holy Ghost purposely to condemn, not only his malignant and envious disposition with respect to his deceased brother, but also and especially that vile pollution of his body of which he was guilty. For, observe, The thing which he did displeased the Lord, and brought upon him the Lord’s vengeance. And it is to be feared that thousands, especially of single persons, still displease the Lord in a similar way, and destroy their own bodies and souls. All such sins, at the same time that they dishonour the body, evidence the power of vile affections, and are not only condemned in the Scriptures, but by the light of nature, and were held even by the heathen moralists to be peculiarly criminal, and by the Jewish doctors to be a degree of murder. See Universal History.

Ver. 7. Er, though very young was so extremely wicked, that the Lord slew him. God having concealed the nature of his crimes in the dark cloud of his vengeance, we ought not to make farther inquiry.

7. Er… was wicked — In what particular forms he showed his wickedness we are not told; but being the son of a Canaanitish woman, he probably imbibed, in his earliest years, the spirit of Canaanitish idolatry and vice, which was ever an abomination to Jehovah. The Lord slew him — Some sudden or fearful death that was recognised as a judgment stroke.

Verses 7, 8. Er was wicked in the sight of the Lord — That is, in defiance of God, and his law. And the Lord slew him — Cut him off by an untimely death, before he had any children by Tamar. As long life among the Jews was generally reckoned a blessing from God; so an untimely death was accounted a punishment. The next brother, Onan, was, according to the ancient usage, married to the widow, to preserve the name of his deceased brother that died childless. This custom of marrying the brother’s widow was afterward made one of the laws of Moses, Deuteronomy 25:5. Onan, though he consented to marry the widow, yet, to the great abuse of his own body, and of the wife he had married, and to the dishonour of the memory of his brother that was gone, refused to raise up seed unto his brother. And this story seems to be recorded by the Holy Ghost purposely to condemn, not only his malignant and envious disposition with respect to his deceased brother, but also and especially that vile pollution of his body of which he was guilty. For, observe, The thing which he did displeased the Lord, and brought upon him the Lord’s vengeance. And it is to be feared that thousands, especially of single persons, still displease the Lord in a similar way, and destroy their own bodies and souls. All such sins, at the same time that they dishonour the body, evidence the power of vile affections, and are not only condemned in the Scriptures, but by the light of nature, and were held even by the heathen moralists to be peculiarly criminal, and by the Jewish doctors to be a degree of murder. See Universal History.

8. Seed to thy brother — Here is the first mention of levirate marriage. See our notes on Ruth, at the beginning of chapter 3. “The custom,” says Keil, “is found in different forms among Indians, Persians, and other nations of Asia and Africa, and was not founded upon a divine command, but upon an ancient tradition, originating probably in Chaldea. It was not abolished, however, by the Mosaic law, (Deuteronomy 25:5,) but only so far restricted as not to allow it to interfere with the sanctity of marriage; and with this limitation it was enjoined as a duty of affection to build up the brother’s house, and to preserve his family and name.”

Verse 9. Onan knew that the seed should not be his] That is, that the child begotten of his brother’s widow should be reckoned as the child of his deceased brother, and his name, though the real father of it, should not appear in the genealogical tables.

Ver. 9. Onan was not better than his brother Er. His crime was double; first, in denying issue to Tamar, and thereby depriving her of all her covenant rights; and secondly, in secret wickedness, for which the Lord slew him. Both these sons, it should be remembered, were educated by a heathen mother. Onanism is not only to be avoided by early rising, but all that leads to it abhorred, as idleness and novel reading. This sin superinduces every disease incident to the body. The Greeks have a proverb which applies here. To nikan auton eauton paswn nikwn prwth kai aristh, to de etasqai auton uf eauton, aisciston te kai kakiston. To conquer one’s self is the first and best of all victories; but for a man to be conquered by himself, is the vilest and worst of sins.

THE FAMILY OF JUDAH, 1-30.

This chapter forms an essential part of the history of “the generations of Jacob.” Genesis 37:2. In that history “the two chief persons were Josephand Judah: Joseph, from his high character, his personal importance, his influence on the future destinies of the race, and his typical foreshadowing of the Messiah; Judah, from his obtaining the virtual right of leadership, and from his being the ancestor of David and of the Son of David. Hence at a natural pause in the history of Joseph, namely, when he had been now sold into Egypt and settled in Potiphar’s house, the historian recurs to the events in the family of Judah, which he carries down to the birth of Pharez, the next link in the ancestry of the Saviour. Thus he clears away all that was necessary to be told of the history of the twelve patriarchs, with the exception of that which was involved in the history of Joseph. There is also a remarkable contrast brought vividly out by this juxtaposition of the impure line of Judah and his children with the chastity and moral integrity of Joseph as seen in the succeeding chapter.” — Speaker’s Commentary.

1. At that time — During the time that Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings. Genesis 37:1. It does not say after these things, as in Genesis 22:1; so that the exact point of time is altogether indefinite. Judah went down from his brethren — Went southward from Shechem, perhaps on some errand to his grandfather Isaac, and before Jacob had removed from Shechem. Adullamite — A native of Adullam, a city in the plain some distance north-west of Hebron, which is mentioned in Joshua 15:35, among the cities of Judah, and situated between Jarmuth and Socoh. Its site has not been ascertained, but Eusebius and Jerome mention it as lying to the east of Eleutheropolis. On the cave of Adullam, famous in David’s history, see 1 Samuel 20:1. Turned in to — Not “pitched his tent up to,” or in the neighbourhood of, (Keil,) but, as the word is used in verse 16, and often elsewhere, in the sense of turning aside unto. What inclined him thus to turn in we are not told. It appears that once upon a time Judah, in passing down to Hebron, for some reason, accepted the hospitality of this Adullamite, and saw there a woman who so excited his love for her that he at once took her in marriage.

Verse 10. Wherefore he slew him also.] The sin of Onan has generally been supposed to be self-pollution; but this is certainly a mistake; his crime was his refusal to raise up seed to his brother, and rather than do it, by the act mentioned above, he rendered himself incapable of it. We find from this history that long be fore the Mosaic law it was an established custom, probably founded on a Divine precept, that if a man died childless his brother was to take his wife, and the children produced by this second marriage were considered as the children of the first husband, and in consequence inherited his possessions.

THE FAMILY OF JUDAH, 1-30.

This chapter forms an essential part of the history of “the generations of Jacob.” Genesis 37:2. In that history “the two chief persons were Josephand Judah: Joseph, from his high character, his personal importance, his influence on the future destinies of the race, and his typical foreshadowing of the Messiah; Judah, from his obtaining the virtual right of leadership, and from his being the ancestor of David and of the Son of David. Hence at a natural pause in the history of Joseph, namely, when he had been now sold into Egypt and settled in Potiphar’s house, the historian recurs to the events in the family of Judah, which he carries down to the birth of Pharez, the next link in the ancestry of the Saviour. Thus he clears away all that was necessary to be told of the history of the twelve patriarchs, with the exception of that which was involved in the history of Joseph. There is also a remarkable contrast brought vividly out by this juxtaposition of the impure line of Judah and his children with the chastity and moral integrity of Joseph as seen in the succeeding chapter.” — Speaker’s Commentary.

1. At that time — During the time that Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings. Genesis 37:1. It does not say after these things, as in Genesis 22:1; so that the exact point of time is altogether indefinite. Judah went down from his brethren — Went southward from Shechem, perhaps on some errand to his grandfather Isaac, and before Jacob had removed from Shechem. Adullamite — A native of Adullam, a city in the plain some distance north-west of Hebron, which is mentioned in Joshua 15:35, among the cities of Judah, and situated between Jarmuth and Socoh. Its site has not been ascertained, but Eusebius and Jerome mention it as lying to the east of Eleutheropolis. On the cave of Adullam, famous in David’s history, see 1 Samuel 20:1. Turned in to — Not “pitched his tent up to,” or in the neighbourhood of, (Keil,) but, as the word is used in verse 16, and often elsewhere, in the sense of turning aside unto. What inclined him thus to turn in we are not told. It appears that once upon a time Judah, in passing down to Hebron, for some reason, accepted the hospitality of this Adullamite, and saw there a woman who so excited his love for her that he at once took her in marriage.

V. 11. Shelah the third son was reserved for the widow, yet with 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; however Tamar acquiesced, and waited for the issue.

Verse 11. Remain a widow till Shelah my son be grown — The contract of marriage, it seems, was so understood, even before any positive law was made on the subject, that, if the husband died without any issue, his next brother was to marry his wife, and as long as any of his brethren remained they were bound to marry her, if left a widow. Accordingly Shelah, the third son, was reserved for Tamar, yet with design that he should not marry so young as his brothers had done. For it would seem from Judah’s expression, Lest peradventure he die also, that he thought marrying too young was the cause of their death; though some consider his conduct as an evidence that he never intended to give his son to her.

11. Lest… he die also — Judah probably entertained some superstitious fear of Tamar, as if she were the cause of the death of his sons. Compare the story of Tobit. Genesis 3:7. But it was their wickedness, not hers, which caused their sudden death.

Verse 12. In process of time] This phrase, which is in general use in the Bible, needs explanation; the original is הימים וירבו valyirbu haiyamim, and the days were multiplied. Though it implies an indefinite time, yet it generally embraces a pretty long period, and in this place may mean several years.

12. Went up… to Timnath — Probably the Timnath of the Philistine valley, so famous in the history of Samson. Judges 14:1. If so, it was at the modern Tibeh, and must have been some eight or ten miles north of Adullam. There was also another Timnath in the mountains of Judah. See Joshua 15:57. His friend Hirah — Comp. verse 1. Note how intimate Judah had become with the Canaanites.

Ver. 13. It was told Tamar. This young widow had borne much reproach for the singular loss of two young husbands. She had been defrauded by Onan, and disappointed of Shelah; and considering her marriage claims of issue and of property from the family, she took this bold and singular step. Her peculiar situation, and the laws of her people should be well considered, before we too far censure a mysterious deed.

THE FAMILY OF JUDAH, 1-30.

This chapter forms an essential part of the history of “the generations of Jacob.” Genesis 37:2. In that history “the two chief persons were Josephand Judah: Joseph, from his high character, his personal importance, his influence on the future destinies of the race, and his typical foreshadowing of the Messiah; Judah, from his obtaining the virtual right of leadership, and from his being the ancestor of David and of the Son of David. Hence at a natural pause in the history of Joseph, namely, when he had been now sold into Egypt and settled in Potiphar’s house, the historian recurs to the events in the family of Judah, which he carries down to the birth of Pharez, the next link in the ancestry of the Saviour. Thus he clears away all that was necessary to be told of the history of the twelve patriarchs, with the exception of that which was involved in the history of Joseph. There is also a remarkable contrast brought vividly out by this juxtaposition of the impure line of Judah and his children with the chastity and moral integrity of Joseph as seen in the succeeding chapter.” — Speaker’s Commentary.

1. At that time — During the time that Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings. Genesis 37:1. It does not say after these things, as in Genesis 22:1; so that the exact point of time is altogether indefinite. Judah went down from his brethren — Went southward from Shechem, perhaps on some errand to his grandfather Isaac, and before Jacob had removed from Shechem. Adullamite — A native of Adullam, a city in the plain some distance north-west of Hebron, which is mentioned in Joshua 15:35, among the cities of Judah, and situated between Jarmuth and Socoh. Its site has not been ascertained, but Eusebius and Jerome mention it as lying to the east of Eleutheropolis. On the cave of Adullam, famous in David’s history, see 1 Samuel 20:1. Turned in to — Not “pitched his tent up to,” or in the neighbourhood of, (Keil,) but, as the word is used in verse 16, and often elsewhere, in the sense of turning aside unto. What inclined him thus to turn in we are not told. It appears that once upon a time Judah, in passing down to Hebron, for some reason, accepted the hospitality of this Adullamite, and saw there a woman who so excited his love for her that he at once took her in marriage.

V. 14. Some excuse this by suggesting that she believed the promise made to Abraham and his seed, particularly that of the Messiah, and that she was therefore 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.

She covered her with a veil-It was the custom of harlots in those times to cover their faces, that tho’ they were not ashamed, yet they might seem to be so: the sin of uncleanness did not then go so bare-faced as it now doth.

Verse 14. She put her widow’s garments off, &c. — Some excuse her conduct in this by suggesting that she believed the promise made to Abraham and his seed, particularly that of the Messiah, and that she was therefore desirous to have a child by one of that family, that she might have the honour, or at least stand fair for being the mother of the Messiah. She covered her with a veil — 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 go so bare-faced as it now doth.

14. In an open place — Rather, at the entrance of Enajim. This Enajim was probably the same as the Enam of Joshua 15:35, which is mentioned in connexion with Jarmuth and Adullam. This act of Tamar reveals the shameful state of morals among the Canaanites, and furnishes also the occasion of showing the strength of Judah’s sensuality, and his low life as compared with what we see in Joseph.

Verse 15. Thought her to be a harlot] See the original of this term, Genesis 34:31. The Hebrew is hnwz zonah, and signifies generally a person who prostitutes herself to the public for hire, or one who lives by the public; and hence very likely applied to a publican, a tavern-keeper, or hostess, Joshua 2:1; translated by the Septuagint, and in the New Testament, pornh, from pernaw, to sell, which certainly may as well apply to her goods as to her person.

It appears that in very ancient times there were public persons of this description; and they generally veiled themselves, sat in public places by the highway side, and received certain hire. Though adultery was reputed a very flagrant crime, yet this public prostitution was not; for persons whose characters were on the whole morally good had connections with them. But what could be expected from an age in which there was no written Divine revelation, and consequently the bounds of right and wrong were not sufficiently ascertained? This defect was supplied in a considerable measure by the law and the prophets, and now completely by the Gospel of Christ.

15. A harlot — The word here used is hnwz, the common Hebrew word for harlot. But Judah’s friend Hirah uses (verse 21) a different word, though our translators have rendered it just the same. There the Hebrew word is hvdq, a consecrated woman, that is, a woman consecrated to Astarte, the Canaanitish Venus; one who prostituted herself in the name of religion. Thus it appears that this abominable worship was at that time prevalent in Canaan, and Judah had become acquainted with its ways, though he did not call the woman thus devoted by the word that designated her as one sacred to Astarte. He regarded her as a prostitute, because she had covered her face, and he had come to know that this was the practice of women thus consecrated to lust. But to him she was only a harlot, while to his friend she was supposed to be a kedeshah.

THE FAMILY OF JUDAH, 1-30.

This chapter forms an essential part of the history of “the generations of Jacob.” Genesis 37:2. In that history “the two chief persons were Josephand Judah: Joseph, from his high character, his personal importance, his influence on the future destinies of the race, and his typical foreshadowing of the Messiah; Judah, from his obtaining the virtual right of leadership, and from his being the ancestor of David and of the Son of David. Hence at a natural pause in the history of Joseph, namely, when he had been now sold into Egypt and settled in Potiphar’s house, the historian recurs to the events in the family of Judah, which he carries down to the birth of Pharez, the next link in the ancestry of the Saviour. Thus he clears away all that was necessary to be told of the history of the twelve patriarchs, with the exception of that which was involved in the history of Joseph. There is also a remarkable contrast brought vividly out by this juxtaposition of the impure line of Judah and his children with the chastity and moral integrity of Joseph as seen in the succeeding chapter.” — Speaker’s Commentary.

1. At that time — During the time that Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings. Genesis 37:1. It does not say after these things, as in Genesis 22:1; so that the exact point of time is altogether indefinite. Judah went down from his brethren — Went southward from Shechem, perhaps on some errand to his grandfather Isaac, and before Jacob had removed from Shechem. Adullamite — A native of Adullam, a city in the plain some distance north-west of Hebron, which is mentioned in Joshua 15:35, among the cities of Judah, and situated between Jarmuth and Socoh. Its site has not been ascertained, but Eusebius and Jerome mention it as lying to the east of Eleutheropolis. On the cave of Adullam, famous in David’s history, see 1 Samuel 20:1. Turned in to — Not “pitched his tent up to,” or in the neighbourhood of, (Keil,) but, as the word is used in verse 16, and often elsewhere, in the sense of turning aside unto. What inclined him thus to turn in we are not told. It appears that once upon a time Judah, in passing down to Hebron, for some reason, accepted the hospitality of this Adullamite, and saw there a woman who so excited his love for her that he at once took her in marriage.

V. 17. A kid from the flock-A goodly price at which her chastity and honour were valued! 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 the conscience, and the hope of heaven: are too precious to be exposed to sale at any such rates. He lost his Jewels by the bargain: He sent the kid according to his 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. ‘Tis a good account, if it be but true, of any place that which they here gave, that 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 farther enquiry.

Verse 17. Wilt thou give me a pledge till thou send it?] The word ˆwbr[ erabon signifies an earnest of something promised, a part of the price agreed for between a buyer and seller, by giving and receiving of which the bargain was ratified; or a deposit, which was to be restored when the thing promised should be given. St. Paul uses the same word in Greek letters, appabwn, 2 Corinthians 1:22; Eph 1:14. From the use of the term in this history we may at once see what the apostle means by the Holy Spirit being the EARNEST, appabwn, of the promised inheritance; viz., a security given in hand for the fulfilment of all God’s promises relative to grace and eternal life. We may learn from this that eternal life will be given in the great day to all who can produce this erabon or pledge. He who has the earnest of the Spirit then in his heart shall not only be saved from death, but have that eternal life of which it is the pledge and the evidence. What the pledge given by Judah was, see Clarke on “Genesis 38:25”.

Verses 17-21. A kid from the flock — A goodly price at which her chastity and honour were valued! Had the consideration been a thousand rams, and ten thousands of rivers of oil, it had not been a valuable consideration. The favour of God, the purity of the soul, the peace of the conscience, and the hope of heaven, are too precious to be exposed to sale at any such rates. It is a good account, if it be but true, of any place, that which they here gave, that 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 inquiry.

Ver. 17. A kid. How lost to reason, and blinded by passion. How deplorably wretched must both the man and the woman be, who can barter their virtue for so paltry a price.

THE FAMILY OF JUDAH, 1-30.

This chapter forms an essential part of the history of “the generations of Jacob.” Genesis 37:2. In that history “the two chief persons were Josephand Judah: Joseph, from his high character, his personal importance, his influence on the future destinies of the race, and his typical foreshadowing of the Messiah; Judah, from his obtaining the virtual right of leadership, and from his being the ancestor of David and of the Son of David. Hence at a natural pause in the history of Joseph, namely, when he had been now sold into Egypt and settled in Potiphar’s house, the historian recurs to the events in the family of Judah, which he carries down to the birth of Pharez, the next link in the ancestry of the Saviour. Thus he clears away all that was necessary to be told of the history of the twelve patriarchs, with the exception of that which was involved in the history of Joseph. There is also a remarkable contrast brought vividly out by this juxtaposition of the impure line of Judah and his children with the chastity and moral integrity of Joseph as seen in the succeeding chapter.” — Speaker’s Commentary.

1. At that time — During the time that Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings. Genesis 37:1. It does not say after these things, as in Genesis 22:1; so that the exact point of time is altogether indefinite. Judah went down from his brethren — Went southward from Shechem, perhaps on some errand to his grandfather Isaac, and before Jacob had removed from Shechem. Adullamite — A native of Adullam, a city in the plain some distance north-west of Hebron, which is mentioned in Joshua 15:35, among the cities of Judah, and situated between Jarmuth and Socoh. Its site has not been ascertained, but Eusebius and Jerome mention it as lying to the east of Eleutheropolis. On the cave of Adullam, famous in David’s history, see 1 Samuel 20:1. Turned in to — Not “pitched his tent up to,” or in the neighbourhood of, (Keil,) but, as the word is used in verse 16, and often elsewhere, in the sense of turning aside unto. What inclined him thus to turn in we are not told. It appears that once upon a time Judah, in passing down to Hebron, for some reason, accepted the hospitality of this Adullamite, and saw there a woman who so excited his love for her that he at once took her in marriage.

Verses 17-21. A kid from the flock — A goodly price at which her chastity and honour were valued! Had the consideration been a thousand rams, and ten thousands of rivers of oil, it had not been a valuable consideration. The favour of God, the purity of the soul, the peace of the conscience, and the hope of heaven, are too precious to be exposed to sale at any such rates. It is a good account, if it be but true, of any place, that which they here gave, that 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 inquiry.

Ver. 18. Thy signet. This was usually a precious stone; the writing was often a short and ingenious monogram, so that it could not be counterfeited without aid of a goldsmith and a lapidary. Thus Tamar by getting possession of the signet outwitted Judah.

18. Signet… bracelets — These were probably a signet ring, suspended on a cord or band, (lytp,) not bracelet, and worn upon the neck. So say Gesenius and Keil.

Verses 17-21. A kid from the flock — A goodly price at which her chastity and honour were valued! Had the consideration been a thousand rams, and ten thousands of rivers of oil, it had not been a valuable consideration. The favour of God, the purity of the soul, the peace of the conscience, and the hope of heaven, are too precious to be exposed to sale at any such rates. It is a good account, if it be but true, of any place, that which they here gave, that 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 inquiry.

THE FAMILY OF JUDAH, 1-30.

This chapter forms an essential part of the history of “the generations of Jacob.” Genesis 37:2. In that history “the two chief persons were Josephand Judah: Joseph, from his high character, his personal importance, his influence on the future destinies of the race, and his typical foreshadowing of the Messiah; Judah, from his obtaining the virtual right of leadership, and from his being the ancestor of David and of the Son of David. Hence at a natural pause in the history of Joseph, namely, when he had been now sold into Egypt and settled in Potiphar’s house, the historian recurs to the events in the family of Judah, which he carries down to the birth of Pharez, the next link in the ancestry of the Saviour. Thus he clears away all that was necessary to be told of the history of the twelve patriarchs, with the exception of that which was involved in the history of Joseph. There is also a remarkable contrast brought vividly out by this juxtaposition of the impure line of Judah and his children with the chastity and moral integrity of Joseph as seen in the succeeding chapter.” — Speaker’s Commentary.

1. At that time — During the time that Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings. Genesis 37:1. It does not say after these things, as in Genesis 22:1; so that the exact point of time is altogether indefinite. Judah went down from his brethren — Went southward from Shechem, perhaps on some errand to his grandfather Isaac, and before Jacob had removed from Shechem. Adullamite — A native of Adullam, a city in the plain some distance north-west of Hebron, which is mentioned in Joshua 15:35, among the cities of Judah, and situated between Jarmuth and Socoh. Its site has not been ascertained, but Eusebius and Jerome mention it as lying to the east of Eleutheropolis. On the cave of Adullam, famous in David’s history, see 1 Samuel 20:1. Turned in to — Not “pitched his tent up to,” or in the neighbourhood of, (Keil,) but, as the word is used in verse 16, and often elsewhere, in the sense of turning aside unto. What inclined him thus to turn in we are not told. It appears that once upon a time Judah, in passing down to Hebron, for some reason, accepted the hospitality of this Adullamite, and saw there a woman who so excited his love for her that he at once took her in marriage.

Verses 17-21. A kid from the flock — A goodly price at which her chastity and honour were valued! Had the consideration been a thousand rams, and ten thousands of rivers of oil, it had not been a valuable consideration. The favour of God, the purity of the soul, the peace of the conscience, and the hope of heaven, are too precious to be exposed to sale at any such rates. It is a good account, if it be but true, of any place, that which they here gave, that 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 inquiry.

THE FAMILY OF JUDAH, 1-30.

This chapter forms an essential part of the history of “the generations of Jacob.” Genesis 37:2. In that history “the two chief persons were Josephand Judah: Joseph, from his high character, his personal importance, his influence on the future destinies of the race, and his typical foreshadowing of the Messiah; Judah, from his obtaining the virtual right of leadership, and from his being the ancestor of David and of the Son of David. Hence at a natural pause in the history of Joseph, namely, when he had been now sold into Egypt and settled in Potiphar’s house, the historian recurs to the events in the family of Judah, which he carries down to the birth of Pharez, the next link in the ancestry of the Saviour. Thus he clears away all that was necessary to be told of the history of the twelve patriarchs, with the exception of that which was involved in the history of Joseph. There is also a remarkable contrast brought vividly out by this juxtaposition of the impure line of Judah and his children with the chastity and moral integrity of Joseph as seen in the succeeding chapter.” — Speaker’s Commentary.

1. At that time — During the time that Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings. Genesis 37:1. It does not say after these things, as in Genesis 22:1; so that the exact point of time is altogether indefinite. Judah went down from his brethren — Went southward from Shechem, perhaps on some errand to his grandfather Isaac, and before Jacob had removed from Shechem. Adullamite — A native of Adullam, a city in the plain some distance north-west of Hebron, which is mentioned in Joshua 15:35, among the cities of Judah, and situated between Jarmuth and Socoh. Its site has not been ascertained, but Eusebius and Jerome mention it as lying to the east of Eleutheropolis. On the cave of Adullam, famous in David’s history, see 1 Samuel 20:1. Turned in to — Not “pitched his tent up to,” or in the neighbourhood of, (Keil,) but, as the word is used in verse 16, and often elsewhere, in the sense of turning aside unto. What inclined him thus to turn in we are not told. It appears that once upon a time Judah, in passing down to Hebron, for some reason, accepted the hospitality of this Adullamite, and saw there a woman who so excited his love for her that he at once took her in marriage.

Verse 21. Where is the harlot that was openly by the wayside?] Our translators often render different Hebrew words by the same term in English, and thus many important shades of meaning, which involve traits of character, are lost. In Genesis 38:15, Tamar is called a harlot, hnwz zonah, which, as we have already seen, signifies a person who prostitutes herself for money. In this verse she is called a harlot in our version; but the original is not hnwz but hvdq kedeshah, a holy or consecrated person, from vdq kadash, to make holy, or to consecrate to religious purposes. And the word here must necessarily signify a person consecrated by prostitution to the worship of some impure goddess.

The public prostitutes in the temple of Venus are called ierodouloi gunaikev, holy or consecrated female servants, by Strabo; and it appears from the words zonah and kedeshah above, that impure rites and public prostitution prevailed in the worship of the Canaanites in the time of Judah. And among these people we have much reason to believe that Astarte and Asteroth occupied the same place in their theology as Venus did among the Greeks and Romans, and were worshipped with the same impure rites.

Verses 17-21. A kid from the flock — A goodly price at which her chastity and honour were valued! Had the consideration been a thousand rams, and ten thousands of rivers of oil, it had not been a valuable consideration. The favour of God, the purity of the soul, the peace of the conscience, and the hope of heaven, are too precious to be exposed to sale at any such rates. It is a good account, if it be but true, of any place, that which they here gave, that 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 inquiry.

Ver. 21. Where is the harlot that was openly by the wayside? vdq kedaish, that was separated from her family, and devoted to hire. So is the sense of Hosea 4:14. “They are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots.” Neither families, nor society can know a woman who devotes herself to prostitution; and the magistrate is bound to punish the crime. Brothels provoke the anger of heaven against a nation; all such women should be put in some asylum. Tamar’s case was unique, not a case of imitation.

21. Openly by the wayside — Rather, at Enajim on the way. See on verse 14.

THE FAMILY OF JUDAH, 1-30.

This chapter forms an essential part of the history of “the generations of Jacob.” Genesis 37:2. In that history “the two chief persons were Josephand Judah: Joseph, from his high character, his personal importance, his influence on the future destinies of the race, and his typical foreshadowing of the Messiah; Judah, from his obtaining the virtual right of leadership, and from his being the ancestor of David and of the Son of David. Hence at a natural pause in the history of Joseph, namely, when he had been now sold into Egypt and settled in Potiphar’s house, the historian recurs to the events in the family of Judah, which he carries down to the birth of Pharez, the next link in the ancestry of the Saviour. Thus he clears away all that was necessary to be told of the history of the twelve patriarchs, with the exception of that which was involved in the history of Joseph. There is also a remarkable contrast brought vividly out by this juxtaposition of the impure line of Judah and his children with the chastity and moral integrity of Joseph as seen in the succeeding chapter.” — Speaker’s Commentary.

1. At that time — During the time that Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings. Genesis 37:1. It does not say after these things, as in Genesis 22:1; so that the exact point of time is altogether indefinite. Judah went down from his brethren — Went southward from Shechem, perhaps on some errand to his grandfather Isaac, and before Jacob had removed from Shechem. Adullamite — A native of Adullam, a city in the plain some distance north-west of Hebron, which is mentioned in Joshua 15:35, among the cities of Judah, and situated between Jarmuth and Socoh. Its site has not been ascertained, but Eusebius and Jerome mention it as lying to the east of Eleutheropolis. On the cave of Adullam, famous in David’s history, see 1 Samuel 20:1. Turned in to — Not “pitched his tent up to,” or in the neighbourhood of, (Keil,) but, as the word is used in verse 16, and often elsewhere, in the sense of turning aside unto. What inclined him thus to turn in we are not told. It appears that once upon a time Judah, in passing down to Hebron, for some reason, accepted the hospitality of this Adullamite, and saw there a woman who so excited his love for her that he at once took her in marriage.

V. 23. Lest we be shamed-Either,

1. Lest his sin should come to be known publicly, Or

2. Lest he should be laughed at as a fool for trusting a whore with his signet and his bracelets. He expresses no concern about the sin, only about the shame.

There are many who are more solicitous to preserve their reputation with men, than to secure the savour of God, lest we be shamed goes farther with them than lest we be damned.

Verse 23. Lest we be shamed] Not of the act, for this he does not appear to have thought criminal; but lest he should fall under the raillery of his companions and neighbours, for having been tricked out of his signet, bracelets, and staff, by a prostitute.

Verse 23. Lest we be ashamed — Either, 1st, Lest his sin should come to be known publicly; or, 2d, Lest he should be laughed at as a fool for trusting a whore with his signet and his bracelets. He expresses no concern about the sin, only about the shame. There are many who are more solicitous to preserve their reputation with men, than to secure the favour of God; lest we be ashamed, goes further with them than lest we be damned.

23. Let her take it to her — That is, let her keep what she has obtained. He feared the shame, contempt, and ridicule, which he would incur by further attempts to recover his signet and cord, and preferred to lose them.

Verse 24. Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.] As he had ordered Tamar to live as a widow in her own father’s house till his son Shelah should be marriageable, he considers her therefore as the wife of his son; and as Shelah was not yet given to her, and she is found with child, she is reputed by him as an adulteress, and burning, it seems, was anciently the punishment of this crime. Judah, being a patriarch or head of a family, had, according to the custom of those times, the supreme magisterial authority over all the branches of his own family; therefore he only acts here in his juridical capacity. How strange that in the very place where adultery was punished by the most violent death, prostitution for money and for religious purposes should be considered as no crime!

Verse 24. Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt — Some have inferred from this that fathers then had the power of life and death over their children. But if so, it is probable that some instance would have occurred and have appeared on record in which such a power was actually exercised. It seems very unlikely that Judah should have such a power, at least over her, who was a Canaanite, and who was not in his, but in her own father’s house. He probably only meant, Bring her forth to the magistrate, from whom she may receive her sentence and deserved punishment, as a person guilty of adultery, (having been betrothed to Shelah,) a crime formerly punished with death by the laws of God, and of divers nations. See Deuteronomy 22:23, 24; Jeremiah 29:22, 23. This eagerness of Judah, however, proceeded not from zeal for justice, for then he would not have endeavoured to destroy the innocent child with the guilty mother, but from worldly policy, that he might take her out of the way whom he viewed as a disgrace and burden to his family. But perhaps, though he uttered this severe sentence in the heat of his passion, he would not have urged the putting of it in execution; or, as some think, by burning her he might mean no more than branding her in the forehead to denote her being a harlot.

Ver. 24. Let her be burnt. She was betrothed to Shelah, and in that case she ought to have suffered death. Deuteronomy 22:23, 24. Leviticus 21:9. It is highly probable that she was a priest’s daughter.

24. Let her be burnt — How ready, like David, (2 Samuel 12:5,) to condemn before he knows his own share of the guilt and shame! His words evidence the existence of a law of severest punishment for one guilty of such sins long before the law of Moses on the subject. Comp. Leviticus 21:9; Deuteronomy 20:21-24.

Verse 25. The signet] tmtj chothemeth, properly a seal, or instrument with which impressions were made to ascertain property, &c. These exist in all countries.

Bracelets] פתילים pethilim, from ltp pathal, to twist, wreathe, twine, may signify a girdle or a collar by which precedency, &c., might be indicated; not the muslin, silk, or linen wreath of his turban, as Mr. Harmer has conjectured.

Staff.] hcm matteh, either what we would call a common walking stick, or the staff which was the ensign of his tribe.

THE FAMILY OF JUDAH, 1-30.

This chapter forms an essential part of the history of “the generations of Jacob.” Genesis 37:2. In that history “the two chief persons were Josephand Judah: Joseph, from his high character, his personal importance, his influence on the future destinies of the race, and his typical foreshadowing of the Messiah; Judah, from his obtaining the virtual right of leadership, and from his being the ancestor of David and of the Son of David. Hence at a natural pause in the history of Joseph, namely, when he had been now sold into Egypt and settled in Potiphar’s house, the historian recurs to the events in the family of Judah, which he carries down to the birth of Pharez, the next link in the ancestry of the Saviour. Thus he clears away all that was necessary to be told of the history of the twelve patriarchs, with the exception of that which was involved in the history of Joseph. There is also a remarkable contrast brought vividly out by this juxtaposition of the impure line of Judah and his children with the chastity and moral integrity of Joseph as seen in the succeeding chapter.” — Speaker’s Commentary.

1. At that time — During the time that Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings. Genesis 37:1. It does not say after these things, as in Genesis 22:1; so that the exact point of time is altogether indefinite. Judah went down from his brethren — Went southward from Shechem, perhaps on some errand to his grandfather Isaac, and before Jacob had removed from Shechem. Adullamite — A native of Adullam, a city in the plain some distance north-west of Hebron, which is mentioned in Joshua 15:35, among the cities of Judah, and situated between Jarmuth and Socoh. Its site has not been ascertained, but Eusebius and Jerome mention it as lying to the east of Eleutheropolis. On the cave of Adullam, famous in David’s history, see 1 Samuel 20:1. Turned in to — Not “pitched his tent up to,” or in the neighbourhood of, (Keil,) but, as the word is used in verse 16, and often elsewhere, in the sense of turning aside unto. What inclined him thus to turn in we are not told. It appears that once upon a time Judah, in passing down to Hebron, for some reason, accepted the hospitality of this Adullamite, and saw there a woman who so excited his love for her that he at once took her in marriage.

Verse 26. She hath been more righteous than I] It is probable that Tamar was influenced by no other motive than that which was common to all the Israelitish women, the desire to have children who might be heirs of the promise made to Abraham, &c. And as Judah had obliged her to continue in her widowhood under the promise of giving her his son Shelah when he should be of age, consequently his refusing or delaying to accomplish this promise was a breach of truth, and an injury done to Tamar.

Verse 26. And Judah acknowledged them — His guilty conscience and the horror of so foul a fact, together with the sudden surprise, forced him to make an immediate and ingenuous confession. She hath been more righteous than I — This he says because he had broken his word with her in withholding Shelah from her, whom he had promised; whereas she had kept her faith with him, and had lived as a widow honestly; besides, she had committed the fact out of desire to have a child, he to satisfy his lust. She was, however, more guilty than he in another respect, as having knowingly committed both adultery and incest, when he designed neither. And he knew her again no more — Thus showing the sincerity of his confession, by forsaking the sin confessed, the only sure way of showing it.

26. More righteous than I — “Judah not only saw his guilt, but he confessed it also, and showed, both by this confession and also by the fact that he had no further conjugal intercourse with Tamar, an earnest endeavour to conquer the lusts of the flesh, and to guard against the sin into which he had fallen. And because he thus humbled himself, God gave him grace, and not only exalted him to be the chief of the house of Israel, but blessed the children that were begotten in sin.” — Keil.

THE FAMILY OF JUDAH, 1-30.

This chapter forms an essential part of the history of “the generations of Jacob.” Genesis 37:2. In that history “the two chief persons were Josephand Judah: Joseph, from his high character, his personal importance, his influence on the future destinies of the race, and his typical foreshadowing of the Messiah; Judah, from his obtaining the virtual right of leadership, and from his being the ancestor of David and of the Son of David. Hence at a natural pause in the history of Joseph, namely, when he had been now sold into Egypt and settled in Potiphar’s house, the historian recurs to the events in the family of Judah, which he carries down to the birth of Pharez, the next link in the ancestry of the Saviour. Thus he clears away all that was necessary to be told of the history of the twelve patriarchs, with the exception of that which was involved in the history of Joseph. There is also a remarkable contrast brought vividly out by this juxtaposition of the impure line of Judah and his children with the chastity and moral integrity of Joseph as seen in the succeeding chapter.” — Speaker’s Commentary.

1. At that time — During the time that Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings. Genesis 37:1. It does not say after these things, as in Genesis 22:1; so that the exact point of time is altogether indefinite. Judah went down from his brethren — Went southward from Shechem, perhaps on some errand to his grandfather Isaac, and before Jacob had removed from Shechem. Adullamite — A native of Adullam, a city in the plain some distance north-west of Hebron, which is mentioned in Joshua 15:35, among the cities of Judah, and situated between Jarmuth and Socoh. Its site has not been ascertained, but Eusebius and Jerome mention it as lying to the east of Eleutheropolis. On the cave of Adullam, famous in David’s history, see 1 Samuel 20:1. Turned in to — Not “pitched his tent up to,” or in the neighbourhood of, (Keil,) but, as the word is used in verse 16, and often elsewhere, in the sense of turning aside unto. What inclined him thus to turn in we are not told. It appears that once upon a time Judah, in passing down to Hebron, for some reason, accepted the hospitality of this Adullamite, and saw there a woman who so excited his love for her that he at once took her in marriage.

V. 28. 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 birth-right, and Pharez who got it, 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-The Jews, as Zarah, bid fair for the birth-right, and were marked with a scarlet thread, as those that come out first; but the Gentiles, like Pharez, or a son of violence got the start of them, by that violence which the kingdom of heaven suffers, and attained to the righteousness which the Jews came short of: yet when the fulness of time is come, all Israel shall be saved. Both these sons are named in the genealogy of our Saviour, Matthew 1:3, to perpetuate the story, as an instance of the humiliation of our Lord Jesus.

Verse 28. The midwife-bound upon his hand a scarlet thread] The binding of the scarlet thread about the wrist of the child whose arm appeared first in the birth, serves to show us how solicitously the privileges of the birthright were preserved. Had not this caution been taken by the midwife, Pharez would have had the right of primogeniture to the prejudice of his elder brother Zarah. And yet Pharez is usually reckoned in the genealogical tables before Zarah; and from him, not Zarah, does the line of our Lord proceed. See Matthew 1:3. Probably the two brothers, as being twins, were conjoined in the privileges belonging to the birthright.

Verses 28, 29. When she travailed — 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, who got it, 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 — The Jews, as Zarah, bid fair for the birthright, and were marked, as it were, with a scarlet thread, as those that came first; but the Gentiles, like Pharez, or a son of violence, got the start of them, by that violence which the kingdom of heaven suffers, and attained to the righteousness which the Jews came short of: yet when the fulness of time is come, all Israel shall be saved. Both these sons are named in the genealogy of our Saviour, Matthew 1:3, to perpetuate the story, as an instance of the humiliation of our Lord Jesus.

THE FAMILY OF JUDAH, 1-30.

This chapter forms an essential part of the history of “the generations of Jacob.” Genesis 37:2. In that history “the two chief persons were Josephand Judah: Joseph, from his high character, his personal importance, his influence on the future destinies of the race, and his typical foreshadowing of the Messiah; Judah, from his obtaining the virtual right of leadership, and from his being the ancestor of David and of the Son of David. Hence at a natural pause in the history of Joseph, namely, when he had been now sold into Egypt and settled in Potiphar’s house, the historian recurs to the events in the family of Judah, which he carries down to the birth of Pharez, the next link in the ancestry of the Saviour. Thus he clears away all that was necessary to be told of the history of the twelve patriarchs, with the exception of that which was involved in the history of Joseph. There is also a remarkable contrast brought vividly out by this juxtaposition of the impure line of Judah and his children with the chastity and moral integrity of Joseph as seen in the succeeding chapter.” — Speaker’s Commentary.

1. At that time — During the time that Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings. Genesis 37:1. It does not say after these things, as in Genesis 22:1; so that the exact point of time is altogether indefinite. Judah went down from his brethren — Went southward from Shechem, perhaps on some errand to his grandfather Isaac, and before Jacob had removed from Shechem. Adullamite — A native of Adullam, a city in the plain some distance north-west of Hebron, which is mentioned in Joshua 15:35, among the cities of Judah, and situated between Jarmuth and Socoh. Its site has not been ascertained, but Eusebius and Jerome mention it as lying to the east of Eleutheropolis. On the cave of Adullam, famous in David’s history, see 1 Samuel 20:1. Turned in to — Not “pitched his tent up to,” or in the neighbourhood of, (Keil,) but, as the word is used in verse 16, and often elsewhere, in the sense of turning aside unto. What inclined him thus to turn in we are not told. It appears that once upon a time Judah, in passing down to Hebron, for some reason, accepted the hospitality of this Adullamite, and saw there a woman who so excited his love for her that he at once took her in marriage.

Verse 29. How hast thou broken forth?] txrp hm mah paratsta, this breach be upon thee, xrp Ëyl[ aleycka parets; thou shalt bear the name of the breach thou hast made, i.e., in coming first into the world. Therefore his name was called xrp Parets, i.e., the person who made the breach. The breach here mentioned refers to a certain circumstance in parturition which it is unnecessary to explain.

Verses 28, 29. When she travailed — 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, who got it, 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 — The Jews, as Zarah, bid fair for the birthright, and were marked, as it were, with a scarlet thread, as those that came first; but the Gentiles, like Pharez, or a son of violence, got the start of them, by that violence which the kingdom of heaven suffers, and attained to the righteousness which the Jews came short of: yet when the fulness of time is come, all Israel shall be saved. Both these sons are named in the genealogy of our Saviour, Matthew 1:3, to perpetuate the story, as an instance of the humiliation of our Lord Jesus.

THE FAMILY OF JUDAH, 1-30.

This chapter forms an essential part of the history of “the generations of Jacob.” Genesis 37:2. In that history “the two chief persons were Josephand Judah: Joseph, from his high character, his personal importance, his influence on the future destinies of the race, and his typical foreshadowing of the Messiah; Judah, from his obtaining the virtual right of leadership, and from his being the ancestor of David and of the Son of David. Hence at a natural pause in the history of Joseph, namely, when he had been now sold into Egypt and settled in Potiphar’s house, the historian recurs to the events in the family of Judah, which he carries down to the birth of Pharez, the next link in the ancestry of the Saviour. Thus he clears away all that was necessary to be told of the history of the twelve patriarchs, with the exception of that which was involved in the history of Joseph. There is also a remarkable contrast brought vividly out by this juxtaposition of the impure line of Judah and his children with the chastity and moral integrity of Joseph as seen in the succeeding chapter.” — Speaker’s Commentary.

1. At that time — During the time that Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings. Genesis 37:1. It does not say after these things, as in Genesis 22:1; so that the exact point of time is altogether indefinite. Judah went down from his brethren — Went southward from Shechem, perhaps on some errand to his grandfather Isaac, and before Jacob had removed from Shechem. Adullamite — A native of Adullam, a city in the plain some distance north-west of Hebron, which is mentioned in Joshua 15:35, among the cities of Judah, and situated between Jarmuth and Socoh. Its site has not been ascertained, but Eusebius and Jerome mention it as lying to the east of Eleutheropolis. On the cave of Adullam, famous in David’s history, see 1 Samuel 20:1. Turned in to — Not “pitched his tent up to,” or in the neighbourhood of, (Keil,) but, as the word is used in verse 16, and often elsewhere, in the sense of turning aside unto. What inclined him thus to turn in we are not told. It appears that once upon a time Judah, in passing down to Hebron, for some reason, accepted the hospitality of this Adullamite, and saw there a woman who so excited his love for her that he at once took her in marriage.

Verse 30. His name was called Zarah.] hrz Zarach, risen or sprung up, applied to the sun, rising and diffusing his light. “He had this name,” says Ainsworth, “because he should have risen, i.e., have been born first, but for the breach which his brother made.”

THERE are several subjects in this chapter on which it may not be unprofitable to spend a few additional moments.

1. The insertion of this chapter is a farther proof of the impartiality of the sacred writer. The facts detailed, considered in themselves, can reflect no credit on the patriarchal history; but Judah, Tamar, Zarah, and Pharez, were progenitors of the Messiah, and therefore their birth must be recorded; and as the birth, so also the circumstances of that birth, which, even had they not a higher end in view, would be valuable as casting light upon some very ancient customs, which it is interesting to understand. These are not forgotten in the preceding notes.

2. On what is generally reputed to be the sin of Onan, something very pointed should be spoken. But who dares and will do it, and in such language that it may neither pollute the ear by describing the evil as it is, nor fail of its effect by a language so refined and so laboriously delicate as to cover the sin which it professes to disclose? Elaborate treatises on the subject will never be read by those who need them most, and anonymous pamphlets are not likely to be regarded.

The sin of self-pollution, which is generally considered to be that of Onan, is one of the most destructive evils ever practised by fallen man. In many respects it is several degrees worse than common whoredom, and has in its train more awful consequences, though practised by numbers who would shudder at the thought of criminal connections with a prostitute. It excites the powers of nature to undue action, and produces violent secretions, which necessarily and speedily exhaust the vital principle and energy; hence the muscles become flaccid and feeble, the tone and natural action of the nerves relaxed and impeded, the understanding confused, the memory oblivious, the judgment perverted, the will indeterminate and wholly without energy to resist; the eyes appear languishing and without expression, and the countenance vacant; the appetite ceases, for the stomach is incapable of performing its proper office; nutrition fails, tremors, fears, and terrors are generated; and thus the wretched victim drags out a most miserable existence, till, superannuated even before he had time to arrive at man’s estate, with a mind often debilitated even to a state of idiotism, his worthless body tumbles into the grave, and his guilty soul (guilty of self-murder) is hurried into the awful presence of its Judge! Reader, this is no caricature, nor are the colourings overcharged in this shocking picture. Worse woes than my pen can relate I have witnessed in those addicted to this fascinating, unnatural, and most destructive of crimes. If thou hast entered into this snare, flee from the destruction both of body and soul that awaits thee! God alone can save thee. Advice, warnings, threatenings, increasing debility of body, mental decay, checks of conscience, expostulations of judgment and medical assistance, will all be lost on thee: God, and God alone, can save them from an evil which has in its issue the destruction of thy body, and the final perdition of thy soul! Whether this may have been the sin of Onan or not, is a matter at present of small moment; it may be thy sin; therefore take heed lest God slay thee for it. The intelligent reader will see that prudence forbids me to enter any farther into this business. See the remarks at the end of Clarke’s note at “Genesis 39:21”.

GENESIS

THE FAMILY OF JUDAH, 1-30.

This chapter forms an essential part of the history of “the generations of Jacob.” Genesis 37:2. In that history “the two chief persons were Josephand Judah: Joseph, from his high character, his personal importance, his influence on the future destinies of the race, and his typical foreshadowing of the Messiah; Judah, from his obtaining the virtual right of leadership, and from his being the ancestor of David and of the Son of David. Hence at a natural pause in the history of Joseph, namely, when he had been now sold into Egypt and settled in Potiphar’s house, the historian recurs to the events in the family of Judah, which he carries down to the birth of Pharez, the next link in the ancestry of the Saviour. Thus he clears away all that was necessary to be told of the history of the twelve patriarchs, with the exception of that which was involved in the history of Joseph. There is also a remarkable contrast brought vividly out by this juxtaposition of the impure line of Judah and his children with the chastity and moral integrity of Joseph as seen in the succeeding chapter.” — Speaker’s Commentary.

1. At that time — During the time that Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings. Genesis 37:1. It does not say after these things, as in Genesis 22:1; so that the exact point of time is altogether indefinite. Judah went down from his brethren — Went southward from Shechem, perhaps on some errand to his grandfather Isaac, and before Jacob had removed from Shechem. Adullamite — A native of Adullam, a city in the plain some distance north-west of Hebron, which is mentioned in Joshua 15:35, among the cities of Judah, and situated between Jarmuth and Socoh. Its site has not been ascertained, but Eusebius and Jerome mention it as lying to the east of Eleutheropolis. On the cave of Adullam, famous in David’s history, see 1 Samuel 20:1. Turned in to — Not “pitched his tent up to,” or in the neighbourhood of, (Keil,) but, as the word is used in verse 16, and often elsewhere, in the sense of turning aside unto. What inclined him thus to turn in we are not told. It appears that once upon a time Judah, in passing down to Hebron, for some reason, accepted the hospitality of this Adullamite, and saw there a woman who so excited his love for her that he at once took her in marriage.