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Genesis 38

KJV · Chapter 38/50

1And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

2And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.

3And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er.

4And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan.

5And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him.

6And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.

7And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord slew him.

8And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.

9And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.

10And the thing which he did displeased the Lord: wherefore he slew him also.

11Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.

12And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah’s wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

13And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.

14And she put her widow’s garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.

15When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.

16And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?

17And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?

18And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.

19And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

20And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand: but he found her not.

21Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this place.

22And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this place.

23And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.

24And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.

25When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff.

26And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.

27And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.

28And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.

29And 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.

30And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Judah marries and has sons who die because of their wickedness; his daughter-in-law Tamar, denied the youngest son as promised, disguises herself as a prostitute to bear children through Judah himself, who acknowledges his wrongdoing when confronted.

Explanation

Although this chapter abruptly interrupts Joseph's narrative, it serves an important purpose: showing the moral development of Judah, who will become a central figure later on. At first, Judah acts irresponsibly, denying Tamar the legal right to have a child through the family line (a practice called levirate marriage), which drives her to a desperate and risky act of disguising herself in order to conceive by him. When confronted with proof of his own hypocrisy (he had condemned Tamar to death for 'prostitution' without knowing he was the father), Judah publicly admits his wrongdoing, saying, 'she is more righteous than I' — a rare moment of humility and accountability in the Bible. This admission marks a turning point in Judah's character, who will grow in integrity in the chapters that follow. The lesson is about the importance of admitting our mistakes even when doing so exposes our own faults.

Fun facts

  • Perez, one of the sons born to Judah and Tamar in this chapter, would become a direct ancestor of King David (Ruth 4:18-22) and, through him, of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the genealogy of Matthew 1:3 — showing how this complicated episode connects to the greater story of biblical salvation.
  • The custom of 'levirate marriage' (the obligation of the nearest relative to raise up offspring for a deceased man through his widow) mentioned here would later be formally codified in the Law of Moses in Deuteronomy 25:5-10, showing how ancient family practices were later organized into law.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Genesis 38:1Judah goes down from his brothers, still mourning Joseph’s supposed death, and turns in to a certain Adullamite named Hirah — the start of a parallel story that interrupts Joseph’s plot for a whole chapter.
  2. Genesis 38:2Judah takes a wife, the daughter of a certain Canaanite named Shuah — a choice that contrasts with the previous generation’s care in avoiding marriages outside the family.
  3. Genesis 38:3The first son, Er, is born — the beginning of a genealogy that will later lead to the line of David.
  4. Genesis 38:4Onan is the son who, later in this same chapter, refuses to give descendants to his dead brother’s widow — and for that also dies, opening the way to the story of Tamar.
  5. Genesis 38:5A third son, Shelah, is born at Chezib — the detail about the location marks specifically where the family was living at that time.
  6. Genesis 38:6Judah takes a wife named Tamar for his firstborn, Er — the name that will become central to the rest of the chapter.
  7. Genesis 38:7Er is wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord slays him, without the text detailing exactly what the sin was.
  8. Genesis 38:8This is the law of levirate marriage: if a married man died without children, one of his brothers was to marry the widow, and the first son of that marriage would be counted as the heir of the dead brother, not of the biological father. It was a way of ensuring the deceased’s name and inheritance continued, and that the widow was not left unprotected.
  9. Genesis 38:9Onan agrees to go in unto his brother’s widow, but deliberately “spilled it on the ground” every time he lay with her, because he knew the seed should not be his, but the heir of his dead brother, dividing the inheritance he wanted only for himself. What the text marks as the problem is not the act itself, but the intent to betray the duty he had taken on.
  10. Genesis 38:10Onan also dies for the thing he did, which displeased the Lord — refusing to give descendants to his dead brother even while formally observing the custom later called levirate marriage.
  11. Genesis 38:11Judah sends Tamar back as a widow to her father’s house, promising to give her to Shelah when he grows up — but the text already hints, through Judah’s fear of losing another son, that this promise would not really be kept.
  12. Genesis 38:12In process of time Judah’s wife dies; he is comforted and goes up to his sheepshearers accompanied by his friend Hirah — a social event Tamar will use to her advantage.
  13. Genesis 38:13Someone informs Tamar that her father-in-law is going up to Timnath to shear his sheep — the information she needs to set her own plan in motion.
  14. Genesis 38:14Tamar puts off her widow’s garments, covers herself “with a vail,” and sits in an open place by the way to Timnath — an outfit and a location associated, at the time, with women who worked as prostitutes. She does this deliberately, knowing Judah would pass that way, to force the situation after he failed to keep his promise to marry her to his third son.
  15. Genesis 38:15Covered by the veil, Tamar is thought by Judah to be an harlot, because she had covered her face — the disguise works exactly as she expected.
  16. Genesis 38:16Judah turns unto her by the way, not knowing she is his daughter-in-law, and proposes relations with her; Tamar asks what he will give her before agreeing.
  17. Genesis 38:17Judah promises to send a kid from the flock; Tamar demands a pledge until he sends it — securing solid proof of who had been with her.
  18. Genesis 38:18“Thy signet” (a personal seal, worn as a ring or hung around the neck), his bracelets, and his staff were personal items as identifiable as an ID document would be today. Tamar asks for these three items as a guarantee — and it is exactly with them that, later on, she will prove whose child she is carrying.
  19. Genesis 38:19After the encounter, Tamar arises, lays by her veil, and puts on the garments of her widowhood, returning to her usual appearance as if nothing had happened.
  20. Genesis 38:20Judah sends the kid by the hand of his friend Hirah to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand, but he cannot find her.
  21. Genesis 38:21Hirah asks the men of that place about the harlot who was openly by the way side; they say there was no harlot in that place.
  22. Genesis 38:22Hirah returns to Judah without success, confirming that the men of the place also knew of no harlot there.
  23. Genesis 38:23Judah decides to let her take it, lest they be shamed, preferring his own embarrassment at not recovering the pledge over drawing more attention by searching for it.
  24. Genesis 38:24The death sentence Judah orders for Tamar — “let her be burnt” — seems like a brutal overreaction today, but it shows how serious an accusation of playing the harlot against the widow of a son of the family was considered in that society, especially while she was under his responsibility. The order is never carried out, because Tamar presents the proof in time.
  25. Genesis 38:25About three months after, accused of playing the harlot and condemned to death by Judah, Tamar sends her father-in-law’s own belongings — signet, bracelets, and staff — publicly exposing who really got her with child.
  26. Genesis 38:26When Judah acknowledges them and says she has been “more righteous than I,” he is publicly admitting that the fault was his: he had promised to give her to Shelah his son and failed to do so, leaving her without options. It is a rare moment in which a character clearly admits his own wrongdoing within the story.
  27. Genesis 38:27At the time of her travail, it is discovered that Tamar has twins in her womb — a detail that doubles the genealogy resulting from this unusual episode.
  28. Genesis 38:28During labor, one of the babies puts out his hand first, and the midwife binds a scarlet thread upon it, saying, “This came out first” — but the order ends up reversed in the next verse.
  29. Genesis 38:29Pharez comes from a Hebrew word linked to breaking through — the name itself arises from the scene described there, when the midwife exclaims, “How hast thou broken forth?” as this twin breaks the expected order and comes out first, even after his brother had already put his hand out ahead of him. Pharez will later become a direct ancestor of King David.
  30. Genesis 38:30The brother who had the scarlet thread upon his hand is born last, and his name is called Zarah — a reversal of birth order that the text itself highlights as unusual.

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