the Second Week after Easter
free while helping to build churches and support pastors in Uganda.
Click here to learn more!
Read the Bible
The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible
Genesis 38:2
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- AmericanEncyclopedias:
- InternationalParallel Translations
Yehudah saw there a daughter of a certain Kana`ani whose name was Shu`a. He took her, and went in to her.
And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.
And Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite there whose name was Shua. And he took her and went in to her.
There Judah met a Canaanite girl, the daughter of a man named Shua, and married her. Judah had sexual relations with her,
There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. Judah acquired her as a wife and had marital relations with her.
There Judah saw a daughter of Shua, a Canaanite, and he took her [as his wife] and lived with her.
Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; and he took her as a wife and had relations with her.
And Iudah sawe there the daughter of a man called Suah a Canaanite: and he tooke her to wife, and went in vnto her.
And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; and he took her and went in to her.
While there he met the daughter of Shua, a Canaanite man. Judah married her,
There Y'hudah saw one of the daughters of a certain Kena‘ani whose name was Shua, and he took her and slept with her.
And Judah saw there the daughter of a Canaanitish man whose name was Shua; and he took her, and went in to her.
Judah met a Canaanite girl there and married her. The girl's father was named Shua.
There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her and went in to her,
And Judah saw there the daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.
There Judah met a young Canaanite woman whose father was named Shua. He married her,
There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite named Shua; he took her as a wife and slept with her.
And Judah saw there a daughter of a Canaanite man named Shuah. And he took her, and went in to her.
And there Iuda sawe a ma of Canaas doughter called Sua, and toke her. And whe he had lyen with her,
And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; and he took her, and went in unto her.
And there he saw the daughter of a certain man of Canaan named Shua, and took her as his wife.
And there he saw ye daughter of a man called Sua, a Chanaanite: and he toke her, and went in to her.
And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; and he took her, and went in unto her.
And Iudah saw there a daughter of a certaine Canaanite, whose name was Shuah: and he tooke her, and went in vnto her.
And Judas saw there the daughter of a Chananitish man, whose name was Sava; and he took her, and went in to her.
And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; and he took her, and went in unto her.
and he siy ther a douytir of a man of Canaan, Sue bi name. And whanne he hadde takun hir to wijf,
and Judah seeth there the daughter of a man, a Canaanite, whose name [is] Shuah, and taketh her, and goeth in unto her.
And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. And he took her, and went in to her.
And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name [was] Shuah; and he took her, and went in to her.
Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her, and went in to her.
And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her and went in to her.
There he saw a Canaanite woman, the daughter of Shua, and he married her. When he slept with her,
There Judah saw a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her as his wife and lived with her.
There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; he married her and went in to her.
And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose, name, was Shua, - and he took her, and went in unto her;
And he saw there the daughter of a man of Chanaan, called Sue: and taking her to wife, he went in unto her.
There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; he married her and went in to her,
Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; and he took her and went in to her.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
saw: Genesis 3:6, Genesis 6:2, Genesis 24:3, Genesis 34:2, Judges 14:2, Judges 16:1, 2 Samuel 11:2, 2 Corinthians 6:14
Shuah: Genesis 46:12, 1 Chronicles 2:3, Shua
took: Genesis 6:4, Genesis 24:3
Cross-References
When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they took as wives whomever they chose.
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and afterward as well, when the sons of God had relations with the daughters of men. And they bore them children who became the mighty men of old, men of renown.
and I will have you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am dwelling,
When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the region, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force.
The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.
So he returned and told his father and his mother, "I have seen a daughter of the Philistines in Timnah. Now get her for me as a wife."
One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to spend the night with her.
One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing-a very beautiful woman.
The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, and Shelah. These three were born to him by Bath-shua the Canaanite. Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, who put him to death.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite,.... Onkelos and Jonathan, and so Jarchi and Ben Gersom, interpret it a "merchant", to take off the disgrace of his falling in love with, and marrying a Canaanitish woman, which was forbidden by his ancestors Abraham and Isaac, and which his father avoided:
whose name [was] Shuah; not the name of the woman he married, but the name of her father, as appears from Genesis 38:12; and who very probably was a man of note in the country:
and he took her; to be his wife, with her and her father's consent, not by force:
and went in unto her; cohabited with her as his wife.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
- The Family of Judah
1. עדלם ‛ǎdûllâm, ‘Adullam, “righteousness.” חירה chı̂yrâh Chirah, “nobility?”
2. שׁוּע shûa‛, Shua‘, “luck, riches, cry.”
3. ער ‛êr, ‘Er, “watching.”
4. אונן 'ônân, Onan, “strong.”
5. שׁלה shēlâh, Shelah, “request? rest.” כזיב kezı̂yb Kezib, “falsehood.”
6. תמר tāmār, Tamar, “palm.”
12. תמנה tı̂mnâh, Timnah, “counted or assigned.”
14. עינים 'êynayı̂m, ‘Enaim, “two fountains.”
29. פרץ perets, Perets, “breach.”
This strange narrative is an episode in the history of Joseph; but an integral part of the “generations” of Jacob. It is loosely dated with the phrase “at that time.” This does not indicate a sequel to the preceding record, the proper phrase for which is “after these things” (האלה חדברים אחר 'achar hadebārı̂ym hâ'ēleh Genesis 22:1). It implies rather a train of events that commenced at least in the past, some time before the closing incident of the previous narrative Genesis 21:22. But the sale of Joseph, which alone is recorded in the last chapter, only occupied some few weeks or months of a year. Hence, the circumstances contained in this memoir of Judah’s family must have taken their rise before that event. The date “at that time,” is rendered indefinite also by being attached to the phrase, “And it came to pass,” which covers at least all the events in the first eleven verses of the chapter.
All this is in accordance with the customary mode of arranging parallel lines of events in Hebrew narrative. We shall see reason afterward for placing the birth of Er at as early a date as possible in the life of Judah Genesis 46:12. Now Judah, we conceive, was born when his father was eighty-seven, and Joseph when he was ninety-one, and hence, there is a difference about four years in their ages. We suppose Er to have been born in Judah’s fourteenth year, when Joseph and Dinah were in their tenth, and therefore, about three years before the rape of Dinah, and shortly after Jacob arrived at the town of Shekem. The dishonor of Dinah, and the cruel treatment of Joseph, being of essential moment in the process of things, had to be recorded in the main line of events. The commencement of Judah’s family, having no particular influence on the current of the history, is fitly reserved until the whole of the circumstances could be brought together into a connected narrative. And the private history of Judah’s line is given, while that of the others is omitted, simply because from him the promised seed is descended. As soon as Jacob is settled in the promised land, the contact with Hebron and its neighborhood seems to have commenced. A clear proof of this is the presence of Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, in Jacob’s family Genesis 35:8. The great thoroughfare from Damascus to Egypt runs through Shekem and Hebron, and we know that when Jacob was residing at Hebron, his sons fed their flocks at Shekem and Dothan, and the youthful Joseph was sent to inquire after their welfare.
Genesis 38:1-11
Judah marries and has three sons. “Went down from brethren.” This seems to have been an act of willful indiscretion in Judah. His separation from his brethren, however, extends only to the matter of his new connection. In regard to property and employment there seems to have been no long or entire separation until they went down into Egypt. He went down from the high grounds about Shekem to the lowlands in which Adullam was situated Joshua 15:33-35. “A certain Adullamite.” He may have become acquainted with this Hirah, when visiting his grandfather, or in some of the caravans which were constantly passing Shekem, or even in the ordinary wanderings of the pastoral life. Adullam was in the Shephelah or lowland of Judah bordering on Philistia proper. “A certain Kenaanite.” This connection with Shua’s daughter was contrary to the will of God and the example of his fathers. Onan was born, we conceive, in Judah’s fifteenth year, and Shelah in his sixteenth.
At Kezib. - This appears the same as Akzib, which is associated with Keilah and Mareshah Joshua 15:44, and therefore, lay in the south of the lowland of Judah. This note of place indicates a change of residence since her other children were born. In the year after this birth the dishonor of Dinah takes place. “Took a wife for Er.” Judah chose a wife for himself at an early age, and now he chooses for his first-born at the same age. “Was evil in the eyes of the Lord.” The God of covenant is obliged to cut off Er for his wickedness in the prime of life. We are not made acquainted with his crime; but it could scarcely be more vile and unnatural than that for which his brother Onan is also visited with death. “And be a husband to her.” The original word means to act as a husband to the widow of a deceased brother who has left no issue. Onan seems to have been prompted to commit his crime by the low motive of turning the whole inheritance to his own house. At the time of Er’s death Judah must have been in his twenty-seventh year; Joseph was consequently in his twenty-third, and Jacob had for ten years past had his headquarters at Hebron. Hence, the contact with Timnah, Adullam, and Enaim was easy.
Genesis 38:12-23
Judah now comes into criminal, and, though unknown to him, incestuous sexual intercourse with Tamar. “And many were the days,” a year or somewhat more. “To Timnah.” This town is about twenty miles northwest of Hebron. There is another, however, in the hills about seven miles south of Hebron. “Put on a veil;” to conceal her face from Judah, or any other beholder. “The qate of Enaim.” This is supposed to be the same as Enam Joshua 15:34. “And thy lace.” This is the cord by which the signet was suspended round his neck. “Courtesan.” The original word קדשׁה qedêshâh means one consecrated to the worship of Ashtoreth, in which chastity is sacrificed.
Genesis 38:24-30
Tamar bears Perez and Zerah to Judah. After three months her pregnancy was manifest. “Let her be burnt.” It is manifest Judah had the power to execute this punishment. The life of the widow of his son was in his hands. Stoning was the mode of punishment by the law of Moses Deuteronomy 22:20-24; burning, only in aggravated cases Leviticus 20:14; Leviticus 21:9. He is a severe judge in a case where he is equally criminal. “She hath been more righteous than I. Tamar was less culpable in this matter than Judah. For he was moved by lust to commit fornication, and was the indirect occasion of Tamar’s conduct by withholding Selah. But Tamar, though wronged, was not free from blame in her mode of righting herself. The youthful indiscretion of Judah in forming an intermarriage with a Canaanitish family, without the concurrence of his brothers or his father, has been fruitful of crime. If this immorality goes on, the chosen family will be speedily absorbed in the surrounding paganism. Hence, we begin to see the necessity of an immediate removal to another land, where they may be kept more distinct from the native superstition. By the disclosure of Tamar Judah is brought to acknowledgment of his fault, and, we may infer, to repentance. His abstaining from all further sexual intercourse with her may be accepted as a proof of this. “A scarlet thread.” The right of primogeniture here manifests its importance. “Perez” - a breach. Slight incidents become the foundation of names, and are often the hinges on which great events turn. The minutest circumstances connected with the progenitors of the promised seed have a lasting interest.
Judah was at the close of his twenty-ninth year when Perez and Zerah were born. The dates in his family history may be arranged as underneath, on the supposition that the first child was born when the father was in his fourteenth year. This hypothesis is fairly allowable when we take into consideration not only other cases, but the early willfulness of Judah, and the example he gave to his children. The command also to be fruitful and multiply Genesis 35:11, which was given especially to Jacob, may have had a tendency to encourage early marriages. It is certain that the Jewish rabbis considered a man to have transgressed a divine precept who passed the age of twenty without being married. They also fixed the marriageable age for males at thirteen years and a day. King Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah when he was not more than twelve 2 Kings 16:2; 2 Kings 18:2; and King Josiah the father of Jehoiakim, when fourteen years of age 2 Kings 22:1; 2 Kings 23:36.
Judah 13 years 6 months when Er was born.
Judah 14 years 4 12 months when Onan was born.
Judah 15 years 3 months when Shelah was born.
Judah 28 years 9 months when Perez was born.
Judah 42 years 3 months when Hezron was born to Perez.
Judah 43 years 2 months when Hamul was born.
