Genesis 38
1 “And it came to pass at that time, that
and turned in to a
certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.” And it came to
pass. The present chapter appears to interrupt the continuity of the narrative of
Joseph's history. Partly on this account, and partly because the name Jehovah
occurs in it (vs. 7, 10), it has been pronounced a later Jehovistic interpolation
(Tuch, Bleek, Davidson, Coleuso). Its design has been explained as an attempt
to glorify the line of David by representing it as sprung from Judah (Bohlen), or
to disclose the origin of the Levitate law of marriage among the Jews (Knobel);
but the incidents here recorded of
instead of glory on the ancestry of David (Havernick); and the custom here
mentioned of raising up seed to a dead brother by marrying his widow, though
the idea may have originated with Judah (Lange), is more likely to have descended
from earlier times (Delitzsch, Keil). Rightly understood, the object of the present
portion of the record appears to have been not simply to prepare the way for the
subsequent (ch. 46:8-27) genealogical register (Gerlach), or to contrast the
wickedness of Judah and his sons with the piety and chastity of Joseph in Egypt
(Wordsworth), or to recite the private history of one of Christ's ancestors (Bush,
Murphy, 'Speaker's Commentary'), or to show that the pre-eminence of Judah in
the patriarchal family was due exclusively to grace (Candlish), but also and chiefly
to justify the Divine procedure in the subsequent deportation of Jacob and his sons
to Egypt (Keil). The special danger
to which the theocratic family was exposed
was that of intermarrying with the Canaanites (ch. 24:3; 28:6). (And thus,
America today is loosing its Judeao-Christian culture – CY – 2018) Accordingly,
having carried forward his narrative to the point where, in consequence of Joseph's
sale, a way begins to open up for the transference of the patriarchal house to the
land of the Pharaohs, the historian makes a pause to introduce a passage from the
life of Judah, with the view of proving the necessity of such removal, by showing,
as in the
case of Judah, the almost certainty that, if left in Canaan, the descendants
of Jacob would fall before the temptation of marrying with the daughters of the land,
with the
result, in the first instance, of a great and rapid moral deterioration in the
holy seed, and with the ultimate effect of completely obliterating
the line of
demarcation between them and the surrounding heathen world. (Consider
ch. ch. 15:13-16 – that this situation is further down the road to the full cup
of iniquity of the Amorites compared to what it was when this message was
given to Abram. CY – 2018)* See footnote below - How the purity of
the patriarchal family was guarded till it developed into a powerful nation, first
by its providential withdrawment in infancy from the sphere of temptation (ch. 46:5),
then by its separate establishment in Goshen beside a people who regarded them
with aversion (ibid. v. 34), and latterly by its cruel enslavement under Pharaoh
(Exodus 1:10), is a subject which in due course engages the attention of the writer.
of Joseph (Keil, Kurtz, Lange, Alford, Wordsworth, Quarry), since at the time
of that atrocity Judah was still living with his brethren, the only difficulty
calling for solution is to account for the birth of Judah's grandchildren,
Hezron and Hamul (the sons of Pharez, the twin child of Judah by Tamar),
in the short interval of twenty-two years which preceded Jacob's descent
into Egypt without making Er and Onan marry in comparative boyhood.
The case becomes a little less perplexing if Hezron and Hamul, though said
to have come into Egypt (ch. 46:27; Exodus 1:1; Deuteronomy 10:22), may
be regarded as having been born there (Hengstenberg), since twenty-two
years afford sufficient space for the birth of Judah's three sons, Er, Onan,
and Shelah, which may have taken place during the first three years after
their father's marriage, and for the birth of Pharez and Zarah, even if Er
married as late as eighteen. Of course if the narrative requires the birth of
Hezron and Hamul to have taken place in Canaan (Kalisch), it is simply
impossible to hold that all this occurred within little more than a score
(Augustine, Aben Ezra, Rosenmüller, Drechsler, Baumgarten, Gerlach,
Ainsworth, Candlish, Murphy, Inglis); but even on this assumption the task
is arduous to make the birth of Hezron and Hamul occur before the emigration
of their great-grandfather to Egypt. For as Judah was not more than four years
older than Joseph (compare ch. 29:35 with 30:25), his age at the time of Joseph's
sale could not have been more than twenty-one. But placing Judah's marriage
at the earliest possible date, viz., in his fifteenth year, only substitutes an interval
of twenty-eight years instead of one of twenty-two, in which Judah's son Er must
be born, grow up to manhood, (say at fifteen) marry, die, and leave his widow
Tamar, who, after marrying with Onan and waiting for Shelah (which would
consume at least another year), must become the mother of twin sons by her
father-in-law (for which another year would be required), and must see the
elder of the two married at ten years of age, if his sons are to be born upon
the soft of Canaan. On either hypothesis, therefore, it seems indispensable
to hold that Judah's grandsons were born in Egypt; and in this case there is
little gained by putting Judah's marriage earlier than Joseph s sale, i.e. in
Judah's twenty-first year. That Judah went down - from Hebron (ch. 37:14),
or the mountains (Keil),
towards the south (Aben Ezra, Rosenmüller)
from
his brethren, - setting up a separate and independent establishment apart from
them; "not only immediately after Joseph was sold, but also on account of it,"
"in a fit of impenitent
anger" (Kurtz), in a spirit of remorse (Lange) - and
turned in to a certain Adullamite, - literally, and pitched (his tent, ch. 26:15)
up to, as far as, or close by, a man, an Adullamite, i.e. belonging to Adullam,
a town in the Hebron valley (Joshua 15:35); in the time of the conquest the
seat of a Canaanitish king (ibid. 12:15), afterwards celebrated for its
connection with the history of David (I Samuel 22:1-2; II Samuel 23:13),
subsequently mentioned in Scripture (II Chronicles 11:7; Nehemiah 11:30;
Micah 1:15), but never successfully identified (vide ' Land and the Book,' pp.
606, 607; Robinson, 2:175) - whose name was Hirah - "Nobility" (Gesenius).
the world formulated
from a literal reading of the Old
Testament by James
Ussher,
the Archbishop
of Armagh and Primate
of All Ireland. It was published
in 1650.
Modern skepticism and unbelievers often use his
compilations as to try and
prove the Bible is untrue by mistaking his dates (attached
to the top of
reference columns) as a part of revealed scripture,
especially by the dates
of Creation being 4000 B. C. In reality, they are Ussher’s works.
This means that from Abraham to Jacob there had been
approximately
184 years for the Canaanites to progress in iniquity since
the revelation
from God to Abraham.
The 400 years that God mentioned about going
into Egypt had not started yet. But with the advent of Joseph, it was about
to begin. I am a 75
year old man who have seen the United States publicly
testify that the have gone from a Christian nation into a
pagan society in
my lifetime – basically in the last half-century. CAN YOU IMAGINE
IF GOD ALLOWED 400 MORE YEARS OF THIS HUMILIATING
AND EMBARASSING NONSENSE TO GO ON – WHAT SOCIETY
WOULD BE LIKE? Do you think He will? Then let your
behaviors
2 “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 there the
daughter of a certain (literally, of a man, a) Canaanite, - not of a merchant
(Onkelos), but of an inhabitant of the land of Canaan - whose name was Shuah; -
"Wealth," "Riches," "Cry for Help" (Gesenius). This was not the name of Judah's
wife (Septuagint), but of her father - (see v. 12) - and he took her, - i.e. married her
(viz. ch. 6:2; 24:67) - and went in unto her. (My friends! I will try to be as kind
and blunt as
I can: Judah’s “turning in” (v. 1); “saw
there a daughter of a certain
Canaanite” (here) is in league with Dinah’s going “out to see
the daughters of
the land.” (ch. 34:1) The difference being that Dinah basically was raped by
Shechem and Judah having the class to marry Shuah before having intimate
relations with her. I have long wanted to bring in the morality of Abimelech’s
day [ch. 20 and what has happened to society during this long interlude – by the
way, Bishop Ussher puts this event at 1898 B.C. – a mere 3,916 years prior to
our pseudo-Progressive
morality of today – HOW MORALITY HAS
DETERIORATED IN TIME!???] with that of the times here of Dinah
and Jacob. Also to ponder the morality of America and the world today – Dinah’s
going out and Judah’s so casually turning in remind me of the adulterous woman
described in
Provers 30:20 – “Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth
and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.” CY – 2018)
3
“And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his
name Er.”
“Watcher" (Gesanius). What is commonly regarded as an idiosyncrasy of the
Elohist, viz., the naming of a child by its father, here occurs in a so-called
4 “And she
conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan.”
"Strength" (Gesenius). The naming of a child by its mother a peculiarity of the
so-called Jehovist; but see Genesis 16:15.
5 “And she yet again
conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah:
and he was at Chezib, when she bare him.” "Prayer" (Gesenius), "Peace" (Furst) –
and he (i.e. Judah) was - absent (Gerlach); or, translating impersonally, it was, i.e.
the event happened (Murphy) - at Chezib, - probably the same as Achzib
(Joshua 15:44; Micah 1:14-15) and Chezeba (I Chronicles 4:22), which in the
partitioning of the land fell to the sons of Shelah, and was here mentioned that
Shelah's descendants might know the birthplace of their ancestor (Keil); or the
fact of Judah s absence at the birth of his third son may be recorded as the reason
of the name, "Peace," "Rest, "Prosperity, which the child received (Gerlach) –
when she bare him - literally, in her bearing of him.
6 “And Judah
took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was
Tamar.”
And Judah took a wife (compare ch. 21:21; 24:4) for Er his firstborn, - "by the
early marriage of his sons Judah seems to have intended to prevent in them a
germinating corruption (Lange) - whose name as Tamar - "Palm tree" (Gesenius).
Though the name was Shemitic, it does not follow that the person was. Compare
Melchisedeck and Abimelech. Yet she is not expressly called a Canaanite, though
it is more than probable she was. Lange conjectures that she may have been of
Philistine descent, and thinks the narrative intends to convey the impression that
she was a woman of extraordinary character.
7 “And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD;
and the
LORD slew him.” And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord.
The connection between Er's name (עֵר) and Er's character (רַע) is noticeable. The
special form
which his wickedness assumed is not stated; but the accompanying
phrase suggests that, as in the case of the Sodomites (ch.
13:13; 19:5), it was some
unnatural abomination. And the Lord slew him - literally, caused him to die; not
necessarily by direct visitation; perhaps simply by allowing him to reap the fruits
of his youthful indulgence in premature and childless death, which yet was so
rapid and so evidently entailed by his evil courses as immediately to suggest
8 “And Judah said
unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her,
and raise up seed to thy brother.” And Judah said unto Onan (obviously after a
sufficient
interval), Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her,
- literally, and
perform the part of levir, or husband's brother, to her. The language seems to imply
that what was afterwards in the code Mosaic known as the Lex Leviratus (Deuteronomy
25:5-6) was at this time a recognized custom. The existence of the practice has been
traced in different frames among Indians, Persians, and other nations of Asia and
Africa - and raise up seed to thy brother. As afterwards explained in the Hebrew
legislation, the firstborn son of such a Levirate marriage became in the eye of the
law the child
of the deceased husband, and was regarded as his heir.
9 “And 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. 10 And the thing which he did
displeased the LORD: wherefore He
slew him also.” And Onan knew that the
seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when - literally, and it was if, i.e.
whenever - he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground
(literally, destroyed to the ground), lest
that he should (or, so as not to) give
seed to his brother. And the thing which he did
displeased (literally, was evil
in the eyes of) the Lord: - the word Jehovah is employed not because the writer
was a late interpolator, but because the sin of Onan was an offence against the
sanctity and prosperity of the theocratic family (Hengstenberg) - wherefore He
11 “Then 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.”
Then said Judah to Tamer his daughter-in-law, Remain a widow - alma-nah, from
alam, to be solitary, forsaken, signifies one bereft of a husband, hence a widow
(compare Exodus 22:21) - at thy father's house (compare Leviticus 22:13),
till Shelah my son be grown. It is implied that this was merely a pretext on the
part of Judah, and that he did not really intend to give his third son to Tamar,
considering her an unlucky woman (Delitzsch, Keil, Kalisch), or, at least, not
at present, under the impression that the deaths of Er and Onan had been
occasioned by their too early marriages (Lange). The reason of his failure to
release Tamar from her widowhood is added in the ensuing clause. For he said
(in his heart), Lest peradventure he die also, as
his brethren did. And Tamar
went and dwelt in her father's
house.”
12 “And 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.”
And in process
of time - literally,
and the days were multiplied (compare ch. 4:3), which is rendered by the same
words in the
Authorized Version - the daughter of Shuah
Judah's wife died; and
Judah was comforted (or, comforted himself, ceased to mourn), and went up
unto
his sheep-shearers (see ch. 31:19) to Timnath, - a border town between Ekron and
Bethshemesh (Joshua 15:10) in the plain of Judah (Kalisch, Wordsworth, W. L.
Alexander in Kitto's 'Cyclopedia'); but more probably here a town (Joshua 15:57)
in the mountains of Judah (Robinson, 2:343, Keil, Alford, 'Speaker's Commentary') –
he and his friend - ὁ ποιμὴν αὐτοῦ - ho poimaen autou – his shepherd friend???? –
CY – 2018
(Septuagint) - Hirah the Adullamite.
13 “And it was
told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up
to
Timnath to shear his
sheep.” And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy
father in-law - חָם, a father-in-law, from חָמָה, unused, to join together. Compare
γαμβρός – gambros - for γαμερός – gameros - a son-in-law, or generally one
connected by
marriage, from γαμέω – gameo – marry - goeth
up to Timnath to
14 “And she put
her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a
veil, 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.” And she put her widow's garments off from her (to prevent
detection by Judah), and covered her with a veil, - to conceal her features,
after the fashion of a courtesan (v. 15; compare Job 24:15) - and wrapped herself, -
possibly with some large mantle (Alford) - and sat in an open place, - literally,
in the opening (i.e. gate) of Enaim (Septuagint, Gesenius, Keil, Kalisch, Lange, et alii);
less happily, in the opening of the eyes, i.e. in a public and open place (Calvin), in the
parting of the ways, in bivio itineris (Vulgate), in the opening (or breaking forth) of
the two fountains (Aben Ezra, Rosenmüller) - which is by (or upon) the way to Timnath;
- "close to the site of Thamna, now Tibneh, three miles to the east, on an ancient road
coming from Adullam, the very road by which the patriarch Judah would have come
from Adullam to Timnah, is a ruin called Allin, or Anita, or Ainim" ('Palestine
Exploration,' quoted by Inglis) - for she saw that Shelah was grown (he was probably
not much
younger than either of his brothers who had died), and
she was not given
unto him to wife - literally, for a wife.
15 “When Judah
saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had
covered her face.” When (literally, and) Judah saw her, he (literally, and he)
thought her to be an harlot; - literally, thought her (i.e. took her for) an harlot,
like λογίζεσθαι τινα εὶς τι (compare I Samuel 1:13; Job 13:24), or to זונָה
(feminine
participle of זָנַה, commit
fornication); see ch.
34:31 - because
she
had covered her face - more meretricis.
16 “And 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?”
Though willing to commit adultery or fornication, Judah would have shrank from
the sin of
incest. And she said, What wilt thou give me, that
thou mayest come in
unto me? The conduct of Tamar, though in every way reprehensible, is not to be
attributed to mere lust, or inordinate desire for offspring, if not from the son Shelah,
then from the father Judah, but was probably traceable to a secret wish on the one
hand to be avenged on Judah, and on the other hand to assert her right to a place
amongst the
ancestresses of the patriarchal family. Yet Tamar
was really guilty
of both adultery and incest, though Lange thinks the wickedness of Er and Onan
renders this open to question.
17 “And he said,
I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou
give me a pledge, till thou
send it?” And
he said, I will send thee a kid from the
flock
– literally, a
kid of the goats (v. 20; compare Judges
15:1). And she said,
Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou
send it? - literally, if thou wilt give me a
pledge (עֵרָבזֹן, from עָבַ, to give in pledge, a word peculiar to traders which the
Greeks and Romans appear to have borrowed from the Phoenicians, the originators
of traffic: compare ἀῥῤαβών - arrabon - arrhabo: until thy sending (then I consent
18 “And 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.” And he said, What pledge shall I give
thee? And she said, Thy signet, - the chotham, or signet, was either worn on the
finger, δακτυλίον – daktulion - (Septuagint) or suspended round the neck by a
pithil, or silk string. Its impression was a sign of property and a means of security
(compare Matthew 27:66; John 3:33; Ephesians 1:13). Among the ancient
Babylonians it was customary for every one to wear such a ring (Herod., 1:195);
and modern Arabians in towns wear a seal-ring on the finger, or fastened by a
cord round the neck, the impression of which serves as a signature (Robinson, 1:52).
The seals and signets that have been brought to light by the excavations in Assyria
and Babylon (Layard, 'Nin. and Bab.,' 152-159, 602-608) are of various forms and
materials. They show the art of engraving to have been of great antiquity; but
whether Judah's signet was marked with alphabetical characters cannot be
determined, though it may have been, since alphabetical writing was as old at least
as the time
of Abraham (see Keil, 'Introd.,'
Part I. sect. 1. Genesis
1. § 4) - and thy
bracelets (rather, thy chain, pithil, as above), and thy staff (the mateh, or rod,
was so called from the idea of stretching out, the root being natah, to stretch out
or extend) that is in thine hand. This too every BabyIonian carried (Herod., 1:195).
"It was necessarily adorned with some device carved upon it, and consisting in
a flower or a
fruit, a bird, or some other animal" (Kalisch). And he gave it her,
and came in unto her, and she conceived by him. (It seems to me that once
Judah’s
libido kicked in that, like many men throughout history, lost control
and would, unthinkingly, give away
quit a bit for the satisfaction of his desires.
19 “And she
arose, and went away, and laid by her veil from her, and put on
the garments of her widowhood. 20 And 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.” And Judah sent the kid - literally, the kid of the goats, which
he had
promised (v. 17) - by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive
his pledge from the woman's hand: but (literally, and) he (i.e. Hirah) found her not.
21“Then 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.”
Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, - literally,
the consecrated, the prostitute being regarded as "one devoted to the worship
of Astarte, a goddess of the Canaanites, the deification of the generative and
productive principle of nature," corresponding to the Babylonian Ashtarte,
whose worship was of a grossly libidinous character (Herod., 1:199). Compare
Deuteronomy 23:19; Numbers 25:1; Hosea 4:14; and see Keil on Deuteronomy
23:19 - that was openly by the way side? - or, that was in Enajim on the way, see
above on v. 14). And they said, There was no harlot (or kedeshah) in this place.
22 “And 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. 23 And Judah said, Let
her take it to her, lest we be
shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not
found her.” And Judah said, Let her take it to her, - literally, let her take to herself
(the pledge)
- lest we be shamed (literally,
become a contempt, i.e. by
inquiring after
her. Though not afraid to sin against God, Judah was pained at
the idea of losing
his reputation
before men [piles and piles of this sin are heaped upon the
TRASH HEAP OF HISTORY – CY – 2018]): behold, I sent this kid (i.e.
I take you to
witness that I have fulfilled my premise), and
thou hast not found her.
24 “And 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.”
And it same to pass about three months after (the usual time at which pregnancy
is certainly
determined), that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy
daughter-in-law
hath played
the harlot (or, acted as a zonah); and also, behold, she is with child by
whoredom. And Judah said (altogether unmindful of his own iniquity three months
previous), Bring her forth, and let her be burnt. Under the law stoning was the
punishment
allotted to the crime of Tamar (Deuteronomy
22:20-24), burning being
added only in cases of excessive criminality (Leviticus 20:14; 21:9). It is obvious
that the power of life and death lay in the hand of Judah, as the head of his family.
(I am in the process of teaching Genesis 25-50 over a three month period and I am
calling this study – THEN AND NOW – emphasizing what went on over 3,500
years ago and comparing those actions to now. There is an attempt in Washington,
D.C. currently to oust the sitting President of the Unites States of America,
Donald J. Trump. He is accused of using his own money to pay off a real
prostitute hush money, one not like Tamar who was seemingly driven to such
action, and not one of choice like Stormy Daniels, the one that Mr. Trump was
associated with prior to becoming President. It has been made into a Campaign
Finance Issue by the President’s political enemies both openly and covertly
[The Deep State]. At the same time, there are over 200 instances of Unites States
senators and/or representatives, paying off in comparable situations, and not by
using their
own money, but
with federal tax dollars, the people’s money.
BUT THIS IS NOW AND THAT WAS THEN! And like Judah, these senators
and representative seem to be more afraid of man and the electorate, than they are
of GOD ALMIGHTY, apparently putting far off the DAY of retribution and taking
their chances
that it will not matter. HOW FOOLISH MANKIND
SEEMS TO BE!
ARE MEN AND WOMEN
REALLY UNBELIEVERS OR JUST PRACTICAL
25 When 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.” When she was brought forth (literally,
she was brought forth, and), she sent to her father-in-law (who apparently had not
the heart to
witness the execution of his own sentence), 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 (or chain), and staff.
26 “And 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.” And Judah acknowledged (or discerned, i.e. recognized) them, and said,
She hath been more righteous than I; - though Tamar was far from innocent (see
v. 16), she was by no means as culpable as Judah - because that (כִּי־עַל־כֵּן, for, for
this cause, i.e. that so it might happen to me. ) I gave her not to Shelah
my son. And (in token
of his penitence) he knew her again no more.
Judah’s Sin with Tamar (vs. 12-26)
Ø
Suddenly. It was occasioned by the sight of a supposed prostitute.
Much
evil enters by the eye (compare II
Samuel 11:2). There was great need
for the prayer of David (Psalm
119:37).
Ø
Openly. Judah was in the company of Hirah, his friend, when he beheld
Tamar sitting in the gate of Enajim, and, without attempting to hide it
from his friend, went to seek her
society. Shamelessness
in
sin
Ø
Willfully. Though in a manner surprised by the temptation, Judah was
not inadvertently betrayed into
commission of his sin with Tamar, but,
on the contrary, went about it in a
remarkably deliberate manner.
Ø
Inexcusably. There was no reason why Judah should not have sought a
second wife to succeed Shuah’s daughter, rather than consort with
prostitutes. (“...it is better to marry than to burn (with
lust).”
Ø
Quickly. No doubt Judah thought he
had heard the last of his
indiscretion on the way to Timnath; but lo! in
three short months
his guilt is discovered. Not every
offender is so speedily arrested;
but sooner or later detection is
inevitable for all. (“Some men’s sins
are clearly evident, preceding them
to judgment, but those of some
men follow later. Likewise, the good works of some are clearly
evident, and those that are otherwise
cannot be hid.” I Timothy
5:24-25) “Be sure thy sin will find thee
out.” (Numbers 32:23)
Ø
Unexpectedly. Judah never imagined that his own signet, and chain, and
staff would be produced as witnesses
against him; and criminals never
can be sure from what quarter
testimony shall arise to condemn them.
Ø
Completely. There was no possibility of Judah s evading the charge of
Tamar. By no sort of ingenuity could
he repudiate the articles of dress
With which probably his household
were familiar.
Ø
Publicly. At the very moment when Tamar was produced for execution
Judah was obliged to confess his
guilt in presence of his assembled
household; and in like manner will
the wicked yet be openly convicted
in IN THE SIGHT OF AN ASSEMBLED
WORLD!
Ø
Candidly. Found out, Judah did not attempt either to deny or to
palliate
his guilt, but frankly acknowledged
that Tamar’s condition was due to
Ø
Promptly. Nor did he hesitate to own his guilt, but .immediately
Ø
Penitently. This we may infer from the statement
of the historian
that the offence was not again
repeated.
to indicate whether Judah obtained
mercy; but this may be reasonably
Ø
The promptness of his confession.
Ø
The sincerity of his penitence.
as evinced by the fact that he was
reckoned among the ancestors of our
27 “And it came
to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were
in her womb.” Compare the case
of Rebekah (ch.
25:24).
28 “And 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.” And it came to pass, when she travailed, - literally,
in her bringing forth (compare ch. 35:17) - that the one put out his hand: -
literally, and it (the child) gave a hand, i.e. it was an abnormal and dangerous
presentation
- and the midwife (ibid.) took and bound upon his hand
a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.”
29 “And it came
to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother
came out: and she said, How hast thou
broken forth? this breach be upon thee:
therefore his name was called
Pharez. And it came to pass, as he drew back
his hand, that, behold, his brother
came out: and she (i.e. the midwife) said,
How hast thou broken forth! this
breach be upon thee: - literally, What a
breach hast thou made! upon thee, a breach, or, Why hast thou broken forth
for thyself a breach (Delitzsch)? or, How hast thou made for thee a breach?
(Murphy) - therefore his name was called Pharez - or Breach (compare
ch.
46:12; Numbers
26:20; I
Chronicles 2:4; Matthew
1:3).
30 “And
afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon
his hand: and his name was called Zarah.” (Splendor.)
The House of Judah: a Family
Record of Sin and Shame (vs. 1-30)
Ø
Early. On any hypothesis Er and Onan can have been little more than
boys when they were married, and yet
they appear to have arrived at a
remarkable precocity in sin. Nor was
it simply that they had shed the
innocence and purity of youth, but
they had also acquired a shameful
proficiency in vice. Young scholars
are mostly apt learners, especially
in the devil’s school. (Why is it that some adolescents and teenagers
have a hard time learning in school
but pick up things very quickly
Ø
Unnatural. Though not described, the wickedness
of Judah’s first son
had relation to some perversion of
the ordinance of marriage; that of his
second is plainly stated to have been
uncleanness
and self-pollution.
Neither against nature nor contrary
to grace are the endearments of the
married state, but every act
outside of the Divine
permissions
Ø
Heinous. The act of Er is characterized
as “wicked in the sight of the
Lord,”
while that of Onan is said to have displeased the Lord.
Hence
it may be reasonably inferred that
the essential criminality in both cases
was the same. They were both perversions of a natural ordinance.
They both militated against the purity and development of the
theocratic
family. Both indicated a contemptuous unbelief in
the
promise of the covenant, and a sacrilegious disregard for the calling
of Israel as the progenitor of the promised seed. Hence both were
deserving of Divine reprobation.
Ø
Disastrous. The tendency of all sin is ruinous, both for:
o
body,
o
spirit.
Whether as a natural result of indulgence
in vice, or as a direct
punitive visitation from God, Er and Onan were consigned to
premature graves and this, it should be noted by young persons
of both sexes, is the almost inevitable consequence
of indulgence
in secret vice, and in particular of the practice of which
Onan
o
it debilitates the
physical constitution by a wasting of the
o
it impairs the mental
faculties,
o
it corrupts the moral nature,
o
it sears and petrifies the
conscience, and finally, what
might have been a fair specimen of
noble and virtuous
o
it covers up, a poor, wasted,
shivering skeleton, beneath
the clods of the valley, causing it
to lie down among the
young widow of Er
and Onan, though not without its extenuations, in
having been partly provoked by
Judah’s reluctance to marry her to Shelah,
and partly inspired by a desire to
take her place among the ancestresses of
the promised seed, was yet in many
respects reprehensible.
Ø
She discovered impatience. Although Judah did manifest a temporary
unwillingness to give her Shelah for a husband, she might have reasoned
that, after losing two sons, it was
not unnatural that he should hesitate
about exposing a third to the same
risk of destruction.
Ø
She manifested unbelief. If Tamar did regard herself as wronged, as
most undoubtedly she was, instead of
taking measures to right herself,
she should have left her cause to
God, who had already vindicated her
against the wickedness of her
youthful husbands, and who in His own
time and way would doubtless have
interposed to assert her prerogative
as a widow belonging to the family of
Israel.
Ø
She practiced deception. Laying aside her
widow’s garments, and
assuming the attire of a harlot, she
took her station at the gate of Enajim,
on the way to Timnath,
and pretended to be a prostitute. Tamar
manifestly was not a woman of refined
and delicate sensibilities; but
then she was a Canaanite, and had
been the wife of Er and Onan, who
were not calculated to improve her
modesty.
Ø
She was guilty of temptation. It is true the
narrative does not represent
her as having been guilty of
solicitation, like the “foolish woman”
described by Solomon (Proverbs
7:6-23; 9:14-18). Perhaps she knew
that Judah would not require
solicitation; but if so she was all the more
guilty in placing temptation in
Judah’s way.
Ø
She committed incest. The guilt of an incestuous connection which
rested on Judah unconsciously she had
knowingly and willingly taken
heinous, than those of either his
sons or his daughter-in-law were the
offences of Judah. Jacob’s fourth son
sinned:
Ø
In marrying a Canaanitish wife. Though Judah’s marriage with Shuah’s
daughter was blessed by God, who made
it fruitful, it does not follow
Ø
In withholding Shelah from Tamar. Although it does not appear as yet
to have been commanded that in
default of issue a widow should be
married by her deceased husband’s
brother, it is obvious that Judah
recognized that it should be so, both
by his own act in giving Onan to
Tamar after Er’s
death, and by his own subsequent confession with
Ø
In deceiving Tamar. Instead of frankly telling her that he did not intend
his third son to become her husband,
he bound her to remain a widow,
and sent her home to her father’s
house (instead of keeping her in his
own) under the impression that Shelah was only withheld from her on
Ø
In committing sin
with Tamar. Though in reality
Judah committed
incest, yet so far as his intention
went it was only adultery, or fornication.
Yet all forms of unchastity are forbidden in the law of God.
And it
gives a very low conception of the
morality of Judah that he, a member
of the consecrated family of Israel,
who had himself been married,
should have so openly, and
deliberately, and coolly turned aside to
seek the company of a common
prostitute, as he imagined Tamar
to be. Judah should have acted on the
principle afterwards stated
Ø
In condemning
Tamar. “Bring
her forth, and let her be burnt,” said
the indignant patriarch. It is
obvious the sentence was excessive in its
severity. It was not imperative, else it could not have
been remitted;
and a recollection of his visit to Timnath three months previously
should have inclined him to lean to
mercy’s side. But the virtuous
Angelos of society always
procure indulgence for themselves by
damning their fellow-sinners (Measure for Measure, Act II.).
Scripture counsels differently
(Matthew 7:3; Romans 2:22;
Ø
The offspring of the same parents;
Ø
the purpose of their lives — the
first being an ancestor of the
The Goodness and Severity of God (vs.
1-30)
These occurrences
in the family of Judah would seem
·
to betoken the retributive judgment of God, and
·
illustrate His
grace. Joseph
is lost, and still Divinely protected.
Judah is
a wanderer from his brethren; a sensual, self-willed, degenerate
man; yet it is in the line
of this same wanderer that the promised seed shall
appear. The whole
is a lesson on the evil of separation from the people of
God. Luther asks why such things were placed in Scripture, and
answers,
·
That no one should be self-righteous, and
·
that no one should despair, and
·
to remind us that Gentiles by natural right are brothers,
mother, sisters to our Lord; the word of salvation
is a word FOR
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