Judah and tamar commentary

The tamar narrative casts the biblical characters in a human, and not very complimentary, light. Jan 23, 2010 judah and his two wicked sons er and onan are portrayed very badly in the text. Genesis 38 commentary james burton coffman commentaries. Genesis 38 judah and tamar at that time, judah bible. Commentary on genesis 38 and the story of judah and tamar. Upon recognizing these items as his security, judah released tamar from her sentence. Genesis 38 new international version niv judah and tamar. In addition, the story serves as a morality play about the virtue of keeping ones. Genesis 38 judah, his daughterinlaw tamar, and the levirate marriage judah married and his wife gave birth to three sons. It is actually pretty obvious when you think about it.

This is part of a larger series that will be listed at under video class. The first tamar we read about in scripture was the widow of er and onan, sons of judah, jacobs fourthborn son. So tamar went and lived in her fathers house genesis 38. In this midrash, it was judah who convinced jacob that joseph was dead. The chapter opens with the somewhat strange statement that judah leaves his brothers, meets up with hirah the adulamite, and there, in adulam, finds himself a. The story of tamar the canaanite is brief, but important in the grand scheme of scripture. As wenham observes, the story of genesis 38 consists of six scenes. Tamars actions and judahs reactions to them turned judah to a right path as he became the man who. At that time, judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man. Judahs marriage and issue, and the untimely death of his two eldest sons v. A literary reading within the canon suggests that the story of judah and tamar points to the morally ambiguous origins of davids lineage. She first appears in the bible after judah moves to canaan and takes the canaanite. Now judah took a wife for er his firstborn, and her name was tamar. In the story, judah, the fourthborn son of jacob israel, had left his father and brothers and married a canaanite woman named shua.

Judahs disobedient refusal to give tamar a husband showed his faith was weak james 2. Judah does not keep his promise to give his younger son shelah to his widowed daughterinlaw. Judah and tamar genesis 38 the story of judah and tamar is of notable significance. Yet tamar is actually mentioned in matthews genealogy see matthew 1. Judah and tamar genesis 38 in ancient jewish exegesis. When they reach marriageable age, he pairs er with tamar. However, according to scripture, er was evil in the sight of the lord, so the lord took his life,making tamar a widow. Tamar s intervention also seems to have been critical in changing judah from a man with no moral compass, as evidenced by his treatment of joseph, tamar, and er, into one who is eloquent, selfsacrificing, and compassionate when we next see him.

His immorality while away from home was shameful, but his acknowledgement of his sin and his acceptance of the consequences represented in him a type of. The story of judah and tamar in genesis 38 is an interesting one. Like judah, we should be willing to confess our sins before god and others whom we trust when the spirit pricks our consciences. For a jewish woman this meant disgrace, because people thought that being childless was a punishment from god. What does the strange story about judah and tamar reveal. Judah then promised tamar that she would marry his thirdborn, shelah, when he reached an appropriate age.

Mar 10, 2015 judahs sons,tamar, and the messianic line genesis 38. The weakness and nobility, alike, of judah appear in this somewhat sordid narrative. Judah and tamar at that time, judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of adullam named hirah. Shuahs daughter bears judah three half canaanite sons. Ive been a christian for 20 years now and i want to say that i have never heard the story of judah and tamar preached or taught. She disguised herself as a prostitute and lured judah into hiring her for sex. Judah and tamar commentary black history in the bible. You may already know that the judah and tamar story comes from the biblical story in genesis 38, and that its a super short story that comes out of nowhere but packs a walloping effect on the history of the middle east. Judahs incest with his daughterinlaw tamar, without his knowing it. The story of judah and tamar is certainly not the most pleasant story in the bible.

Tamar married into the family of judah, first to judahs son er and then, after his death, to onan his brother. This could have substantial economic repercussions, with any son born deemed the heir of the deceased er, and. Dec 08, 2006 as wenham observes, the story of genesis 38 consists of six scenes. Dec 24, 2005 tamar s playing the harlot is juxtaposed with the licentiousness of potiphars wife. He marries the daughter of a merchant named shua and has three sons, er, onan and shelah. She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him onan. Moreover, in tamars time, no conversion rite, as such, existed.

Tamar s actions and judah s reactions to them turned judah to a right path as he became the man who. She was, in the eye of the law, shelahs wife, and therefore her being with child by another was looked upon as an injury and reproach to judahs family. Feb 19, 2016 commentary on genesis 38 and the story of judah and tamar. It was not therefore simple and common fornication which was the question for judgment. But er, judahs firstborn, was evil in the sight of the lord, so the lord took his life. It deals with themes of love, justice, prostitution, paternal anxiety, and honor, to name a few. Genesis 38 covers judah getting married, having three sons who grow up and get married themselves and then tamar having kids by judah. We likewise show our faith to be wanting when we sin. She first appears in the bible after judah moves to canaan and takes the canaanite shuahs daughter as a wife for himself genesis 38.

And judah took a wife for er his firstborn, whose name was tamar. If onan and judah had had their way, tamar would not have given birth to the very son whose descendants include both king david and jesus christ. Dec 14 2015 by black history in the bible 5 comments. Tamar sent the staff, seal, and cord to judah with a message declaring that the owner of these items was the man who had made her pregnant. And judas begat phares and zara some have observed that these sons of judah are mentioned together because they were twins born at the same time. Tamars intervention also seems to have been critical in changing judah from a man with no moral compass, as evidenced by his treatment of joseph, tamar, and er, into one who is eloquent, selfsacrificing, and compassionate when we next see him. He says there is a chronology problem with the story fitting here. Chapter 38, a selfcontained unit, interrupts the ongoing joseph saga to tell the story of judah and tamar. Mathewson pastor mountain view bible church, helena, montana introduction although benno jacob has called the judah tamar story the crown of the book of genesis and tamar one of the most admirable women,1 genesis 38 has generated more frustration than enthusiasm among its interpreters. It came to pass at that time that judah departed from his brothers. When their oldest son er came of age, judah and shua found him a wife named tamar.

He suspects that tamar is a lethal woman, a woman whose sexual partners. Because onan practised a form of contraception, tamar did not become pregnant. Genesis 38 tamar and the sin of judah enduring word. In verses 2426 we see tamar vindicated and, finally, in verses 2730 twins are born to tamar and judah.

Tamar, whose story is embedded in the ancestor narratives of genesis, is the ancestress of much of the tribe of judah and, in particular, of the house of david. Then judah said to onan, go in to your brothers wife, and perform your duty as a brotherinlaw to her, and raise up offspring for your brother. What does the strange story about judah and tamar reveal to. For this short paper five english translations have been studied and compared and two commentaries, one article, and a biblehebrew dictionary on cdrom called upon as resources. He orders her execution for what he presumes was adultery. Genesis 38 commentary matthew henry commentary on the.

Though the name was shemitic, it does not follow that the person was. Judahs second son, onan, marries ers widow tamar, according to the rules of levirate marriage. The second was the sister of absalom and daughter of king david who was raped by. Bring her forth therefore, says judah, the master of the family, and let her be burnt. Ancient jewish exegesis, however, challenges this understanding. Then said judah to tamar his daughter in law after the death of his two sons, who had successively married her. Tamar did even more in judahs case, for she established the line to messiah, future prince and saviour of the world, who could not descend from any other tribe. Judah then recommended that tamar return to her fathers house and wait until shelah matured. I was looking at waltons take on this in his niv application commentary.

According to footnotes in the oxford annotated bible with apocrypha, the story is intended to show the parts that several people played in fulfilling gods promise to abraham that he would have many descendants. But onan, although having relations with tamar, wasted his semen on the earth so as not to give offspring to his brother. Genesis 38 commentary james burton coffman commentaries on. Er onan shelah after the birth of his third son shelah, judah chooses tamar, a canaanite woman, as the wife for his oldest son er.

Judahs son spills his seed rather than provide offspring for his brother. That breach maker, as the midwife called him, because he would needs be born before his brother, and carried away the first birthright. There judah met the daughter of a canaanite man named shua. She gave birth to still another son and named him shelah. Time goes by, and judah hears his daughterinlaw is mysteriously pregnant. And judah took a wife for er his firstborn, whose name was. The next event recorded in the hdlwt toledoth of jacob is the continuity of the messianic line through judah by tamar his daughterinlaw. Why did the holy spirit choose to include the sordid story. Judahs rigour against tamar, when he heard she was an adulteress. She is the daughterinlaw of judah, who acquires her for his firstborn son, er. It is placed here in the middle of josephs story, not because it is directly related, but because the events took place after joseph was sold into slavery and before the sons of jacob traveled to egypt. He seems rather to be mentioned to prevent any mistake.

Noticing that the story of judah and his daughterinlaw tamar genesis 38 immediately follows the story of the presentation of josephs bloody garment to jacob 37. By way of a levirate union, judah asked his second son, onan, to provide offspring for tamar so that the family line might continue. By extension, he is indirectly eponymous of the kingdom of judah, the land of judea and the word jew according to the narrative in genesis, judah with tamar is the patrilinear ancestor of the davidic line. Genesis 38 judah, tamar, and the levirate marriage the. Mentioning a woman in a genealogy is almost unheard of in first century genealogies. The judah and tamar story in its context alastairs. Tamars playing the harlot is juxtaposed with the licentiousness of potiphars wife. Dec 05, 2012 tamar did even more in judahs case, for she established the line to messiah, future prince and saviour of the world, who could not descend from any other tribe. Although the readers know that god has killed two of judahs sons, judah does not. Judah and his two wicked sons er and onan are portrayed very badly in the text. The story of judah and tamar is of notable significance. The biblical story of the widow tamar learn religions. Robert alter, the art of biblical narrative basic books, 1981, 10. Tamar was a young jewish woman who married into the family of judah, son of jacob and leah.

The testament of judah interprets genesis 38 as the story of a warrior kings tragic downfall. Genesis 38 tells the story of tamar, her two husbands, er and onan, and her fatherinlaw judah. You may already know that the judah and tamar story comes from the biblical story in genesis 38, and that its a super short story that comes out of nowhere but packs a. In fact, most commentaries on the book of genesis dont spend much time on this chapter. Tamar, having thus secured her place in the family as well as judah s posterity, gave birth to twins, perez and zerah. In her desperation, she concocted a plan to be impregnated by judah himself. Then judah said to his daughterinlaw tamar, remain a widow in your fathers house until my son shelah grows up. Following josephs sale, judah parts ways with his brothers and lives instead with an adullamite named hirah. Every story and major character of this first book of the bible is taught from the stories surrounding adam and eve, noah, abraham, isaac and jacob to joseph, but not.

The story of judah and tamar growing christians ministries. After all, the story of joseph genesis 3750, has a lot more preaching material and great spiritual lessons. In genesis chapter 38, tamar is first described as marrying judahs eldest son, er. This last theme was apparently quite problematic at the time of the talmud, which actually felt called upon to defend the public reading and translation of this section of the torah. Mathewson pastor mountain view bible church, helena, montana introduction although benno jacob has called the judahtamar story the crown of the book of genesis and tamar one of the most admirable women,1 genesis 38 has generated more frustration than enthusiasm among its interpreters. Tamar, however, brings forth judahs personal effects, saying the owner of the staff, signet and cord is the father of her child. Judah had himself been married to a canaanite, and it is he who arranged ers marriage with tamar in the first place 38. When judah sends his friend hirah to pay her, though, she is gone. Nov 30, 2018 judah admits to being the father of the unborn children and acknowledges that tamar is right, meaning he should have married her off to his son shelah. Genesis 38 bible commentary wesleys explanatory notes. The birth of his twin sons, in whom his family was built up v.