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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Genesis 38:1-11

Here is, 1. Judah's foolish friendship with a Canaanite-man. He went down from his brethren, and withdrew for a time from their society and his father's family, and got to be intimately acquainted with one Hirah, an Adullamite, Gen. 38:1. It is computed that he was now not much above fifteen or sixteen years of age, an easy prey to the tempter. Note, When young people that have been well educated begin to change their company, they will soon change their manners, and lose their good education.... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 38:2

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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 38:3

And she conceived, and bare a son, and he called his name Er. Which signifies a "watchman": but the reason of the name given by the Targum of Jonathan is,"because he should die without children;'as if it was the same with Ariri, "childless". read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 38:4

And she conceived again, and bare a son ,.... As soon as she well could: and she called his name Onan ; the first son Judah gave the name to, but his wife named this, so called from grief or sorrow; the reason of it, according to the above Targum, was,"because his father would mourn for him;'he was a Benoni, see Genesis 35:18 , whose sin and immature death caused sorrow. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 38:5

And she conceived, and bare a son ,.... A third son: and called his name Shelah ; which signifies tranquil, quiet, peaceable and prosperous, and is a word that comes from the same root as Shiloh, that famous son of Judah that should spring from him, Genesis 49:10 the reason of the name, as given by the Targum, is,"because her husband forgot her:" and she was at Chezib when she bare him ; Chezib is the name of a place, by some taken to be the same with Achzib or Ecdippe, now Zib,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 38:6

And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn ,.... Chose one for him, and presented her to him for his liking, whom he approving of married: whose name was Tamar ; which signifies a "palm tree": the Targum of Jonathan says, she was the daughter of Shem; but it is altogether improbable that a daughter of his should be living at this time, and young enough to bear children: it is much more probable that she was daughter of Levi, Judah's brother, as an Arabic writer F15 Abulpharag.... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 38:7

And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord ,.... That is, exceedingly wicked, as this phrase signifies, Genesis 13:13 , was guilty of some very heinous sin, but what is not mentioned; according to the Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi, it was the same with his brother Onan's, Genesis 38:9 , which it is suggested he committed, lest his wife should prove with child, and lose her beauty; but if it had been the same with his, it would have been expressed as well as his. An... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 38:8

And Judah said unto Onan ,.... Some time after his brother's death: go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her ; Moses here uses a word not common for marriage, but which was peculiar to the marrying of a brother's wife according to a law given in his time: it appears to have been a custom before, and which the patriarch might be directed to by the Lord, in such a case when a brother died, and left no issue, for the sake of multiplication of seed, according to the divine promise, and... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 38:5

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 ." read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 38:7

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 ער wicked, רע ra . As if the inspired writer had said, "Er was altogether wicked, a completely abandoned character." read more

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