And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock —literally, a kid of the goats ( Genesis 38:20 ; cf. 15:1 ). And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it? —literally, if thou wilt give me a pledge until thy sending (sc. then I consent to thy proposal). read more
.— 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 ( LXX .) or suspended round the neck by a pithil , or silk string. Its impression was a sign of property and a means of security (cf. Matthew 27:66 ; John 3:33 ; Ephesians 1:13 , &c.;). 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... read more
And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood . read more
And Judah sent the kid —literally, the kid of the goats, which he had promised ( Genesis 38:17 )— 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. read more
T hen 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). Cf. Deuteronomy 23:19 ; Numbers 25:1 ; Hosed Numbers 4:14 ; and vide Keil on Deuteronomy 23:19 that was... read more
And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot (or kedeshah ) in this place. read more
And Judah said, Let her take it to her ,—literally, let her take to herself (sc. 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): behold, I sent this kid ( i.e. I take you to witness that I have fulfilled my premise), and thou hast not found her. read more
- The Family of Judah1. 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... read more
Genesis 38:14. She put her widow’s garments off, &c. Some excuse her conduct in this by suggesting that she believed the promise made to Abraham and his seed, particularly that of the Messiah, and that she was therefore desirous to have a child by one of that family, that she might have the honour, or at least stand fair for being the mother of the Messiah. She covered her with a veil It was the custom of harlots in those times to cover their faces, that though they were not... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 38:16
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 ). 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 Tamer, 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... read more