Genesis 38:14 - Exposition

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 ( Genesis 38:15 ; cf. 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 ( LXX ; 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 .