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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 38:1

And it came to pass at that time ,.... This some refer to the time of Jacob's coming from Padanaram into Canaan, soon after he came to Shechem, and before the affair of Dinah; but to this may be objected the marriage of Judah at an age that may seem too early for him, his separation from his brethren, and having a flock of his own to keep, which seems not consistent with the above history: wherefore it is better to connect this with the history of Joseph's being sold into Egypt; for though... 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

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 38:1

And it came to pass at that time - The facts mentioned here could not have happened at the times mentioned in the preceding chapter, as those times are all unquestionably too recent, for the very earliest of the transactions here recorded must have occurred long before the selling of Joseph. Mr. Ainsworth remarks "that Judah and his sons must have married when very young, else the chronology will not agree. For Joseph was born six years before Jacob left Laban and came into Canaan; Genesis... 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

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 38:1

Verse 1 1.And it came to pass at that time, that Judah. Before Moses proceeds in relating the history of Joseph, he inserts the genealogy of Judah, to which he devotes more labor, because the Redeemer was thence to derive his origin; for the continuous history of that tribe, from which salvation was to be bought, could not remain unknown, without loss. And yet its glorious nobility is not here celebrated, but the greatest disgrace of the family is exposed. What is here related, so far from... read more

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