Judah and Tamar
Genesis 38:1-30
Gen.38.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- בעת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ההוא: DEM,ms,sg
- וירד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- מאת: PREP
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- ויט: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- עד: PREP
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עדלמי: ADJ,m,sg
- ושמו: CONJ,NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- חירה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
Parallels
- Genesis 12:10 (thematic): Both describe a figure from the patriarchal/clan circle 'going down' to a foreign land to sojourn (Abram to Egypt), echoing the motif of leaving one’s family/land and residing with outsiders.
- Genesis 37:25-28 (thematic): Joseph’s brothers send him away to foreign traders and he departs from his brothers—parallels the theme of a brother’s separation from the family and contact with non‑kin (foreign men/merchants).
- Ruth 1:1 (thematic): “Now it came to pass in the days when the judges … a man of Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab” — similar wording and theme: a man of Judah leaving the native land to live among outsiders.
- 1 Chronicles 2:3-4 (structural): The Chronicles genealogy recounts Judah’s sons (Er, Onan, Shelah) and Tamar, providing a genealogical and narrative frame that parallels and preserves the family elements introduced in Genesis 38.
- Genesis 46:12 (structural): Later listing of Judah’s household who go down to Egypt with Jacob; connects to the motif of movement/relocation of Judah’s line and provides a later summary reference to Judah’s family trajectory.
Alternative generated candidates
- And it happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.
- And it happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite man, whose name was Hirah.
Gen.38.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וירא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שם: ADV
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- בת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כנעני: ADJ,m,sg
- ושמו: CONJ,NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- שוע: NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
- ויקחה: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg+PRON,3,f,sg
- ויבא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אליה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 26:34-35 (thematic): Esau takes wives from the Hittites (foreign women), which displeases his parents—parallel theme of Israelite patriarchs marrying non‑family/Canaanite women and the familial tensions that follow.
- Deuteronomy 7:3-4 (thematic): The law forbids intermarriage with the peoples of the land (including Canaanites) because it leads Israel away from YHWH; thematically contrasts Judah's marriage to a Canaanite daughter.
- Exodus 34:15-16 (thematic): Warning not to make covenants or intermarry with Canaanite nations lest they turn Israel to other gods—another legal/theological reflection on marrying Canaanite women.
- Numbers 25:1-5 (thematic): Israelites consort with Moabite women, leading to idolatry and divine punishment—illustrates the negative consequences associated with unions with foreign women in Israelite memory.
- Ruth 4:13-22 (structural): A foreign woman (Ruth the Moabitess) is integrated into Israel's lineage and becomes an ancestor of David—structural parallel to Genesis 38, where a foreign marriage in Judah's house becomes pivotal for his descendant line (Perez, leading to David).
Alternative generated candidates
- And there Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite man, whose name was Shua; and he took her and went in to her.
- There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man, whose name was Shua; and he took her and went in to her.
Gen.38.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותהר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg
- ותלד: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויקרא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ער: NOUN,m,sg,prop
Parallels
- Genesis 21:3 (verbal): Same birth-and-naming formula — Sarah bore a son to Abraham and ’called his name Isaac,’ echoing the straightforward ‘conceived and bore’ → ‘called his name’ pattern.
- Genesis 29:35 (verbal): Leah names her son Judah at birth (‘and she called his name Judah’), paralleling the immediate naming of sons in Genesis family narratives.
- Genesis 38:27-30 (structural): Later in the same chapter Tamar gives birth to Perez and Zerah; these verses continue the theme of birth, naming, and the continuation of Judah’s line — a direct structural parallel within the Judah narrative.
- Genesis 30:22-24 (thematic): Rachel’s conception and naming of Joseph (‘God has taken away my reproach; and she called his name Joseph’) echoes thematic elements of conception, divine involvement, and naming at birth found in Gen 38:3.
Alternative generated candidates
- And she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er.
- And she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er.
Gen.38.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותהר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg
- עוד: ADV
- ותלד: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ותקרא: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- אונן: NOUN,m,sg,prop
Parallels
- Genesis 29:35 (structural): Same birth-report formula (“and she conceived and bore a son; and she called his name…”) — here the birth of Judah (Onan’s father), linking family line and naming practice.
- Genesis 30:22–24 (verbal): Similar wording and motif: God enables conception and the mother names the son (the birth and naming of Joseph), echoing the concise birth‑naming narrative.
- Genesis 21:3 (structural): Birth and naming formula used for Isaac — another instance where a son’s birth is reported with the mother’s naming, reflecting the same narrative pattern.
- Deuteronomy 25:5–6 (thematic): Levirate obligation to raise offspring for a deceased brother; provides the legal/ethical background for Onan’s role and the significance of his later refusal.
- Genesis 38:9 (thematic): Immediate narrative follow‑up: Onan’s refusal to perform his duty (and his act of 'spilling seed') explains why his birth is notable and leads to divine judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- And she conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan.
- And she conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan.
Gen.38.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותסף: VERB,qal,wayyiq,3,f,sg
- עוד: ADV
- ותלד: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ותקרא: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- שלה: PRON,3,f,sg,gen
- והיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- בכזיב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בלדתה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,f,sg
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
Parallels
- Gen.38:3-4 (verbal): Immediate parallel in the same episode — Tamar 'conceived and bare a son' and the narrative’s repetitive birth/ naming formula (Er, Onan, then Shelah).
- Gen.38:7 (structural): Continues the story of Judah’s sons: Er’s character and fate are narrated shortly after the births, linking birth, name, and destiny within the chapter’s structure.
- Gen.46:12 (allusion): Later genealogy lists Judah’s sons (Er, Onan, Shelah), confirming the name Shelah and connecting this birth to Israel’s tribal genealogy.
- 1 Chron. 2:3-4 (allusion): Genealogical parallel that repeats the names of Judah’s sons (including Shelah), showing the birth’s significance for later lineage records.
- Gen.29:31-35 (thematic): Parallels the recurring Genesis motif of women bearing and naming sons (Leah’s naming formula), highlighting themes of conception, naming, and maternal identity.
Alternative generated candidates
- And she yet again conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Shelah; and it was at Chezib, when she bore him.
- And she added again and bore a son, and she called his name Shelah. And it was at Chezib when she bore him.
Gen.38.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- אשה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לער: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בכורו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- ושמה: CONJ+ADV,loc
- תמר: NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Gen.38:7 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: Er, Judah’s firstborn (the husband of Tamar), is described as wicked and is put to death — explains what happens after Judah gives his son a wife.
- Gen.38:11 (structural): Judah instructs Tamar to remain a widow in her father’s house until Shelah grows up — shows Judah’s later treatment of Tamar and sets up the levirate-related conflict.
- Gen.38:26 (structural): Later in the chapter Judah acknowledges Tamar’s righteousness after she proves her maternity of Perez and Zerah — resolves the moral and familial questions introduced when Tamar was given to Er.
- Deut.25:5-10 (thematic): The levirate marriage law (a brother should marry a childless widow to raise offspring for his brother) provides the legal/ethical background for the expectations and conflicts surrounding Tamar, Er, and Onan.
- Matt.1:3 (allusion): The Matthean genealogy lists 'Judah and Tamar' (parents of Perez), citing Tamar’s role in Israel’s line and linking this episode to the larger history of Israel and the ancestry of David/Jesus.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.
- And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.
Gen.38.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- ער: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בכור: NOUN,m,sg,const
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- רע: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- בעיני: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- וימתהו: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg,obj:3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Gen.38:9-10 (verbal): Onan 'did evil in the sight of the LORD' and 'the LORD slew him also'—nearly identical wording and immediate narrative parallel within the same episode (Er and Onan's deaths).
- Deut.25:5-10 (structural): Levirate marriage law (yibbum) provides the legal framework behind Judah’s sons and Tamar; the Genesis episode functions as a narrative precursor/explanatory origin for this institution.
- Gen.6:5-7 (thematic): General motif of human wickedness provoking divine judgment—God sees wickedness and resolves to execute judgment (here by slaying individuals or, in Genesis 6, by planned destruction).
- Num.16:31-35 (thematic): Immediate, lethal divine punishment for transgression (earth opening and swallowing Korah’s faction) parallels the theme of God directly executing wrongdoers.
Alternative generated candidates
- But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the eyes of the LORD, and the LORD put him to death.
- But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the eyes of the LORD, and the LORD put him to death.
Gen.38.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- לאונן: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- אשת: NOUN,f,sg,cns
- אחיך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- ויבם: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- והקם: VERB,hiph,impv,2,m,sg
- זרע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאחיך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+2,m,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 25:5-6 (verbal): Prescribes the levirate duty: a brother is to marry his brother’s widow to 'raise up seed' for the deceased — language and legal obligation parallel Genesis 38:8.
- Ruth 4:9-10 (thematic): Boaz acts as kinsman-redeemer to secure offspring/continuity for a deceased man’s line — parallels the purpose of Judah’s command to Onan (preserving name and inheritance).
- Matthew 1:3 (quotation): The Matthean genealogy explicitly cites 'Judah and Tamar,' alluding to the Genesis 38 episode and its significance for Davidic lineage and Jesus’ ancestry.
- Numbers 27:8-11 (thematic): Legislation for preserving a man’s name and inheritance when he dies without sons; addresses the same social/legal concern (continuity of family/lineage) behind the levirate practice in Genesis 38:8.
- 1 Chronicles 2:4-5 (structural): Genealogical listing of Judah’s sons (including Perez and Zerah born to Tamar) — shows the outcome of the Judah–Tamar episode and its place in Israel’s tribal genealogy.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Judah said to Onan, Go in to your brother’s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law for her, and raise up seed for your brother.
- Then Judah said to Onan, Go in to your brother’s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up seed for your brother.
Gen.38.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וידע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אונן: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- הזרע: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- אם: CONJ
- בא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- אשת: NOUN,f,sg,cns
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- ושחת: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ארצה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לבלתי: PART,neg
- נתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- זרע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאחיו: PREP
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 25:5-10 (structural): Sets out the levirate obligation — a brother must marry a childless widow to raise offspring for his deceased brother; provides the legal background for why Onan was expected to 'give seed' to his brother.
- Ruth 3:12-13; 4:9-10 (thematic): Boaz acts as kinsman-redeemer to marry Ruth and 'raise up the name' of the deceased—a constructive example of the social duty (like levirate practice) that Onan refused.
- Genesis 38:10 (verbal): Immediate narrative consequence: God is displeased with Onan's act of withholding seed and punishes him; directly continues the episode described in 38:9.
- Matthew 1:3 (allusion): Tamar (and her son Perez) are named in Jesus' genealogy, showing that despite Judah/Tamar/Onan episode the line continues through Perez—an implicit contrast to Onan's failure to preserve his brother’s seed.
- 1 Chronicles 2:3-5 (structural): Genealogical listing of Judah's sons (including Er and Onan) situates Onan within Judah's line and connects the Genesis narrative to Israel's tribal genealogies.
Alternative generated candidates
- But Onan knew that the seed would not be his; and whenever he went in to his brother’s wife, he would spill his seed on the ground, so as not to give seed to his brother.
- And Onan knew that the seed would not be his; and it would happen that, when he went in to his brother’s wife, he would spill it on the ground, so as not to give seed to his brother.
Gen.38.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וירע: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- בעיני: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- וימת: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- גם: ADV
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
Parallels
- Leviticus 10:1-2 (structural): Nadab and Abihu offer unauthorized fire and are consumed by God — like Onan, their immediate death follows a transgression against divine norms and occurs in a cultic/familial context.
- 2 Samuel 6:6-7 (thematic): Uzzah is struck dead for touching the ark; both passages depict sudden divine execution as a response to improper human action related to sacred order.
- Joshua 7:11,24-26 (thematic): Achan’s theft of devoted things brings communal defeat and his execution; parallels Gen 38:10 in divine displeasure leading to death for violating covenantal/communal commands.
- Acts 5:1-11 (thematic): Ananias and Sapphira are struck dead after lying to the Spirit — a New Testament example of immediate divine judgment for moral/religious wrongdoing, echoing the sudden death in Gen 38:10.
- Numbers 15:30-31 (verbal): The law’s language about a 'presumptuous' or 'high-handed' sinner who bears the consequence of death (Num 15:30–31) provides a legal/theological backdrop for episodes like Onan’s—sin provoking direct divine penalty.
Alternative generated candidates
- And what he did was evil in the eyes of the LORD, and He put him to death also.
- What he did was evil in the eyes of the LORD, and he put him to death also.
Gen.38.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- לתמר: PREP+NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
- כלתו: NOUN,f,sg,construct+3,m,sg
- שבי: VERB,qal,imp,2,f,sg
- אלמנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אביך: NOUN,m,sg,suff+2ms
- עד: PREP
- יגדל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- שלה: PRON,poss,3,f,sg
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- כי: CONJ
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- פן: CONJ
- ימות: VERB,qal,juss,3,m,sg
- גם: ADV
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- כאחיו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- ותלך: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- תמר: NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
- ותשב: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אביה: NOUN,m,sg,suff
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 25:5-10 (thematic): Sets out the law of yibbum (levirate marriage). Genesis 38's situation (Judah's promise that Tamar remain in her father's house until Shelah grows up) presupposes this custom and shows Judah frustrating the levirate expectation.
- Genesis 38:6-10 (structural): Immediate narrative background: Judah gives Tamar to his son Er, Er dies, and thus Tamar becomes a childless widow—the circumstances to which v.11 responds.
- Genesis 38:13-26 (verbal): The subsequent episode in the same chapter where Tamar secures offspring by tricking Judah resolves the problem introduced in v.11 and vindicates her claim to continuance of the deceased husband's line.
- Ruth 4:1-12 (thematic): The kinsman-redeemer/kinsman-relation motif: Ruth and Boaz (and the nearer kinsman) address preservation of a deceased man's line and property rights, echoing the underlying social/legal concerns present in Tamar’s case.
- Ruth 1:3-5 (thematic): Parallel situation of widowed daughters-in-law whose husbands die, leaving vulnerable women dependent on family arrangements to secure offspring and inheritance—an analogous social context to Tamar’s waiting and marginalization.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, Remain a widow in your father’s house until Shelah my son grows up—for he thought, Lest he also die like his brothers. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.
- Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, Remain a widow in your father’s house until Shelah my son grows up—for he said, Lest he also die like his brothers. So Tamar went and stayed in her father’s house.
Gen.38.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וירבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- הימים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ותמת: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg
- בת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- שוע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשת: NOUN,f,sg,cns
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- וינחם: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- ויעל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- גזזי: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- צאנו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+SUF,3,m,sg
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- וחירה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רעהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss3ms
- העדלמי: ADJ,m,sg,def
- תמנתה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 38:1 (structural): Introduces the same characters and setting (Judah, Hirah the Adullamite, and the move to Adullam/Timnah), framing the household situation that culminates in v.12.
- Genesis 38:25-26 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: Tamar's later actions and Judah's admission ('She hath been more righteous than I') resolve the episode that begins with Judah's departure and his visit to the sheepshearers.
- Deuteronomy 25:5-10 (thematic): The levirate principle—duty to raise offspring for a deceased brother/husband—provides the legal/social backdrop for Tamar's pursuit of a child for Judah's line.
- Ruth 4:9-13 (thematic): Parallel theme of family redemption and raising up offspring for a deceased man; both narratives concern preserving a household lineage that will enter Israel's ancestry (ultimately linked to David).
- 2 Samuel 13:1-22 (thematic): Another biblical episode involving a woman named Tamar within a family context marked by sexual violation and injustice; highlights recurring concerns about women's vulnerability and family honor in Israelite narratives.
Alternative generated candidates
- And many days passed, and Shua’s daughter, Judah’s wife, died; and Judah was comforted. And he went up to the shearers of his flock, he and Hirah his friend the Adullamite, to Timnah.
- And the days were many, and the daughter of Shua, Judah’s wife, died. And Judah was comforted, and he went up to the shearers of his flock—he and Hirah his friend the Adullamite—to Timnah.
Gen.38.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויגד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- לתמר: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- הנה: PART
- חמיך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2,m,sg
- עלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- תמנתה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לגז: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- צאנו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+SUF,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Gen.38:14 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation — Tamar observes Judah at Timnah and the episode of her disguise and encounter follows directly.
- Judg.14:1-3 (verbal): Same place-name and motif: a man ‘goes down to Timnah’ seeking a woman (Samson), paralleling Judah’s journey to Timnah as the setting for a sexual encounter.
- 1 Sam.25:2-4 (thematic): Reference to a sheep-shearing feast/season as a social setting (Nabal’s shearing), paralleling the sheep-shearers’ occasion that brings Judah to Timnah.
- 2 Sam.13:1-22 (thematic): Tamar as victim of sexual violence within the patriarchal family (Amnon and Tamar) — a later parallel episode of illicit sexual relations and familial scandal involving a woman named Tamar.
Alternative generated candidates
- And it was told to Tamar, saying, Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his flock.
- And it was told to Tamar, saying, Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.
Gen.38.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותסר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בגדי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- אלמנותה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מעליה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- ותכס: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בצעיף: PREP
- ותתעלף: VERB,hitpael,perf,3,f,sg
- ותשב: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בפתח: PREP
- עינים: NOUN,f,du,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- על: PREP
- דרך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תמנתה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- ראתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- כי: CONJ
- גדל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שלה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והוא: CONJ+PRON,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- נתנה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- לאשה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Joshua 2:1 (structural): Rahab, a woman described as a prostitute, sits/operates at the city entrance and encounters a passing Israelite spy — parallels Tamar’s disguise and positioning at the roadside entrance.
- Ruth 3:1-13 (thematic): Ruth takes initiative to secure offspring and a protector/kinsman-redeemer by approaching Boaz at night — thematically akin to Tamar’s action to obtain an heir when Shelah was withheld.
- Deuteronomy 25:5-10 (allusion): The levirate obligation to raise offspring for a deceased brother provides the legal/social background for Tamar’s pursuit of a son for her deceased husband.
- Genesis 24:65 (verbal): Rebekah covers herself with a veil upon seeing Isaac; the veil/covering motif echoes Tamar’s removal of widow’s garments and donning of a veil to alter her status/appearance.
- Proverbs 7:6-23 (thematic): The image of a woman sitting at a corner/pathway to seduce passersby mirrors the motif of a woman positioned by the road to engage a traveling man.
Alternative generated candidates
- And she removed her widow’s garments from upon her, and covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself up, and sat at the entrance of Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah had grown up, and she had not been given to him as a wife.
- And she removed the garments of her widowhood from upon her, and covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself, and sat at the entrance of Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah had grown up, and she had not been given to him as a wife.
Gen.38.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויראה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- ויחשבה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לזונה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- כסתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- פניה: NOUN,f,sg,suff
Parallels
- Gen.38:26 (structural): Immediate literary parallel — Judah’s later recognition that Tamar is more righteous than he (וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוּדָה) directly follows the episode in which he mistakes her for a prostitute and shows the narrative’s reversal of identity and responsibility.
- Gen.24:65 (structural): Veiling/unveiling as socially significant — Rebekah covers herself with a veil when she meets Isaac; here Tamar’s covered face is interpreted by Judah as a sign of a prostitute, showing contrasting cultural meanings of veiling.
- Gen.19:30–38 (thematic): Sexual deception and procreative outcome — Lot’s daughters get their father drunk and conceive sons by deception; like Tamar’s stratagem with Judah, these episodes link illicit/secret sexual acts with the birth of later tribal/ethnic lines.
- 2 Sam.13:12–20 (thematic): Tamar, clothing, and sexual shame — Amnon’s assault of Tamar and the ripping/covering of garments underline how clothing/covering functions in narratives of sexual violation and exposed honour, paralleling Tamar’s use of disguise and the theme of shame.
- Ruth 3:9–13 (thematic): Nocturnal encounter to secure lineage — Ruth’s midnight approach to Boaz at the threshing floor to secure marriage/offspring echoes Tamar’s strategic sexual encounter directed at preserving/establishing a family line.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Judah saw her and thought her to be a prostitute, for she had covered her face.
- When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.
Gen.38.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויט: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- אליה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- אל: NEG
- הדרך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- הבה: PRT
- נא: PART
- אבוא: VERB,qal,impf,1,NA,sg
- אליך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- ידע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- כלתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- מה: PRON,int
- תתן: VERB,qal,imprf,2,_,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- כי: CONJ
- תבוא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 38:14-15 (structural): Immediate context: Tamar disguises herself as a prostitute and first speaks to Judah, setting up the question 'What will you give me…' in verse 16.
- Genesis 38:17-18 (verbal): Direct continuation: Judah responds by giving his signet, cord, and staff as a pledge — the concrete answer to Tamar’s question and the evidence later presented.
- Matthew 1:3 (allusion): New Testament genealogy that includes Tamar (Judah’s daughter‑in‑law) — the story in which this solicitation and its outcome establish Tamar’s place in Israel’s lineage.
- Exodus 22:16-17 (thematic): Law concerning a man who seduces a virgin and the obligation to marry/pay a bride‑price — a legal parallel to the social and marital consequences surrounding illicit sexual relations and pledges in Genesis 38.
- Proverbs 7:13-18 (thematic): Poetic portrayal of a seductress inviting a young man to bed with enticing speech and promises — thematically similar language of seduction and solicitation as in Tamar’s encounter with Judah.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he turned aside to her by the way and said, Come now, let me come in to you—for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, What will you give me, that you may come in to me?
- And he turned aside to her by the roadside and said, Come now, let me come in to you—for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, What will you give me, that you may come in to me?
Gen.38.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- אשלח: VERB,qal,imperf,1,_,sg
- גדי: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- עזים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- מן: PREP
- הצאן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- אם: CONJ
- תתן: VERB,qal,imprf,2,_,sg
- ערבון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עד: PREP
- שלחך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2,m,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 38:18 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same episode: Tamar demands a pledge (signet, cord, staff) as security before Judah sends the kid; shows the concrete items and outcome of the bargain begun in v.17.
- Deuteronomy 25:5-10 (thematic): Levirate marriage law — obligation of a brother-in-law to raise offspring for a deceased brother. Tamar’s actions arise from this levirate context and the failure to fulfill that duty.
- Deuteronomy 24:10-13 (thematic): Regulations about taking and returning pledges for loans (return the pledge before sunset). Connects to the biblical practice and legal meaning of taking a pledge/security as a binding guarantee.
- Exodus 22:26-27 (thematic): Law prohibiting the permanent confiscation of a poor man’s cloak taken as pledge and requiring its timely return. Illustrates biblical concern with the ethics and limits of pledges/security similar to Tamar’s request for a guarantee.
- Ruth 3:9-11 (thematic): Ruth’s plea to Boaz to act as kinsman‑redeemer and Boaz’s willingness to secure her future parallels Tamar’s effort to secure her rights (marriage/offspring) through a personal claim and request for a binding assurance.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he said, I myself will send a young goat from the flock. And she said, If you will give a pledge until you send it.
- He said, I myself will send a young goat from the flock. And she said, Only if you give a pledge until you send it.
Gen.38.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מה: PRON,int
- הערבון: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אתן: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- חתמך: NOUN,m,sg,suff,2,m,sg
- ופתילך: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,suff,2,m,sg
- ומטך: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,suff,2,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- בידך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,suff,2,m,sg
- ויתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- ויבא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אליה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- ותהר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Gen.38:25-26 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: Tamar produces the signet, cord and staff as proof and Judah acknowledges them — the same tokens given in v.18 are revealed and interpret the encounter.
- Ruth 4:7-10 (structural): Uses a physical token (the sandal) in a public/legal transfer concerning marriage/redeeming rights; parallels the use of tangible items as proof of a marital/legal claim.
- Deut.25:5-10 (thematic): Levirate/responsibility to raise offspring for a deceased relative; Tamar’s actions aim to secure offspring and lineage for Judah’s house, engaging the same social obligation motif.
- Gen.24:22,30 (thematic): Abraham’s servant gives Rebekah jewelry as part of a marriage arrangement; parallels the use of personal items/gifts as tokens tied to betrothal, identity and marriage negotiations.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he said, What is the pledge that I shall give you? And she said, Your seal and your cord and your staff that is in your hand. And he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him.
- He said, What is the pledge that I shall give you? She said, Your seal, and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand. And he gave them to her, and came in to her, and she conceived by him.
Gen.38.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותקם: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ותלך: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ותסר: VERB,hif,perf,3,f,sg
- צעיפה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מעליה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- ותלבש: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- בגדי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- אלמנותה: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Gen.38:14 (structural): Immediate parallel in the same episode: Tamar changes garments and uses a veil to present herself differently (disguise as a prostitute/covering), showing the narrative motif of clothing and veiling within this scene.
- Gen.24:65 (verbal): Rebekah 'took a veil and covered herself' when meeting Isaac; both passages use the veil as a social marker of sexual/marital status (modesty/bridal identity) in matrimonial contexts.
- Deut.22:13-21 (thematic): The laws about unveiling a bride and proving virginity treat garments/veiling as public signs of sexual status; thematically related to Tamar’s change of dress to alter how her sexual availability/status is read.
- 2 Sam.13:19 (thematic): David’s daughter Tamar tears her garment and is left 'desolate' after sexual violence; parallels in name and the role of garments as signs of sexual violation, shame, and social status.
- Prov.7:10 (thematic): The figure of the adulterous/harlot is presented through distinctive clothing ('attire of a harlot'), paralleling Tamar’s use of dress/veil to appear as a prostitute—clothing marks sexual role and moral category.
Alternative generated candidates
- And she arose and went, and removed her veil from upon her and put on her widow’s garments.
- Then she rose and went away, and removed her veil from upon her and put on the garments of her widowhood.
Gen.38.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישלח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- את: PRT,acc
- גדי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- העזים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ביד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- רעהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- העדלמי: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לקחת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- הערבון: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מיד: PREP
- האשה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ולא: CONJ
- מצאה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Gen.38:14-18 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel: the episode in which Tamar disguises herself, meets Judah, and receives his pledge (signet, cord, staff) — the material that Judah later sends his attendant to recover.
- Gen.38:25-26 (structural): Direct continuation and resolution of the same scene: Tamar produces the pledge and Judah confesses (acknowledges the items and her righteousness), linking the failed retrieval to the later recognition.
- Deut.25:5-10 (thematic): Levirate/kinsman responsibility theme — the social expectation to provide offspring and preserve lineage, which underlies Tamar’s actions in seeking progeny from Judah’s line.
- Ruth 4:4-10 (thematic): Kin-redeemer and marriage/redemption motif: a relative legally claims a woman/property to secure offspring and inheritance, thematically resonant with Tamar’s pursuit of a child/line for Judah.
- Matt.1:3 (allusion): New Testament allusion: Tamar is explicitly named in Jesus’ genealogy, indicating the significance of her story (and its outcome) in Israel’s ancestral reckoning.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to take the pledge from the woman’s hand; but he did not find her.
- And Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to take the pledge from the woman’s hand; but he did not find her.
Gen.38.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישאל: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- אנשי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- מקמה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- איה: ADV,interr
- הקדשה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- בעינים: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- על: PREP
- הדרך: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- היתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בזה: PREP+DEM
- קדשה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Gen.38:14-18 (structural): Immediate context: the episode in which Tamar, disguised as a prostitute, meets Judah on the road and is paid; vv.21–26 continue and resolve this encounter.
- Ruth 3:7-13 (thematic): Both narratives feature a vulnerable widow/woman who takes initiative at night to secure offspring/marriage from a male relative or kinsman-redeemer, using a private nocturnal encounter to force a public resolution.
- 2 Sam.13:1-14 (thematic): The story of Amnon and Tamar parallels themes of sexual deception, a woman exposed and shamed, and the failure of male protectors—highlighting social responses to sexual encounters and their consequences.
- Deut.22:23-29 (thematic): Legal distinctions and social sanctions governing sexual intercourse, rape, and prostitution: this law clarifies how communities were to judge sexual acts depending on location and consent—issues central to the Tamar episode where identity and consent are disputed.
- Judg.19:22-30 (thematic): A violent episode in which townsmen abuse a woman and the community's conduct toward a female outsider exposes communal complicity and the vulnerability of women in public/roadside settings, resonating with Tamar’s exposure and the town's initial denials.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he asked the men of her place, saying, Where is the cult-prostitute, she who was at Enaim by the way? And they said, There has been no cult-prostitute here.
- And he asked the men of her place, saying, Where is the cult prostitute, she who was at Enaim by the roadside? And they said, There has not been a cult prostitute here.
Gen.38.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- מצאתיה: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- וגם: CONJ
- אנשי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- המקום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אמרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- היתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בזה: PREP+DEM,ms,sg
- קדשה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Gen.38:15-18 (verbal): Same episode — Tamar disguises herself as a prostitute and Judah sleeps with her; the language of a 'harlot' and the encounter that led to the later denial and claims by the men of the place is directly connected.
- Gen.38:25-26 (structural): Immediate resolution of the incident — Judah's eventual recognition and admission that Tamar was more righteous than he, overturning the earlier report that 'there was no harlot there.'
- Gen.39:14-20 (thematic): Potiphar's wife falsely accuses Joseph of sexual misconduct; parallels the motif of sexual accusation, witness testimony, and repercussions within a community or household.
- Deut.19:15-18 (thematic): Legal principle about the necessity of multiple witnesses and procedures for judging accusations and false testimony — relates to the role of 'the men of the place' and communal testimony in Genesis 38:22.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he returned to Judah and said, I did not find her; and also the men of the place said, There has been no cult-prostitute here.
- So he returned to Judah and said, I did not find her; moreover, the men of the place said, There has not been a cult prostitute here.
Gen.38.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- תקח: VERB,qal,imperfect,2,m,sg
- לה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- פן: CONJ
- נהיה: VERB,niphal,impf,1,pl
- לבוז: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הנה: PART
- שלחתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,?,sg
- הגדי: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- ואתה: CONJ+PRON,2,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- מצאתה: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg+OBJ,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 22:23-24 (structural): Law prescribing public execution for a betrothed woman found in sexual intercourse — parallels the crowd’s demand (and Judah’s order) that Tamar be put to death for alleged sexual misconduct.
- Leviticus 20:10 (structural): Prescribes death for adultery (both parties) — provides the legal/penal background for the severity of the response toward Tamar in Gen 38:23.
- Genesis 38:25-26 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: Tamar produces Judah’s pledge (the kid’s signet/cord/staff) and Judah reverses his judgment — directly completes and reframes the action in v.23.
- 2 Samuel 12:1-14 (thematic): Nathan’s parable exposes David’s wrongdoing and brings about a confession and reversed self-judgment — thematically akin to Judah’s precipitous condemnation in v.23 and his subsequent recognition/confession when confronted with evidence.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Judah said, Let her take them for herself, lest we become a laughingstock. See, I sent this young goat, and you did not find her.
- And Judah said, Let her keep them for herself, lest we become a laughingstock. Look, I sent this young goat, and you did not find her.
Gen.38.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- כמשלש: PREP+NUM,card,m,sg
- חדשים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויגד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- ליהודה: PREP+PN,masc,sg
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- זנתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- תמר: NOUN,prop,f,sg
- כלתך: NOUN,f,sg,abs+2ms
- וגם: CONJ
- הנה: PART
- הרה: ADJ,f,sg
- לזנונים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- הוציאוה: VERB,hif,impv,2,pl,3,f,sg
- ותשרף: VERB,nip,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 22:23-24 (thematic): Law prescribing death for a betrothed woman found with another man (stoning); provides the legal/penal background that echoes Judah’s command to have Tamar executed for alleged sexual misconduct.
- Leviticus 20:10 (thematic): Prescribes death for adultery between a married man and woman; furnishes broader legal context for the severity of Judah’s reaction to Tamar’s supposed immorality.
- Genesis 39:7-20 (thematic): Narrative parallel of a sexual accusation within a household (Potiphar’s wife and Joseph): both episodes involve sexual misconduct/accusation and threatened punishment, including the dynamics of power and reputation.
- 2 Samuel 13:1-14 (thematic): Amnon’s sexual violation of Tamar (David’s daughter) creates family rupture and highlights themes of sexual violence, honor, and intra-family consequences; shares the name Tamar and the motif of sexual transgression within a kinship context.
- Genesis 38:26 (structural): Immediate narrative follow-up: Judah reverses course after Tamar produces evidence and acknowledges her righteousness — direct narrative counterpart to his earlier call to burn her in 38:24.
Alternative generated candidates
- And it happened, about three months later, that it was told to Judah, saying, Tamar your daughter-in-law has acted as a prostitute; moreover, she is pregnant by prostitution. And Judah said, Bring her out, and let her be burned.
- And it happened, about three months later, that it was told to Judah, saying, Tamar your daughter-in-law has prostituted herself; moreover, look, she is pregnant by prostitution. And Judah said, Bring her out, and let her be burned.
Gen.38.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- מוצאת: VERB,qal,ptc,3,f,sg
- והיא: CONJ+PRON,3,f,sg
- שלחה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- אל: NEG
- חמיה: NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss:3,f
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- לאיש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- הרה: ADJ,f,sg
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- הכר: VERB,hiphil,impv,2,m,sg
- נא: PART
- למי: PREP,interr
- החתמת: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והפתילים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- והמטה: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- האלה: DEM,pl
Parallels
- Gen.38:18 (verbal): The immediate antecedent: Judah gives Tamar his seal, cord and staff as a pledge — the very objects Tamar later produces (v.25) to identify the father of her child.
- Gen.38:26 (structural): Narrative resolution: after seeing the tokens Tamar sent, Judah acknowledges her righteousness — v.25 and v.26 form a unit showing recognition and confession prompted by the tokens.
- Gen.41:42 (verbal): Pharaoh gives Joseph his signet ring, robes and staff as marks of authority. Parallels the use of a signet/insignia (seal, staff) as proof of identity and authority in Genesis 38.
- Ruth 4:7-10 (structural): Use of a physical object as a legal token to transfer or establish rights (the removing/handing of a shoe) parallels Tamar’s use of Judah’s tokens as legal/identifying evidence.
- Matt.1:3 (allusion): Tamar is named in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus (via Perez), linking her episode (including v.25’s establishment of paternity) to the broader theme of lineage and covenantal descent.
Alternative generated candidates
- As she was being brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, By the man to whom these belong I am pregnant. And she said, Please recognize whose are this seal and the cords and the staff.
- She was being brought out when she sent to her father-in-law, saying, By the man to whom these belong I am pregnant. And she said, Please recognize, whose are these—the seal, and the cord, and the staff.
Gen.38.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויכר: VERB,qal,ipf,3,m,sg
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- צדקה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ממני: PREP,suff,1,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- על: PREP
- כן: ADV
- לא: PART_NEG
- נתתיה: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- לשלה: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ולא: CONJ
- יסף: VERB,qal,juss,3,m,sg
- עוד: ADV
- לדעתה: INF,qal+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 38:25 (structural): Immediate narrative antecedent: Tamar reveals Judah's signet, cord, and staff, proving he fathered her children and prompting his admission, 'She is more righteous than I.'
- Genesis 38:11 (structural): Earlier action that explains Judah's confession: he withheld his son Shelah from Tamar, saying she should remain a widow, which is the wrongdoing he later admits.
- Deuteronomy 25:5-10 (thematic): The levirate/kinsman-redeemer duty to raise offspring for a deceased brother underlies Tamar's claim and Judah's culpability for failing to provide Shelah as a husband.
- Matthew 1:3 (allusion): New Testament genealogy explicitly records Tamar (and her sons Perez and Zerah), recalling her vindication in Genesis and its significance for Israel's lineage.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Judah recognized them and said, She is more in the right than I, because I did not give her to my son Shelah. And he did not know her again.
- And Judah recognized them and said, She is more in the right than I, for this reason: that I did not give her to Shelah my son. And he did not again know her.
Gen.38.27 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- בעת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לדתה: VERB,qal,inf,3,f,sg
- והנה: ADV
- תאומים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בבטנה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs,3,f,suf
Parallels
- Gen.25:24-26 (verbal): Nearly identical birth formula — “when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb” — and a twin birth narrative (Esau and Jacob) with attention to birth order.
- Gen.25:22 (thematic): Prenatal struggle motif: “the children struggled together within her,” which foreshadows contested birth-rights and sibling rivalry later exemplified by twins like Perez and Zerah.
- Gen.38:29-30 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same episode: names and birth-order reversal (Zerah and Perez) are narrated here, showing the outcome of the twin birth referenced in v.27.
- Matt.1:3 (allusion): Perez appears in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus — an allusion to the Perez of this twin birth, linking Tamar’s offspring to the messianic line.
- Rom.9:10-13 (allusion): Paul cites the twin birth of Jacob and Esau (“not yet born... Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated”) as a theological precedent for divine election — thematically related to twin-born dynamics and God’s purposes evident in such births.
Alternative generated candidates
- And it happened at the time of her labor that, behold, twins were in her womb.
- And it happened at the time of her giving birth that, look, twins were in her womb.
Gen.38.28 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- בלדתה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,f,sg
- ויתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ותקח: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- המילדת: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ותקשר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg
- על: PREP
- ידו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- שני: NUM,m,pl,construct
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- יצא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ראשנה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Gen.38:29 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: the second twin pulls back, the midwife names the twins Perez and Zerah — directly completes the birth account begun in 38:28.
- Gen.25:22-23 (thematic): Earlier twin birth to Rebekah: in utero struggle and the oracle that ‘the elder shall serve the younger’ — parallels the motif of twins and rivalry/primogeniture in Judah’s line.
- Rom.9:10-13 (allusion): Paul cites the Jacob–Esau twin story (‘the elder shall serve the younger’/‘I loved Jacob, I hated Esau’) to discuss divine election — echoes the theological significance of birth order displayed in Genesis twins (including Perez and Zerah).
- Deut.21:15-17 (thematic): Law concerning the rights of the firstborn (double portion and succession) — relates to the significance attached to being born first (as marked by the midwife’s scarlet thread) and the narrative tension when birth order is contested or reversed.
Alternative generated candidates
- And it happened, when she was giving birth, that one put out a hand; and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, This one came out first.
- And it happened, as she gave birth, that one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, This one came out first.
Gen.38.29 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- כמשיב: VERB,qal,part,3,m,sg
- ידו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- והנה: ADV
- יצא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- מה: PRON,int
- פרצת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- עליך: PREP+2ms
- פרץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויקרא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- פרץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Gen.38:30 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same birth narrative — records the scarlet thread on Zerah and establishes the birth-order contrast with Peretz (Perez).
- 1 Chronicles 2:4–5 (structural): Chronicles retells the Judah–Tamar episode and lists Peretz (Perez) and Zerah among Judah’s descendants, echoing the names and their genealogical significance.
- Ruth 4:18–22 (structural): Genealogical summary that traces David’s ancestry through Peretz, linking Perez’s birth in Genesis 38 to the Davidic line.
- Matthew 1:3 (verbal): Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus explicitly names 'Perez' (Phares in some manuscripts), citing Perez as an ancestor and echoing the Genesis name.
- Luke 3:33 (verbal): Luke’s genealogical list likewise includes 'Perez' (Phares), preserving the name and its place in the ancestral line leading to Jesus.
Alternative generated candidates
- And it happened, as he drew back his hand, that behold, his brother came out; and she said, What a breach you have made for yourself! So his name was called Perez.
- But as he drew back his hand, look, his brother came out; and she said, What a breach you have made for yourself! So he called his name Perez.
Gen.38.30 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואחר: CONJ
- יצא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- על: PREP
- ידו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- השני: ADJ,m,sg,def
- ויקרא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- זרח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 38:29 (verbal): Immediate parallel in the same birth narrative: verse 29 records Perez emerging first (named פֶּרֶץ), directly connected to Zerah’s subsequent birth in 38:30.
- Genesis 25:23 (thematic): God’s prophecy to Rebekah that 'the older shall serve the younger' foreshadows the reversal of birth order here, where the younger (Perez) precedes and supersedes the firstborn (Zerah).
- 1 Chronicles 2:4-5 (quotation): Later genealogical retelling repeats the Tamar–Perez–Zerah birth account, explicitly naming Perez and Zerah as Judah’s sons and linking the event into Israel’s genealogies.
- Ruth 4:18-22 (allusion): The genealogy in Ruth traces David’s ancestry back through Perez (son of Tamar), implicitly connecting to the twin birth of Perez and Zerah and showing the long-term significance of that birth.
- Matthew 1:3 (verbal): The Matthean genealogy in the New Testament explicitly lists 'Judah the father of Perez and Zerah,' quoting the Genesis tradition and incorporating these names into Jesus’ ancestral line.
Alternative generated candidates
- And afterward his brother came out, he on whose hand was the scarlet thread; and his name was called Zerah.
- Afterward his brother came out, on whose hand was the scarlet thread; and he called his name Zerah.
And it happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to an Adullamite man, and his name was Hirah.
There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man, whose name was Shua; he took her and went in to her.
She conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er.
She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan.
She added still and bore a son, and she called his name Shelah; and it was at Chezib that she bore him.
Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the eyes of the LORD, and the LORD put him to death.
Then Judah said to Onan, Go in to your brother’s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother. But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; and whenever he went in to his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground so as not to give offspring to his brother.
What he did was evil in the eyes of the LORD, and he put him to death also.
Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, Stay a widow in your father’s house until Shelah my son grows up—for he thought, Lest he also die like his brothers. So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.
After many days, Shua’s daughter, Judah’s wife, died. Judah was comforted, and he went up to the shearers of his flock—he and Hirah his friend the Adullamite—to Timnah. And it was told to Tamar, saying, Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his flock. So she removed the garments of her widowhood from herself, covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself, and sat at the entrance of Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah had grown up, and she had not been given to him as a wife.
When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a prostitute, for she had covered her face. So he turned aside to her by the road and said, Please, let me come in to you—for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, What will you give me, that you may come in to me?
He said, I will send a young goat from the flock. She said, Only if you give me a pledge until you send it.
He said, What is the pledge that I shall give you? She said, Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand. So he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him.
Then she arose and went away; she removed her veil from herself and put on the garments of her widowhood.
Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to take the pledge from the woman’s hand; but he did not find her.
He asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the cult prostitute who was at Enaim by the road? And they said, There has been no cult prostitute here. So he returned to Judah and said, I did not find her; and moreover the men of the place said, There has been no cult prostitute here.
Judah said, Let her keep them for herself, lest we become a laughingstock. Look, I sent this young goat, and you did not find her. And it happened, about three months later, that it was told to Judah, saying, Tamar your daughter-in-law has prostituted herself, and moreover, she is pregnant by prostitution. Judah said, Bring her out, and let her be burned.
As she was being brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, By the man to whom these belong I am pregnant. And she said, Please recognize whose are the signet and the cords and the staff.
Judah recognized them and said, She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to Shelah my son. And he did not come in to her again. And it happened, at the time she gave birth, that look—twins were in her womb. And it happened, as she gave birth, that one put out a hand; and the midwife took it and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, This one came out first. But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out; and she said, What a breach you have made for yourself! So he called his name Perez.
Afterward his brother came out, he on whose hand was the scarlet thread; and he called his name Zerah.