Genesis · WEB
Genesis
38
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Genesis is not in WEB-C, so this chapter is shown from WEB (World English Bible (Protestant canon)).
At that time, Judah went down from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. See also: 2 Kings 4:81 Samuel 22:1Micah 1:15There, Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite man named Shua. He took her, and went in to her. See also: 1 Chronicles 2:3Genesis 24:32 Corinthians 6:14She conceived, and bore a son; and he named him Er. See also: Numbers 26:19Genesis 46:12She conceived again, and bore a son; and she named him Onan. See also: Genesis 46:12Numbers 26:19She yet again bore a son, and named him Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him. See also: Numbers 26:20Genesis 38:11Genesis 46:12Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. See also: Genesis 21:21Genesis 24:3Matthew 1:3Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the LORD’s sight. So the LORD killed him. See also: 1 Chronicles 2:3Genesis 46:12Numbers 26:19Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” See also: Deuteronomy 25:5-10Matthew 22:23-27Ruth 4:5-11Onan knew that the offspring wouldn’t be his; and when he went in to his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother. See also: Deuteronomy 25:6James 3:16James 4:5The thing which he did was evil in the LORD’s sight, and he killed him also. See also: Genesis 46:12Numbers 11:11 Chronicles 21:7Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house, until Shelah, my son, is grown up;” for he said, “Lest he also die, like his brothers.” Tamar went and lived in her father’s house. See also: Leviticus 22:13Ruth 1:11-13After many days, Shua’s daughter, the wife of Judah, died. Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheep shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah, the Adullamite. See also: Joshua 15:102 Samuel 13:39Judges 14:1Tamar was told, “Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” She took off the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gate of Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she wasn’t given to him as a wife. See also: Genesis 38:26Proverbs 7:12Genesis 24:65When Judah saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. He turned to her by the way, and said, “Please come, let me come in to you,” for he didn’t know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?” See also: 1 Timothy 6:102 Samuel 13:11Matthew 26:15He said, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” She said, “Will you give me a pledge, until you send it?” See also: Genesis 38:20Ezekiel 16:33Proverbs 20:16He said, “What pledge will I give you?” She said, “Your signet and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” He gave them to her, and came in to her, and she conceived by him. See also: Genesis 38:25-26Hosea 4:11Jeremiah 22:24She arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood. See also: Genesis 38:142 Samuel 14:22 Samuel 14:5Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend, the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand, but he didn’t find her. See also: 2 Samuel 13:3Judges 14:20Luke 23:12Then he asked the men of her place, saying, “Where is the prostitute, that was at Enaim by the road?” They said, “There has been no prostitute here.” He returned to Judah, and said, “I haven’t found her; and also the men of the place said, ‘There has been no prostitute here.’” Judah said, “Let her keep it, lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this young goat, and you haven’t found her.” See also: 2 Samuel 12:9Revelation 16:15Proverbs 6:33About three months later, Judah was told, “Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has played the prostitute. Moreover, behold, she is with child by prostitution.” Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.” See also: Leviticus 21:9Ezekiel 23:44Hosea 2:5When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “I am with child by the man who owns these.” She also said, “Please discern whose these are—the signet, and the cords, and the staff.” See also: Genesis 37:32Psalms 50:21Genesis 38:18Judah acknowledged them, and said, “She is more righteous than I, because I didn’t give her to Shelah, my son.” He knew her again no more. See also: 1 Samuel 24:171 Peter 4:2-3Titus 2:11-12In the time of her travail, behold, twins were in her womb. See also: Genesis 25:24When she travailed, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This came out first.” As he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out, and she said, “Why have you made a breach for yourself?” Therefore his name was called Perez. See also: Genesis 46:121 Chronicles 2:4Numbers 26:20Afterward his brother came out, who had the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah. See also: 1 Chronicles 9:6Matthew 1:31 Chronicles 2:4
See also: Cross references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), derived in part from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
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Notes · Haydock (1859, public domain)14 notes
Notes in English 19th-century Catholic commentary by Fr. George Leo Haydock, shown as published.
These notes keep the polemics of their time: some speak harshly of the Jewish people or of other Christians. The Church teaches otherwise today. The Jewish people may not be blamed for the death of Christ (Nostra Aetate 4; Catechism 597–598), and Christians of other communities are our brothers and sisters in the Lord (Unitatis Redintegratio 3). Christian unity
Genesis 38:1
Ver. 1. At that time Juda, twenty years old, marries the daughter of Sue, and has three sons by her during the three following years. The first takes Thamar to wife, when he was seventeen. Onan marries her the next year; after which she remains a widow about three years, when she bears twins to Juda. Phares goes down with him into Egypt, and has children there during Jacob's life. On this account, they are numbered among those who went down with Jacob, (C. xlvi. 12.) as the children of Benjamin seem to be likewise. Thus all these events might happen during the twenty-three years that Jacob dwelt in Chanaan, and the seventeen that he sojourned in Egypt. Some have thought the time too short, and have concluded that Juda had been married long before Joseph's slavery. He was, however, only four years older. C.
↑ 1Genesis 38:5
Ver. 5. Sela. Juda gave the name of Her to his first-born, as the Heb. shews. His wife gave names to the two latter. --- Ceased; Heb. casbi: "she died in bearing him," as Aquila has it. Most commentators take the word for the name of a place mentioned, Jos. xv. 44. "He (Juda) was at Casbi when she bare him."
↑ 5Genesis 38:7
Ver. 7. Wicked; without shame or remorse, sinning against nature, in order, if we may believe the Jews, that the beauty of his wife might not be impaired by having children. Onan was actuated by envy. M.
↑ 7Genesis 38:8
Ver. 8. Wife. This was then customary among the Chanaanites, as Philo insinuates. It also continued to be practiced in Egypt, till the year of Christ 491 at least, when the marriage had not been consummated. Moses established it as a law, when no issue had sprung from the deceased brother. C. Deut. xxv. 5.
The eldest son bore his name; the rest were called after their own father. This law is now abrogated; and the prohibition, which has been issued by the Church, can be dispensed with only by herself, (W.) as was the case in the marriage of Henry VIII. with Catherine, the virgin relict of his brother Arthur. H.
↑ 8Genesis 38:10
Ver. 10. Slew him, perhaps by the hand of evil angels, Ps.
lxxvi . 49. Asmodeus, &c. who slew the libidinous husbands of Sara. Tob. i i. 7. M. --- If an exemplary vengeance were oftener taken of the perpetrators of such a detestable thing, this abominable and unnatural vice would sooner perhaps be eradicated. H.
↑ 10Genesis 38:11
Ver. 11. Till. Juda had no design to give her to Sela, as the custom of that age required. C. --- She waited patiently for a time; when, perceiving that she was neglected, she devised a wicked scheme to punish Juda, even at the hazard of her own life. H.
↑ 11Genesis 38:14
Ver. 14. Veil; (theristrum) a long robe, covering the whole body, except the eyes. Thus she was disguised; or, as it were, masked, as Aquila translates. Harlots herein imitated modest women, chap. xxiv. 65. --- Cross way. Heb. Henayim, which the Sept. and Syr. take for a proper name. Others translate "at the gate of the eyes," which means two roads, where a person must open his eyes to judge which is the right one---or "at the gate of the two fountains leading to Thamnas." Jud. xiv. 1.
Prostitutes formerly infested the high roads. Jer. iii. 2. Ezec.
xvi. 25. Chrysippus says, "at first harlots remained out of the city, and covered their faces; but afterwards growing more hardened, they laid aside the mask," &c.
↑ 14Genesis 38:18
Ver. 18. Staff. These were all marks of dignity. "Kings made use of spears, or sceptres, before they wore a diadem."
Trogus. 43. C. --- Juda might blame himself for exposing these valuable things, and divesting himself of all his dignity, to gratify his unjustifiable passion. If some have excused both the parties concerned, the Scripture at least sufficiently shews in what light we ought to consider their conduct. Juda himself thought her worthy of death; though in some sense, she was juster than himself, v. 24. 26. H. --- She was guilty of a sort of adultery, being engaged to Sela; and also of incest, &c.; whereas the fault of Juda, through ignorance of her person, was simply fornication; which is, however, always contrary to the law of nature, as the pagans themselves confessed. Grot.
in Matt. v. C. --- From Christ's choosing to be born of such progenitors, we may learn to adore his humility and tender regard for sinners. H.
↑ 18Genesis 38:21
Ver. 21. Harlot. Heb. Kedesha a person consecrated to good or evil. Many nations esteemed prostitution, in honour of Venus, as a laudable action. 2 K. xvii. 30. C.
↑ 21Genesis 38:23
Ver. 23. A lie. Heb. "lest we be exposed to shame," by making any farther search. M.
↑ 23Genesis 38:25
Ver. 25. Execution. The Rabbin say she was to be marked with a hot iron. If she was to die, before she was delivered, God prevented the cruel sentence from taking effect. H. --- Many nations have punished adultery with fire. Macrinus, the Roman emperor, ordered the culprits to be tied together and thrown into the flames. Capitolin. --- Moses commanded the daughters of priests, who should be detected in this crime, to be given to the flames, (Lev. xxi. 9,) and others to be stoned; (Lev. xx. 10,) whence the Rabbin have concluded, that Thamar was a priest's daughter. C.
↑ 25Genesis 38:26
Ver. 26. Juster. For Juda had been guilty of injustice; and had thus exposed her to the danger of following a life of lewdness.
H. --- She remained a widow afterwards, as she was now rendered unfit to be married either to Juda or Sela. The latter married another woman. Num. xxvi. 19. C. --- While Juda was engaged in this unlawful commerce, and yielded to the temptation, Joseph was triumphing over a much greater temptation, in rejecting the solicitations of his master's wife. H.
↑ 26Genesis 38:29
Ver. 29. Partition; the secundinæ. The midwife was apprehensive of danger. M. --- Phares. That is, a breach or division. Ch.
↑ 29Genesis 38:30
Ver. 30. Zara. "Orient, or rising;" in whose hand the red ribband denoted, that the blood of Christ is the source of all our merits and happiness. These two brothers were a type of the vocation of the Gentiles, and of the reprobation of the Jews, who lost the privileges to which they thought themselves entitled. S.
Iren. iv. 42. S. Chrys. &c. C. --- Phares was the ancestor of Jesus Christ. S. Matt. i. 3.
↑ 30License: Notes by Fr. George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), from the Douay-Rheims Bible with Haydock's commentary (first ed. Thomas Haydock, Manchester/Dublin, 1811–1814; New York: Edward Dunigan & Brother, 1859); New Testament notes compiled with Fr. Benedict Rayment. Public domain. Digital text: "The Haydock Bible", Internet Archive (archive.org/details/TheHaydockBible), uploaded 2011 under the Public Domain Mark. · Credits and licenses