Genesis 38:12-19
New English Translation
12 After some time[a] Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah was consoled, he left for Timnah to visit his sheepshearers, along with[b] his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 13 Tamar was told,[c] “Look, your father-in-law is going up[d] to Timnah to shear his sheep.” 14 So she removed her widow’s clothes and covered herself with a veil. She wrapped herself and sat at the entrance to Enaim which is on the way to Timnah. (She did this because[e] she saw that she had not been given to Shelah as a wife, even though he had now grown up.)[f]
15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute[g] because she had covered her face. 16 He turned aside to her along the road and said, “Come, please, I want to sleep with you.”[h] (He did not realize it was his daughter-in-law.) She asked, “What will you give me so that you may sleep with me?” 17 He replied, “I’ll send you a young goat from the flock.” She asked, “Will you give me a pledge until you send it?”[i] 18 He said, “What pledge should I give you?” She replied, “Your seal, your cord, and the staff that’s in your hand.” So he gave them to her, then slept with her,[j] and she became pregnant by him. 19 She left immediately,[k] removed her veil, and put on her widow’s clothes.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Genesis 38:12 sn After some time. There is not enough information in the narrative to know how long this was. The text says “the days increased.” It was long enough for Shelah to mature and for Tamar to realize she would not have him.
- Genesis 38:12 tn Heb “and he went up to the shearers of his sheep, he and.”
- Genesis 38:13 tn Heb “And it was told to Tamar, saying.”
- Genesis 38:13 tn The active participle indicates the action was in progress or about to begin.
- Genesis 38:14 tn The Hebrew text simply has “because,” connecting this sentence to what precedes. For stylistic reasons the words “she did this” are supplied in the translation and a new sentence begun.
- Genesis 38:14 tn Heb “she saw that Shelah had grown up, but she was not given to him as a wife.”
- Genesis 38:15 tn Heb “he reckoned her for a prostitute,” which was what Tamar had intended for him to do. She obviously had some idea of his inclinations, or she would not have tried this risky plan.
- Genesis 38:16 tn Heb “I want to approach.” The verb בּוֹא (boʾ) with the preposition אֶל (ʾel) means “come to” or “approach,” but is also used as a euphemism for sexual relations. The imperfect verbal form is probably modal and indicates his desire.
- Genesis 38:17 tn Heb “until you send.”
- Genesis 38:18 tn Heb “approached.” See note at v. 16.
- Genesis 38:19 tn Heb “and she arose and left,” the first verb in the pair emphasizing that she wasted no time.
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