Genesis 38:1-6

Judah and Tamar

1 It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and ¹turned aside to a certain ²Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

2 There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was ³Shua. He took her and went in to her,

3 and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name ⁴Er.

4 She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name ⁵Onan.

5 Yet again she bore a son, and she called his name ⁶Shelah. Judah^[a] was in Chezib when she bore him.

6 And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

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Genesis 38:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 38

This chapter is wholly taken up with matters relating to Judah, the fourth son of Jacob, from whom the Jews have their name, and from whom Christ sprung: it treats of his marriage with a Canaanitess, his children by her, their character and end, Ge 38:1-11; of his incest with his daughter-in-law, though unknown by him, Ge 38:12-23; of his resentment against her, when he heard she was with child, and his confusion when he found it was by himself, Ge 38:24-26; and of the birth of twins by her, named Pharez and Zarah, Ge 38:27-30.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 6

1. ver. 16; Genesis 19:3; 2 Kings 4:8
2. 1 Samuel 22:1; 2 Samuel 23:13; 1 Chronicles 11:15; Micah 1:15
3. [1 Chronicles 2:3]
4. Genesis 46:12; Numbers 26:19, 20
5. [See ver. 3 above]
6. [See ver. 3 above]

Footnotes 1

[a]. Hebrew He

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.