Genesis 38:12

12 Some years later Judah’s wife died. After the time of mourning was over, Judah and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to Timnah to supervise the shearing of his sheep.

Genesis 38:12 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 38:12

And in process of time the daughter of Shuah, Judah's wife,
died
Shuah was his wife's father, who was a Canaanite, ( Genesis 38:2 ) ; what her name was is not certain, nor the exact time of her death; it was some time after Tamar was sent home to her father's house; and some take the death of Judah's wife to be a correction and reproof to him for his ill usage of his daughter-in-law, in neglecting to give her to his son, or not designing to do it at all: and Judah was comforted:
he mourned awhile for the death of his wife, according to the custom of the country, and of those times, and then he laid aside the tokens of it, and his sorrow wore off, and he appeared in company and conversed with his friends: and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath;
a city in the tribe of Judah, ( Joshua 15:57 ) , said ^F19 to be six miles from Adullam, where Judah lived; here he had his flocks of sheep, at least this was judged a proper place for the shearing and washing of them, and this time of the year a proper time for it, at which it was usual to have a feast; and Judah went up to his shearers, not only to see how they went on with their work, but with this view to make an entertainment for them, see ( 1 Samuel 25:3 1 Samuel 25:4 1 Samuel 25:36 ) : he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite;
he took him along with him for a companion, and to partake of the entertainment.

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FOOTNOTES:

F19 Bunting's Travels, p. 78.

Genesis 38:12 In-Context

10 But the LORD considered it evil for Onan to deny a child to his dead brother. So the LORD took Onan’s life, too.

11 Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, “Go back to your parents’ home and remain a widow until my son Shelah is old enough to marry you.” (But Judah didn’t really intend to do this because he was afraid Shelah would also die, like his two brothers.) So Tamar went back to live in her father’s home.

12 Some years later Judah’s wife died. After the time of mourning was over, Judah and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to Timnah to supervise the shearing of his sheep.

13 Someone told Tamar, “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”

14 Tamar was aware that Shelah had grown up, but no arrangements had been made for her to come and marry him. So she changed out of her widow’s clothing and covered herself with a veil to disguise herself. Then she sat beside the road at the entrance to the village of Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah.