Genesis 38:5

5 And she childed the third son, whom she called Shelah, and when he was born, she ceased to bear child more (she ceased to bear any more children). (And she bare her third son, whom she called Shelah, when she was at Chezib.)

Genesis 38:5 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 38:5

And she conceived, and bare a son
A third son: and called his name Shelah;
which signifies tranquil, quiet, peaceable and prosperous, and is a word that comes from the same root as Shiloh, that famous son of Judah that should spring from him, ( Genesis 49:10 ) the reason of the name, as given by the Targum, is,

``because her husband forgot her:''
and she was at Chezib when she bare him;
Chezib is the name of a place, by some taken to be the same with Achzib or Ecdippe, now Zib, see ( Micah 1:14 ) ; it seems to be a city in the tribe of Judah; and Jerom says, in his time there was a desert place of this name near Adullam, on the borders of Eleutheropolis; the reason of her being here at the time of her delivery, and of this circumstance being related, is not certain.

FOOTNOTES:

F14 De loc. Heb. fol. 90. E.

Genesis 38:5 In-Context

3 and she conceived, and childed a son, and (he) called his name Er.
4 And again when another child was conceived, she named the child (that was) born, Onan.
5 And she childed the third son, whom she called Shelah, and when he was born, she ceased to bear child more (she ceased to bear any more children). (And she bare her third son, whom she called Shelah, when she was at Chezib.)
6 Soothly Judah gave a wife, that was called Tamar, to his first begotten son Er.
7 And Er, the first begotten son of Judah, was wayward in the sight of the Lord, and therefore he was slain of the Lord (and so the Lord killed him).
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.