Keraia
Genesis 38

Genesis 38:20

Judah and Tamar · Genesis 38:1–26
Read Genesis 38

Translations

Modern
Now when Judah sent his friend Hirah the Adullamite with the young goat to collect the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her.
Traditional
And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand: but he found her not.
Literal
And Judah sent the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend, the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the hand of the woman, and he did not find her.
Latin
Misit autem Judas hædum per pastorem suum Odollamitem, ut reciperet pignus quod dederat mulieri: qui cum non invenisset eam,

Original

Hebrew
English
Now when Judah sent his friend Hirah the Adullamite with the young goat to collect the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her.

Notes

Genesis 38:20–23

Judah had gone to Tamar as a regular prostitute (Hebrew zonah, 38:15), whereas Hirah was mistakenly looking for a shrine prostitute (Hebrew qedeshah), of which there were none.

Genesis 38:1–30

The story of Judah and Tamar is a carefully placed break in the larger story. It shows what was happening in Judah’s family. Judah would later become an important leader. The story also shows the early stages of the family mixing with the people of the land. This helps explain why God sent the family to Egypt (chapters 39–47).

The Egyptians kept themselves separate from other peoples (43:32). Because of that, the Israelites were more likely to keep their own identity in Egypt than in Canaan.

Theme notes and profiles

Egypt Judah Human Sexuality Symbolic Numbers

Parallels

1 Chronicles 2:3–4

People

Judah: Israelite tribe, kingdom, and province

Places

Adullam: A Canaanite city, later fortified by Judah

Glossary

Adullam, Adullamite Bible, Manuscripts and Text of the (New Testament) Genesis, Book of Hirah Jacob Judah (Person) Patriarchs, Period of the Tamar (Person)

Topics

Adultery: Judah Judah: Son of Jacob: His Incest with his Daughter-In-Law Pledge: General Scriptures Concerning Tamar: Wife of the Sons of Judah Women: Tamar, in Her Adultery