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Genesis 38
1 And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren (i.e. he left them), and turned in to a certain Adullamite (= justice of the people), whose name was Hirah (= splendor).
2 And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah (= wealth); and he took her, and went in unto her.
Perhaps hanging around the Hivites he and his brothers had taken captive, back in chapter 34, is the reason we will see his moral decline in this chapter. Ultimately though, it's due to not walking close with GOD.
3 And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er (= watchful).
Remember CHRIST is to come through Judah, and here he has taken a wife who is a Canaanite and remember the Canaanite's are mixed in with the nephilim (satan's fallen ones) and kenites (his offspring). What he's done is just as bad as what Esau did. Below, we'll see how GOD intervenes.
4 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan (= strong).
5 And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah (= a petition): and he was at Chezib (= lying), when she bare him.
6 And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar (= palm tree).
Note that Tamar was of the Adamic race but here Judah has set her up to his Canaanite son, which is forbidden. Again, the Adamic race was to be pure and here Judah's done messed up again.
7 And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.
Remember, the Canaanites were a race of evil people, hence they were a race intermixed with the nephilim and kenites. As we can see, GOD is removing the evil, along with protecting the seedline in which HE is to come through, as again, this lineage had to be pure or else we would not have Salvation today because CHRIST could not have come if HIS lineage had been corrupted. See also: Genesis 1, Genesis 2, Genesis 3, Genesis 4, Genesis 5, Genesis 6.
8 And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother (Compare to Deuteronomy 25:5, Ruth 4:10, Matthew 22:24).
This was the way in which GOD had instructed the Israelite's to follow. I.e. if an Israelite man died who was married, and he had no children, then his brother was to marry the deceased one's wife, whereby the offspring could continue, which was done to carry out the pure seedline, in which CHRIST would eventually come through, and here Judah's trying to instruct it to his Canaanite son, which as you will see, he did not care to do. Again though, Onan wasn't a pure blood Israelite and CHRIST wouldn't have come through him anyway because he was a Canaanite from the offspring of the fallen angels and kenites (satan's offspring, through Cain), and just as his brother Er was wicked, so was he, as you will see.
9 And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.
It was apparent that Onan had something against his brother, hence his selfish, hostility.
10 And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.
11 Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure (= perhaps) he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.
Judah is starting to get the picture that the seedline will not be carried on through his Canaanite sons, so now he is going to make sure Shelah doesn't take Tamar to wife.
12 And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah's wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath (= portion), he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.
13 And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.
14 And she put her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.
Tamar realizes that Judah lied to her and that he would not give Shelah to be her husband.
15 When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.
Keep in mind that Tamar wasn't a harlot, she just appeared to Judah as if she was one, due to her face being covered. This is GOD's divine intervention to correct Judah's mistake, whereby the Adamic seedline would stay pure, in which CHRIST would eventually come through.
16 And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?
17 And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?
In other words, Tamar wants something that belongs to Judah, whereby he will stay true to his offer.
18 And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.
Note that a signet is a ring that seals a person's authority and authentication, which is basically like a signature. Notice she also has his bracelets and staff too, in which a man uses to rule with. These things will later be used to prove that Judah is the earthly father of their child that is to come.
19 And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.
20 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.
21 Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this place.
22 And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this place.
23 And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.
In other words, in order to keep what Judah had done a secret, he was just going to let Tamar keep his signet, bracelets, and staff, whereby he wouldn't feel shame, as if intermixing with the Canaanite's earlier in this chapter wasn't a shame to him.
24 And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.
Judah had already taken a Canaanite wife, which was against GOD's law, and then he played the role of a harlot himself but then had the nerve to call Tamar a harlot, in which she wasn't. As we can see, his morality had sunk drastically, hence he wants her to be burnt.
25 When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff.
26 And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.
Judah knows deep down inside that he is in the wrong and has been in the wrong this whole time, now it's kind of coming to his senses.
27 And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.
28 And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.
29 And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez (= breach).
And Pharez would carry on the king-line.
30 And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah (= a rising of light).
2 And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah (= wealth); and he took her, and went in unto her.
Perhaps hanging around the Hivites he and his brothers had taken captive, back in chapter 34, is the reason we will see his moral decline in this chapter. Ultimately though, it's due to not walking close with GOD.
3 And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er (= watchful).
Remember CHRIST is to come through Judah, and here he has taken a wife who is a Canaanite and remember the Canaanite's are mixed in with the nephilim (satan's fallen ones) and kenites (his offspring). What he's done is just as bad as what Esau did. Below, we'll see how GOD intervenes.
4 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan (= strong).
5 And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah (= a petition): and he was at Chezib (= lying), when she bare him.
6 And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar (= palm tree).
Note that Tamar was of the Adamic race but here Judah has set her up to his Canaanite son, which is forbidden. Again, the Adamic race was to be pure and here Judah's done messed up again.
7 And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.
Remember, the Canaanites were a race of evil people, hence they were a race intermixed with the nephilim and kenites. As we can see, GOD is removing the evil, along with protecting the seedline in which HE is to come through, as again, this lineage had to be pure or else we would not have Salvation today because CHRIST could not have come if HIS lineage had been corrupted. See also: Genesis 1, Genesis 2, Genesis 3, Genesis 4, Genesis 5, Genesis 6.
8 And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother (Compare to Deuteronomy 25:5, Ruth 4:10, Matthew 22:24).
This was the way in which GOD had instructed the Israelite's to follow. I.e. if an Israelite man died who was married, and he had no children, then his brother was to marry the deceased one's wife, whereby the offspring could continue, which was done to carry out the pure seedline, in which CHRIST would eventually come through, and here Judah's trying to instruct it to his Canaanite son, which as you will see, he did not care to do. Again though, Onan wasn't a pure blood Israelite and CHRIST wouldn't have come through him anyway because he was a Canaanite from the offspring of the fallen angels and kenites (satan's offspring, through Cain), and just as his brother Er was wicked, so was he, as you will see.
9 And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.
It was apparent that Onan had something against his brother, hence his selfish, hostility.
10 And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.
11 Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure (= perhaps) he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.
Judah is starting to get the picture that the seedline will not be carried on through his Canaanite sons, so now he is going to make sure Shelah doesn't take Tamar to wife.
12 And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah's wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath (= portion), he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.
13 And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.
14 And she put her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.
Tamar realizes that Judah lied to her and that he would not give Shelah to be her husband.
15 When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.
Keep in mind that Tamar wasn't a harlot, she just appeared to Judah as if she was one, due to her face being covered. This is GOD's divine intervention to correct Judah's mistake, whereby the Adamic seedline would stay pure, in which CHRIST would eventually come through.
16 And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?
17 And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?
In other words, Tamar wants something that belongs to Judah, whereby he will stay true to his offer.
18 And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.
Note that a signet is a ring that seals a person's authority and authentication, which is basically like a signature. Notice she also has his bracelets and staff too, in which a man uses to rule with. These things will later be used to prove that Judah is the earthly father of their child that is to come.
19 And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.
20 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.
21 Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this place.
22 And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this place.
23 And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.
In other words, in order to keep what Judah had done a secret, he was just going to let Tamar keep his signet, bracelets, and staff, whereby he wouldn't feel shame, as if intermixing with the Canaanite's earlier in this chapter wasn't a shame to him.
24 And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.
Judah had already taken a Canaanite wife, which was against GOD's law, and then he played the role of a harlot himself but then had the nerve to call Tamar a harlot, in which she wasn't. As we can see, his morality had sunk drastically, hence he wants her to be burnt.
25 When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff.
26 And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.
Judah knows deep down inside that he is in the wrong and has been in the wrong this whole time, now it's kind of coming to his senses.
27 And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.
28 And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.
29 And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez (= breach).
And Pharez would carry on the king-line.
30 And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah (= a rising of light).