King James Version
Genesis 38
30 verses with commentary
Judah and Tamar
And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain...</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **At that time.**—This does not mean at the time of Joseph’s sale; for as there was only an interval of twenty-two years between that event and the descent into Egypt, this period is scarcely long enough for the events recorded in this chapter. According to the usual chronology, Judah, Leah’s fourth son, would not have been more than eight years old when he left Padan-aram, and only one year a...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
40-43. Recapitulation of the dukes according to their residences.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and we...</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **Canaanite.**—This is rendered in the Targum *merchant, *and so the Authorised Version translates Canaanite in Proverbs 31:24. In favour of this view is the fact, that the marriage of Simeon with a Canaanitish woman is regarded as an act so exceptional, as to be worth recording (Genesis 46:10). But we may well doubt whether, at so early an age, the terms Canaanite and merchant had become syno...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
40-43. Recapitulation of the dukes according to their residences.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er....</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments of salvation.<br><br>Central themes inc...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
40-43. Recapitulation of the dukes according to their residences.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan....</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments of salvation.<br><br>Central t...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when ...</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **Chezib.**—Mr. Conder has found traces of this place at *Ain Kezbeh, *near Beit Nettif, a little to the north of Adullam (*Handbook, *p. 408). In Micah 1:14-15, it is called Achzib, and is there also placed near Adullam.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 37 Ge 37:1-4. Parental Partiality.
**1. Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger--**that is, "a sojourner"; "father" used collectively. The patriarch was at this time at Mamre, in the valley of Hebron (compare Ge 35:27); and his dwelling there was continued in the same manner and prompted by the same motives as that of Abraham and Isaac (He 11:13).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar....</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments of salvation.<br><br>Central themes...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. generations--**leading occurrences, in the domestic history of Jacob, as shown in the narrative about to be commenced.
**Joseph ... was feeding the flock--**literally, "Joseph being seventeen years old was a shepherd over the flock"--he a lad, with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah. Oversight or superintendence is evidently implied. This post of chief shepherd in the party might be assigned him...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him....</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments of salvation.<...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. son of his old age--**Benjamin being younger, was more the son of his old age and consequently on that ground might have been expected to be the favorite. Literally rendered, it is "son of old age to him"--Hebrew phrase, for "a wise son"--one who possessed observation and wisdom above his years--an old head on young shoulders.
**made him a coat of many colors--**formed in those early days b...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy bro...</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Go in unto thy **brother’s wife.—We learn from this that the law *of *the Levirate, by which the brother of the dead husband was required to marry the widow, was of far more ancient date than the law of Moses. Its object, first of all, was to prevent the extinction of any line of descent, a matter of great importance in those genealogical days; and, secondly, it was an obstacle to the accumu...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. could not speak peaceably unto him--**did not say "peace be to thee" [Ge 43:23, &c.], the usual expression of good wishes among friends and acquaintances. It is deemed a sacred duty to give all this form of salutation; and the withholding of it is an unmistakable sign of dislike or secret hostility. The habitual refusal of Joseph's brethren, therefore, to meet him with "the salaam," showe...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother...</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Ge 37:5-36. The Dreams of Joseph.
**5. Joseph dreamed a dream--**Dreams in ancient times were much attended to, and hence the dream of Joseph, though but a mere boy, engaged the serious consideration of his family. But this dream was evidently symbolical. The meaning was easily discerned, and, from its being repeated under different emblems, the fulfilment was considered certain (compare Ge 41:32...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also. displeased: Heb. was evil in the eyes of the Lord
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also....</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments of salvation.<br><br>Cent...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →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 he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father's house, till Shelah my s...</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **For he said, lest he also die.**—It is evident from this that Judah, for reasons which, in Genesis 38:26, he acknowledged to be insufficient, wished to evade the duty of giving a third son to Tamar. It does not follow that he blamed her for their deaths; for the loss of two sons in succession might well frighten him. Philippsohn says that it became the rule, that if a woman lost two husband...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →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, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. in process: Heb. the days were multiplied
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah's wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up...</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **Timnath.**—There were two places of this name (Joshua 15:10; Joshua 15:57). One was a little to the west of Bethlehem, the other upon the Philistine border, beyond Bethshemesh. As it lay, however, only about seven miles beyond Adullam, and as the flocks there were Judah’s private property (Genesis 38:13), and under the charge of Hirah, this remoter place, now called Tibneh, is probably the ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep....</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments of sa...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →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. an open: Heb. the door of eyes, or, of Enajim
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And she put her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and...</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **In an open place.**—Heb., *in the gate of Enajim. *Enajim means “the two fountains,” and we learn from Genesis 38:21 that it was the town where Tamar’s father dwelt, and where Tamar was living with him in her widowhood. In the exploration of Palestine, Enajim has been identified with a place called Allin, Anin, or Anaim, three miles east of Tibneh, and situated upon an ancient road coming f...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face....</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments of salvation.<b...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **Because she had covered her face.**—The Jewish commentators all agree that this was not the custom of harlots; and as Judah, in Genesis 38:21, calls her *kedeshah, *one consecrated, he probably thought that she was a woman performing the vow required of every female votary of the Phœnician Venus (Astarte), once in her lifetime (Herod. i. 199). Hence the hire was a kid to be sacrificed to th...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →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?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he k...</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem--**The vale of Shechem was, from the earliest mention of Canaan, blest with extraordinary abundance of water. Therefore did the sons of Jacob go from Hebron to this place, though it must have cost them near twenty hours' travelling--that is, at the shepherd rate, a little more than fifty miles. But the herbage there was so rich and nu...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →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? a kid: Heb. a kid of the goats
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till t...</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13-17. Israel said, ... Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem?--**Anxious to learn how his sons were doing in their distant encampment, Jacob despatched Joseph; and the youth, accepting the mission with alacrity, left the vale of Hebron, sought them at Shechem, heard of them from a man in "the field" (the wide and richly cultivated plain of Esdraelon), and found that they had left that n...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy sta...</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **Thy bracelets.**—Heb., *thy cord. *The art of engraving was probably not advanced enough among these nomads to permit them to engrave gems small enough to wear in a ring. Judah evidently suspended his signet round his neck by a cord; and this custom still exists among the Arabs, of whom some wear signet rings, while others hang them round their necks. Probably each man of distinction had hi...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13-17. Israel said, ... Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem?--**Anxious to learn how his sons were doing in their distant encampment, Jacob despatched Joseph; and the youth, accepting the mission with alacrity, left the vale of Hebron, sought them at Shechem, heard of them from a man in "the field" (the wide and richly cultivated plain of Esdraelon), and found that they had left that n...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhoo...</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13-17. Israel said, ... Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem?--**Anxious to learn how his sons were doing in their distant encampment, Jacob despatched Joseph; and the youth, accepting the mission with alacrity, left the vale of Hebron, sought them at Shechem, heard of them from a man in "the field" (the wide and richly cultivated plain of Esdraelon), and found that they had left that n...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woma...</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13-17. Israel said, ... Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem?--**Anxious to learn how his sons were doing in their distant encampment, Jacob despatched Joseph; and the youth, accepting the mission with alacrity, left the vale of Hebron, sought them at Shechem, heard of them from a man in "the field" (the wide and richly cultivated plain of Esdraelon), and found that they had left that n...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →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. openly: or, in Enajim
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? A...</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **Where is the harlot . . .**?—Heb.,*Whercisthe kedeshah *(see Genesis 38:15) *that was at Enajim by the wayside? *“Enajim (the two founts) by-the-wayside,” seems to have been the full name of the village. (See Genesis 38:14.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13-17. Israel said, ... Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem?--**Anxious to learn how his sons were doing in their distant encampment, Jacob despatched Joseph; and the youth, accepting the mission with alacrity, left the vale of Hebron, sought them at Shechem, heard of them from a man in "the field" (the wide and richly cultivated plain of Esdraelon), and found that they had left that n...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, that ther...</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18. when they saw him afar off--**on the level grass field, where they were watching their cattle. They could perceive him approaching in the distance from the side of Shechem, or rather, Samaria.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her. be shamed: Heb. become a contempt
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast no...</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **Lest we be shamed.**—Maimonides asserts that Judah had committed *no *breach of the Law, the utmost therein commanded being that no Jewish woman should become a *kedeshah *(Deuteronomy 23:17). But Judah evidently regards what he had done as shameful, and having big friend’s testimony, if needed, to prove that he had performed what he promised, he bears with the loss of his signet and staff,...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19. Behold, this dreamer cometh--**literally, "master of dreams"--a bitterly ironical sneer. Dreams being considered suggestions from above, to make false pretensions to having received one was detested as a species of blasphemy, and in this light Joseph was regarded by his brethren as an artful pretender. They already began to form a plot for Joseph's assassination, from which he was rescued on...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in ...</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(24) **Let her be burnt.**—As being by law the wife of Shelah, Tamar was condemned by Judah in right of his position, as head of the family, to the punishment usual for adultery. In subsequent times, this penalty was limited to one who had married mother and daughter (Leviticus 20:14); or to the daughter of a priest guilty of unchastity (Leviticus 21:9). On this account, the Jewish expositors argu...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I...</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25, 26) **She sent . . . —**The Talmud praises Tamar for so acting, as to bring no public disgrace upon Judah; and he acknowledges that he was most to blame, because the cause of her crime was his own failure to act justly by her.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her ...</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb....</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments of salvation.<b...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**23. they stripped Joseph out of his coat ... of many colors--**Imagine him advancing in all the unsuspecting openness of brotherly affection. How astonished and terrified must he have been at the cold reception, the ferocious aspect, the rough usage of his unnatural assailants! A vivid picture of his state of agony and despair was afterwards drawn by themselves (compare Ge 42:21).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bou...</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →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. How hast: or, Wherefore hast thou made this breach against thee? Pharez: that is A breach
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How...</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**25. they sat down to eat bread--**What a view does this exhibit of those hardened profligates! Their common share in this conspiracy is not the only dismal feature in the story. The rapidity, the almost instantaneous manner in which the proposal was followed by their joint resolution, and the cool indifference, or rather the fiendish satisfaction, with which they sat down to regale themselves, i...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was call...</strong> This passage is part of the Joseph narrative, a masterfully crafted account demonstrating God's sovereign providence working through human choices and circumstances to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The Joseph cycle shows how God transforms evil intentions into instruments ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(30) **Zarah.**—Heb., *the rising, *especially of the sun. There is in the name an allusion to the red streak placed (upon the child’s hand.
**Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26-28. Judah said, ... What profit is it if we slay our brother?--**The sight of these travelling merchants gave a sudden turn to the views of the conspirators; for having no wish to commit a greater degree of crime than was necessary for the accomplishment of their end, they readily approved of Judah's suggestion to dispose of their obnoxious brother as a slave. The proposal, of course, was fou...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
--This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, He 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthine...
Read full commentary →