Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 38:11
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 he die also, as his brethren [did]. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.
11. in thy father’s house ] A widow without children went back to her father’s family; cf. Lev 22:13; Rth 1:8. A widow with children remained in the family of her husband, and under its protection. Judah evidently believes that the deaths of Er and Onan are somehow due to Tamar. Rather, then, than subject his youngest son Shelah to the risk of a similar fate, he sends Tamar back to her own people, on the pretext that Shelah is too young at present to perform the levirate duty. Compare the story in Tobit 3, where Sarah’s seven husbands are cut off in succession.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Gen 38:11-30
Tamar
Lessons
1.
Sinful hearts when they suffer from Gods hand are apt to vent it upon creatures.
2. Carnal relations grow quickly weary of showing kindness when their aims are crossed by God.
3. Hard fathers-in-law, for their own ends, spare not to lay the hardest terms upon allies.
4. Such oppressors deal subtilly, though cruelly; they pretend fair at least.
5. Wicked hearts are apt to be jealous, and transfer faults and ill successes to others that are innocent.
6. Sinful fathers are willing to save children from death, but take bad ways to do it.
7. Widowhood is a solitary condition that binds souls to sit at home.
8. God overruling, natural hearts may be content to submit to hard injunctions from others when they cannot help it. So it was with Tamar when Judah layeth hard injunctions on her (Gen 38:11). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Lessons
1. Injuries to daughters-in-law God may repay upon mens wives.
2. Days may seem many before Gods visit, but visitation will come for sin.
3. God may make death to be a just recompense of mens hard dealings.
4. Vain and sinful hearts are soon comforted after the death of wives.
5. Comforts carnal hearts do seek by fleshly feasting and employments.
6. Bad companions and opportune places bad hearts delight in to enjoy their lusts (Gen 38:12). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Lessons
1. A lustful eye will quickly turn the foot out of the way to sin. Connection (Gen 38:15).
2. Men of lustful hearts turn of their own accord to evil with others without invitation.
3. Digression from mens lawful way tends to transgression against God and man.
4. Lust is a hard solicitor for its unclean enjoyments.
5. Lust runs blindfold even to defile near relations, and enquireth not.
6. Sometimes lust is put to it to pay a price for its pleasure. The whorish custom (Gen 38:16).
7. Unclean persons stick not to lessen their flock for increase of lust, so of estates.
8. Adulterous spirits are not credible with their own paramours; a price or pledge must be given (Gen 38:17).
9. Wicked hearts stick not at pledge or price unto whorish women for enjoying lust.
10. Unclean creatures are subtle to have a great pledge for a small price.
11. Be it ever so great, lust will give it to the whorish woman for its pleasure.
12. Blind lust doth not only solicit but violate nearest relations when it can.
13. Providence denieth not conception sometimes to the most incestuous mixtures of men and women.
14. It is the order of providence that conception should be for Judah as well as by him (Gen 38:18). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Lessons
1. Sinful lust, when its turn is served, makes out of sight speedily.
2. Guile and deceit are usual adjuncts to lust of uncleanness.
3. Guileful harlots stay not long in common places, where they may be discovered.
4. Lust teacheth souls to put off, and to put on, any signals which might either discover or conceal them (Gen 38:19). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Lessons
1. Pawns may make naughty hearts careful to pay their debts for sin.
2. Wicked affairs are best trusted to hands of wicked friends.
3. Payment of debts by sinners is accounted just to take up pawns.
4. It is no rare thing for partners in sin to deceive each other; to get out of the way when they should be found.
5. Under Providence the debt of lust is not always paid, nor the pawn of iniquity restored (Gen 38:20).
6. Sinners are diligent to inquire about their sinful affairs.
7. Sinners are impudent to ask openly after harlots in the high way; to bewray the worst matter.
8. Under wife providence, such inquisitors have an answer of frustration (Gen 38:21).
9. The trustiest messengers of sinners may return bootless to such as send them.
10. Objects of uncleanness maybe found to ensnare persons to sin, but not to satisfy demands.
11. God sometimes ordereth the frustration, of sinners with a witness (Gen 38:22).
12. By patience perforce, unclean sinners may be content to sit down with loss.
13. Fear of shame and reproach make sinners willing to be losers.
14. Uncleanness is a reproachful thing in the account of the worst adulterers.
15. A self-conceit of having done their duties make wicked ones sometimes content to sit down losers (Gen 38:23). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Lessons
1. There is a season of bearing ordered by Providence and to be observed Ecc 3:2).
2. Providence may order abundant fruitfulness unto incestuous mixtures. Twins to incest (verse 27).
3. God sometimes returneth unto unclean conceptions bitter travails.
4. Cross coming of children to birth is Gods ordering to mind of sin sometimes.
5. Creatures may be deceived in marking that for first which cometh last (verse 28).
6. It is Gods prerogative to make first and last in births, and other conditions.
7. Even in the fruit of the womb God makes one child retreat that the other may come forth.
8. The breaking out of the fruit of the womb is sometimes wonderful to creatures.
9. The wonders of God are reasonably prepetuated in the very names of children (verse 29).
10. The first in mans thoughts is many times last in Gods.
11. Safe births are great mercies, whether first or last; all come forth under providence.
12. Such mercies should be made known in the very names and beings of creatures (verse 30). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
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Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
At thy fathers house, whither he sent her from his house, that Shelah might not be insnared by her presence and conversation. So he dismissed her with a pretence of kindness, and a tacit promise of marriage to her, which he never intended to keep, as the following words imply; for he said; or rather, but he said; for the Hebrew chi oft signifies but, as Gen 45:8; Psa 37:20; Ecc 2:10; 6:2. So here is an opposition between what he said to Tamar, and what he said to himself, or in his own heart, as that word said is oft used: he intimated to her that he would give Shelah to her, but he meant otherwise, and said in himself, I will not do it,
lest peradventure he die also as his brethren did; imputing the death of his two sons either to her fault, or to her unluckiness, rather than to his own or his sons miscarriages.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law,…. After the death of his two sons, who had successively married her:
remain a widow at thy father’s house till Shelah my son be grown: who was his third and youngest son, though perhaps not more than a year younger than Onan; but he might not choose he should marry so soon as his brethren had done, for a reason following: according to the custom and law of marrying a brother’s wife, who died without issue, she in course was to be the wife of Shelah; since if there were ever so many brothers, they all married such an one in turn, until there was issue by one of them, see Mt 22:25; as Judah knew this, he pretended at least to give her to his son for wife, only would have it put off till he was at age of maturity, or was more grown; and therefore desires her to keep herself unmarried to any other person until that time; and advises her to go to her father’s house, and continue there, which he did to prevent any intrigues between them, lest his son should be tempted to marry her sooner than it was his will, and she should solicit him to it:
for he said; not to Tamar, but within himself:
lest peradventure he die also as his brethren [did]; by which it seems, that he was ignorant of the true cause of their death, but thought it was either owing to their marrying too young, or to something in the woman unfortunate and unhappy; and he might not really intend he should marry her at all, only made use of an excuse for the present:
and Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house; she had dwelt in Judah’s house in the time of her two husbands, but now by his advice she removed to her own father’s house; which very probably was in the same place, and her father yet living, who received her, and with whom she continued, see Le 22:13.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
11. Then said Judah to Tamar. Moses intimates that Tamar was not at liberty to marry into another family, so long as Judah wished to retain her under his own authority. It is possible that she voluntarily submitted herself to the will of her father-in-law, when she might have refused: but the language seems to mean, that it was according to a received practice, that Tamar should not pass over to another family, except at the will of her father-in-law, as long as there was a successor who might raise up seed by her. However this may be, Judah acted very unjustly in keeping one bound, whom he intended to defraud. For truly there was no cause why he should be unwilling to allow her to depart free from his house, unless he dreaded the charge of inconstancy. But he should not have allowed this ambitious sense of shame to render him perfidious and cruel to his daughter-in-law. Besides, this injury sprung from a wrong judgment: because, without considering the causes of the death of his sons, he falsely and unjustly transfers the blame to an innocent woman. He believes the marriage with Tamar to have been an unhappy one; why therefore does he not, for his own sake, permit her to seek a husband elsewhere? But in this also he does wrong, that whereas the cause of his sons’ destruction was their own wickedness, he judges unfavorably of Tamar herself, to whom no evil could be imputed. Let us then learn from this example, whenever anything adverse happens to us, not to transfer the blame to another, nor to gather from all quarters doubtful suspicions, but to shake off our own sins. We must also beware lest a foolish shame should so prevail over us, that while we endeavor to preserve our reputation uninjured among men, we should not be equally careful to maintain a good conscience before God.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(11) For he said, lest he also die.It is evident from this that Judah, for reasons which, in Gen. 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 husbands, the third brother was not bound to marry her, and she was even called Katlannith. the murderess. (But see St. Mat. 22:25-26, where no such custom is acknowledged.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
11. Lest he die also Judah probably entertained some superstitious fear of Tamar, as if she were the cause of the death of his sons . Compare the story of Tobit . Gen 3:7. But it was their wickedness, not hers, which caused their sudden death .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house until Shelah my son is grown up”, (for he said, ‘Lest he also die like his brothers’). And Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.’
Having lost two sons through premature death Judah is concerned for the safety of his third, who is also under obligation to raise up seed for his brother. But he is not yet of age for marriage. Thus he promises Tamar that as soon as he is (and it would not presumably be too long) he will carry out his duty with her.
“Remain a widow in your father” s house.’ It was the custom among many that a widow returned to the protection of her parents, although it was not necessarily required (Rth 1:8; Lev 22:13). But the thought is that she remain there only until she can marry Shelah. Judah is here telling her not to marry again until Shelah is of age. Thus he puts himself under even deeper obligation, and his future conduct is inexcusable.
“Lest he also die like his brothers.” It may be that Judah felt she was under some evil influence that had caused the death of his sons (compare the Jewish book Tob 3:7-17 in the Apocrypha for such an idea). Alternately he may simply have feared that if Shelah did not fulfil his duty to his brother’s wife he also would die. But his later actions would not support this latter.
“And Tamar went and lived in her father” s house.’ She was separated from the tribe and returned home where she could not be a danger.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Gen 38:11. Remain a widow, &c. Hence it appears that the contract of marriage was so understood in those days, that if the husband died without issue, the woman must marry his next brother; and as long as any of his brethren remained, they were bound to marry his wife. It is difficult to determine with what intention Judah persuaded Tamar to retire to her father’s house, till his son Shelah was grown up. Some think that it was only a pretence, and that he never intended to give her to his son.
REFLECTIONS.Jacob is still more unhappy in his children. We have here, Judah’s ill conduct. He leaves his brethren, and gets a Canaanite friend, one Hirah: bad connections for young people are very dangerous; evil communications corrupt good manners. There he meets a Canaanitish woman, and marries her. How many a youth has been thus trepanned by idle companions into a scandalous marriage, not only to the wounding of their consciences, but to the ruin of their future peace! How much wiser they who consult their parents, and make them their friends!
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Lev 22:13 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 38:11 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 he die also, as his brethren [did]. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.
Ver. 11. Lest peradventure he die also, &c. ] Judah lays the fault all on her, whereas it was in his sons. Sarah, on the other side, blamed herself only for barrenness. Gen 16:2 “Judge not, that ye be not judged”: but “if we judge ourselves, we shall not be judged.” In judging of the cause of our crosses, we are oft as far out as she was, that laid the death of her child to the presence of the good prophet.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
he die also. Judah, an unnatural brother, is punished in his own children.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
till Shelah: Rth 1:11, Rth 1:13
in her: Lev 22:13
Reciprocal: Gen 38:5 – Shelah Gen 38:14 – that Shelah Exo 21:9 – betrothed her unto Num 26:20 – Shelah Eze 16:38 – as women Mat 1:3 – Thamar Mat 22:24 – Moses Luk 20:28 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Gen 38:11. Remain a widow till Shelah my son be grown The contract of marriage, it seems, was so understood, even before any positive law was made on the subject, that, if the husband died without any issue, his next brother was to marry his wife, and as long as any of his brethren remained they were bound to marry her, if left a widow. Accordingly Shelah, the third son, was reserved for Tamar, yet with design that he should not marry so young as his brothers had done. For it would seem from Judahs expression, Lest peradventure he die also, that he thought marrying too young was the cause of their death; though some consider his conduct as an evidence that he never intended to give his son to her.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
38:11 Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, {d} 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.
(d) For she could not marry in any other family so long as Judah would retain her in his.