Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 38:18
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.
18. signet cord staff ] The signet ring is frequently worn by Arabs on a cord fastened round the neck. Cf. Son 8:6, “set me as a seal upon thine heart.” The signet ring and the staff, which was often carved and highly ornamented, would be the most personal possessions of a Sheikh, and, as pledges, a most certain means of identification. This astute manoeuvre is the turning-point of the whole story.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Thy bracelets, or handkerchief, or girdle, or any other ornament made of twisted thread, which the Hebrew word signifies. God so ordering things by his providence, that his sin might be discovered. And this and other such horrid crimes committed sometimes by the patriarchs, and other eminent persons, it hath pleased God for divers wise and holy reasons to leave upon record, partly, to discover how great and deep the corruption of mans nature is, and that even in the best; partly, to oblige all men to a humble sense of their own infirmity, and to a diligent application of themselves to God for his gracious succours, and to a greater circumspection and watchfulness to prevent those evils in themselves; partly, to encourage even the greatest sinners to repentance and the hope of pardon; and partly, for the just punishment and obduration of incorrigible sinners, who make such sad examples matter of their delight and imitation.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
18. signet, c.Bracelets,including armlets, were worn by men as well as women among theHebrews. But the Hebrew word here rendered “bracelets,”is everywhere else translated “lace” or “ribbon”so that as the signet alone was probably more than an equivalent forthe kid, it is not easy to conjecture why the other things were givenin addition, except by supposing the perforated seal was attached bya ribbon to the staff.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And he said, what pledge shall I give thee?…. Being willing to part with anything for the gratification of his lust:
and she said, thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that [is] in thine hand; she asks all these, that if one should be lost, or fail of being sufficient proof, the other might: the first of these the Septuagint version renders, “thy ring”; the ring upon his finger, which had a seal on it, and was the signet of his right hand; so Onkelos and Ben Melech: the second word seems not so well rendered, since “bracelets” were wore by women and not men: Jarchi takes it to be a garment with which he was covered; so Ben Melech and the Targum, a cloak, which is not likely, that she should desire him to strip off his clothes: it seems to be either a covering of his head, a wrap of linen such as the Turks wear, or else a handkerchief he had in his pocket; and the staff in his hand was either his walking staff or a shepherd’s crook or staff:
and he gave [it] her, all the above things as a pledge:
and came in unto her; not on the public road, but in some private place at some distance, to which they retired. Maimonides c says, before the law was given, if a man met a woman in the street, and he and she agreed, he gave her hire, and he lay with her, and went away, and such an one was called “Kedeshah”, a harlot, the word used afterwards for Tamar:
and she conceived by him; she proved with child upon it.
c Hilchot lshot, c. 1. sect. 4.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(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 his emblem, and in Genesis 49 Jacob seems to refer to them. Thus Judahs emblem was a lion, Zebuluns a ship, Issachars an ass, &c.
Thy staff.The staff in ancient times was elaborately adorned. Herodotus (i. 195) describes the staves carried by the Babylonians, as having on them carvings of fruit, or of some flower or bird; and Homer perpetually makes mention of the sceptres, that is, walking-sticks, of the kings, as carved so magnificently as to be worthy of being ascribed to Hephaestus, and handed down as emblems of authority from father to son. (See Iliad, ii. 101-107.) It is from these staves that the sceptres of kings, and the batons of field-marshals, &c, are derived.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
18. Signet bracelets These were probably a signet ring, suspended on a cord or band, ( ,) not bracelet, and worn upon the neck . So say Gesenius and Keil .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Gen 38:18. Thy signet, and thy bracelets, &c. By the signet is meant the ring wherewith he sealed. The word rendered bracelets signifies wreaths for the arm or neck, twisted collars, or bracelets. So the Latin torques, from torqueo, to twist. Aquila and Symmachus, who render it by from , to turn or twist, preserve the idea. See Parkhurst’s Lexicon.
REFLECTIONS.They who have not the gift of continence should marry. We have here a shocking instance of the danger of fleshly lusts.
1. Tamar’s wicked policy to ensnare either the father or the son. She had been kept in expectation of Shelah, but he was not given to her; therefore, on a day of festivity, when Judah’s heart was open with wine and feasting on his shearing-day, she exposed herself as a harlot in an open place, and too grievously succeeded. Strange to think! From such a woman Jesus descends! Surely it was to shew that the vilest need not despair.
2. Judah’s infamous lewdness: though ignorant of the incest, yet vile enough to turn in thus to one whom he supposed to be a common strumpet; such lessons he had learnt from his bad friend Hirah. He makes a scandalous purchase of these stolen pleasures, and with equal folly pledges his jewels for the payment. Note; (1.) They who buy a momentary enjoyment of their lusts, by everlasting torments in hell will be found to have made a foolish bargain indeed. (2.) When men are violently set on the gratification of their passions, they act as if infatuated, and expose themselves to every reproach.
3. His disappointment on sending the promised kid. The harlot is gone and his jewels lost. However, he desists from farther inquiry, lest his own shame should come out. Note; (1.) Most men are more concerned about their shame than their sin; lest we be ashamed, weighs more with them than lest we be damned: (2.) The day will come, however, when their folly shall be manifest unto all men, and everlasting shame shall cover the face of the lascivious.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Gen 38:18 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.
Ver. 18. And he gave it her, and came in unto her. ] He gave her whatsoever she desired; as the manner of such men is: and although he committed incest ignorantly, yet not through ignorance, but through heat of lust, which is brutish and boisterous, burning as an oven: whence the Greeks have named it: and Plato compares it to a headstrong horse. a
a ’ E ardere. Plato appetitum assimilat equo, qui sit, , , B, , , .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Thy signet: Chothem, or chothemeth, as in Gen 38:25, is properly a ring-seal, with which impressions were made to ascertain property, etc. From Jer 22:24, we find that it was worn on the hand; though it might also have been suspended from the neck by a ribband, as the Arabs still wear it. Gen 38:25-26; Jer 22:24; Luk 15:22
bracelets: Pathil, from pathal, to twist, wreathe, may denote either a wreath for the arm or neck, a twisted collar, or bracelet. In the former sense the LXX render it by , and Aquila and Symmachus by ; and in the latter sense, the Vulgate renders it by armillam. It may have been a collar by which the signet was suspended; though its being used in the plural seems to favour the opinion of its being a bracelet.
gave it her: Gen 38:25, Gen 38:26, Hos 4:11
Reciprocal: Lev 18:15 – General Lev 20:12 – lie 2Sa 11:6 – Send me Isa 3:19 – the bracelets