Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 38:14
And she put her widow’s garments off from her, and covered her with a veil, 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.
14. And she put off, &c.] The neglect on Judah’s part to satisfy the requirements of the levirate rule provoked Tamar to have recourse to trickery. To our moral sense such conduct is bad and disgusting. But to Orientals, whose life depended so largely upon the sanctity of racial customs, her action may have seemed not only entertaining in its cleverness, but even honourable and justifiable in its devotion to a deceased husband’s rights.
her veil ] Tamar apparelled herself in the guise of a religious prostitute ( edshah, Gen 38:21), one who dedicated herself to the goddess Astarte, the Babylonian Istar. The veil was one of the symbols of Istar.
in the gate of Enaim ] i.e. in the open space at the entrance into the town. The name of the town means “wells,” possibly Enam, mentioned in Jos 15:34, in the same context with Adullam.
by the way ] i.e. on “the way side” ( Gen 38:21): see Jer 3:2; Eze 16:15-25.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Covered her with a vail, as harlots used to do in those modester ages of the world, when they had not learnt to outface the sun, nor to glory in their villanies.
In an open place, where she night be soonest discovered by passengers. This is noted as the practice of harlots, Pro 7:12; 9:14; Jer 3:2; Eze 16:24,25.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And she put her widow’s garments off from her,…. By which it appears that in those times and countries it was usual for widows to have a different apparel from others, especially in the time of their mourning, as it has been since in other nations, and with us at this day, and which is commonly called “the widow’s weed”:
and covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself; in it, or in a cloak, or some such like garment, which the Arabs now call “hykes”; this she did that she might not be known, and not that she might appear as an harlot; for it was common to all women in those countries to go abroad with their veils: and on the contrary, whatever might be the custom here in those early times, which cannot be said what it was; in other countries, and in later times, harlots have been used to appear unveiled t and open to the view of all; though Juvenal u represents the Empress Messalina as covering herself with a night hood, and hiding her black hair under a yellow bonnet or peruke, that she might appear as an harlot going to the stews: and so the Arabs now, their whores as well as other women, veil themselves in the streets, but in Egypt they are used to sit at the door, or walk in the streets unveiled w:
and sat in an open place, which [is] in the way to Timnath; the Septuagint version renders it, “at the gates of Aenan”; some take it to be the name of a place, and suppose it had its name, as Aben Ezra observes, from two fountains of water that were in the way, like a door, through which Judah passed when he returned home: so Philo the Jew x reads, Ge 38:21; “where is the harlot which was in Ainan by the way?” and Jerom y speaks of Aenan as you go to Timnath, now a desert place, and near to the great village Timnath, which is between Aelia and Diospolis (i.e. Jerusalem and Lydia), and there is a fountain in the above place, from whence it has its name: the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it,
“in the division of the ways where all eyes look;”
for the word has the signification of eyes as well as of fountains; and seems to design a place where two ways or more met, which were not only open and obvious to every eye, but required persons to make use of their eyes, and look about them, and consider which way they should go; and where perhaps a way mark was set up for them to look to, to direct them; and here Tamar placed herself as harlots used to do: hence Catullus z calls common prostitutes “semitariae moechae”, pathway whores; and on the contrary, such an one as was a secret whore, and less exposed, Horace a calls “devium scortum”, an whore that was at some distance from the public road, not so common as others: so in the Apocryph,
“The women also with cords about them, sitting in the ways, burn bran for perfume: but if any of them, drawn by some that passeth by, lie with him, she reproacheth her fellow, that she was not thought as worthy as herself, nor her cord broken.” (Baruch 6:43)
whorish women are represented as sitting in the ways and by the roadside, girt with cords (of bulrushes, and so easily broken), to be picked up by men as they passed by; referring to what Herodotus b reports of the women in the temple of Venus at Babylon. This method Tamar took:
for she saw that Shelah was grown: was at least at the age of her former husbands when, married, if not older: this might be two or three years after his brother’s death: for it was in process of time, or when there had been a multiplication of days after this, that Judah’s wife died, and now his mourning for her was over, Ge 38:12;
and she was not given unto him for wife: as he had given her reason to expect, Ge 38:11, and as was usually done.
t Alex. ab Alexand. Genial. Dier. l. 5. c. 18. u Satyr. 6. w Pitts’s Account of the Mahometans, p. 56, 67. and Norden’s Travels in Egypt, vol. 2. p. 47. x De profugis, p. 471. y De loc. Heb. fol. 87. F. G. z Epigram, 35. 16. a Carmin. l. 2. Ode 11. b Clio sive, l. 1. c. 199.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
14. And sat in an open place (140) Interpreters expound this passage variously. Literally, it is “in the door of fountains, or of eyes.” Some suppose there was a fountain which branched into two streams; others think that a broad place is indicated, in which the eyes may look around in all directions. But a third exposition is more worthy of reception; namely, that by this expression is meant a way which is forked and divided into two; because then, as it were, a door is opened before the eyes, that they which are really in one way may diverge in two directions. Probably it was a place whence Tamer might be seen, to which some by-way was near, where Judah might turn, so that he should not be guilty of fornication, in a public way, under the eyes of all. When it is said she veiled her face, we hence infer that the license of fornication was not so unbridled as that which, at this day, prevails in many places. For she dressed herself after the manner of harlots, that Judah might suspect nothing. And the Lord has caused this sense of shame to remain engraved on the hearts of those who live wickedly, that they may be witnesses to themselves of their own vileness. For if men could wash out the stains from their sins, we know that they would do so most willingly. Whence it follows, that while they flee from the light, they are affected with horror against their will, that their conscience may anticipate the judgment of God. By degrees, indeed, the greater part have so far exceeded all measure in stupor and impudence, that they are less careful to hide their faults; yet God has never suffered the sense of nature to be so entirely extinguished, by the brutal intemperance of those who desire to sin with impunity, but that their own obscenity shall compel even the most wicked to be ashamed. (141) Base was therefore the impudence of that cynic philosopher, who, being catched in vice, boasted of planting a person. In short, the veil of Tamer shows that fornication was not only a base and filthy thing in the sight of God and the angels; but that it has always been condemned, even by those who have practiced it.
(140) Mansitque in ostio Henaim, “in the door of eyes, or Enajim.” — Margin of English Version. — Ed.
(141) The following sentence is omitted in the translation. “ Putida igitur fuit Cynici illius protervia, qui in flagitio deprehensus, sine rubore jactavit se plantare hominem.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(14) In an open place.Heb., in the gate of Enajim. Enajim means the two fountains, and we learn from Gen. 38:21 that it was the town where Tamars 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 from Adullam. This makes the conclusion come to for other reasons certain, that the Timnath on the Philistine border was the town meant.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
14. In an open place Rather, at the entrance of Enajim . This Enajim was probably the same as the Enam of Jos 15:35, which is mentioned in connexion with Jarmuth and Adullam . This act of Tamar reveals the shameful state of morals among the Canaanites, and furnishes also the occasion of showing the strength of Judah’s sensuality, and his low life as compared with what we see in Joseph .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And she put off from her the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gate of Enaim which is by the way to Timnah, for she saw that Shelah was grown up and she was not given to him to wife.’
When we consider Tamar’s actions we must recognise that she has been grievously wronged. Basically she has been deserted. She had a right to marriage to Shelah, and the children that would result, because Judah had given her a promise. Shelah, of course, would not be limited to one wife. He had merely to fulfil his duty to Tamar and take her into his household and then he could proceed with his own life as he would.
So she takes the situation into her own hands. It may well be that if all else fails she has a right under the Levirate law to marry and have a child by Judah now that her mother-in-law is dead, for it is clear that the Levirate law reaches beyond just a brother (in the Book of Ruth Naomi is the wife whose husband has died, but Ruth expects to be able to bear children for her and uses the Levirate law to marry a ‘near-kinsman’ of Naomi).
“She put off from her the garments of her widowhood.” Widows were expected to dress to demonstrate their status. We do not know of what this consisted but it seems that widows did not need to be veiled in public.
“And covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself.” She was not offering herself as a common prostitute but as a religious devotee. In many ancient religions a married woman would dedicate herself to the goddess of love, in this case Astarte, and would then be required to make love to a stranger, acting out that love. This may well have been a common practise to the Canaanites from whose background Judah’s wife, and probably Tamar, had come. But it was repulsive to such as the family tribe of which Judah was a part (compare Deu 23:17). However, Tamar is only pretending to be available to strangers. She has only one person in mind. She wants to be impregnated with the seed of a near-kinsman of her husband as is her right.
“Sat in the gate of Enaim which is by the way to Timnah.” She sat where such women would commonly sit knowing that Judah must pass by that way to reach his destination. Compare Jer 3:2; Eze 16:25).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Peter describes this lust, in strong expressions, 2Pe 2:14 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 38:14 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.
Ver. 14. Covered her with a vail. ] As they that do evil shun the light. She was going about a deed of darkness.
For she saw that Shelah was grown.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
And Note the Figure of speech Polysyndeton (App-6) emphasizing the deliberateness of each action.
in an open place. Hebrew “in the entrance to Enaim”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
and sat: Pro 7:12, Jer 3:2, Eze 16:25
an open place: Heb. the door of eyes, or of Enajim, Some think ainayim means “the two fountains,” or “double fountain;” while others regard it as a proper name, and the same as Enaim, a city of Judah – Jos 15:34. So the LXX render it Enan.
Timnath: Gen 38:12, Gen 38:13
that Shelah: Gen 38:11, Gen 38:26
Reciprocal: Gen 19:31 – to come Gen 29:23 – brought her Gen 38:19 – laid by her veil Gen 38:21 – openly by the way side Num 26:20 – Shelah Jdg 15:2 – I gave Job 24:15 – disguiseth his face Pro 7:10 – the attire
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Gen 38:14. She put her widows garments off, &c. Some excuse her conduct in this by suggesting that she believed the promise made to Abraham and his seed, particularly that of the Messiah, and that she was therefore desirous to have a child by one of that family, that she might have the honour, or at least stand fair for being the mother of the Messiah. She covered her with a veil It was the custom of harlots in those times to cover their faces, that though they were not ashamed, yet they might seem to be so: the sin of uncleanness did not go so bare-faced as it now doth.