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Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
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Commentary & Explanation
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Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
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CHAPTER 38
Judah has three sons by a Canaanite women—Er and Onan slain by the
Lord—Tamar, as a harlot, bears twins by Judah.
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1 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.
2 And Judah saw there a adaughter of
a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went
in unto her.
3 And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his
name aEr.
4 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan.
5 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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2a
TG
Marriage, Interfaith
3a
1 Chr. 2:3-4
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6 And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.
7 And aEr, Judah's firstborn, was
wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.
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5a
Gen. 46:12
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8 And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's
awife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy
brothera.
9 And Onan knew that the seed should not be
hisa; 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 brotherb.
10 And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.
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8a raise up seed to thy brother Here it is
clearly set out that by the law of Moses that is also enforce in the story of Ruth, that the
performing surogate 'brother/kinsman' is in deed raising up see to the woman's first husband.
Obed the son of Ruth was/is in like fashion the seed, fruit and son of Mahlon, Ruth's first
husband who was an Ephrathites meaning Ephraimite.
9a Onan knew that the seed should not be
his It was well know in Israel that the firstborn son of a man who
took to himself the wife of a 'kinsman brother' would not be raising up seed
to himself but the seed would be that of the dead kinsman whose wife the
women was first wed. Onan understood this law as did the Jewish transcribers
of the Old Testament record. Though the Law of Moses had not been as yet
given, this was the law and the second son of Judah well understood it as it
would later be set out by Moses in Deuteronomy 25:5-10. Later Boaz did the
same as Onan would have done, taking the wife of a 'kinsman brother' to raise
up seed to the dead as stated in Ruth 4:5 & 10. Yet the Jews in that record
persisted in seting out the Obed, the firstborn son of Ruth, was son of the
seed of Boaz in their compiled and edited record which especially inserted
the linage of Boaz to Judah rather than to properly consider the linage of
Mahlon through Elimelch the Ephrathite or Ephraimite. Legally and rightfully
this was not to be the case by the Law of God. By that Law as recognized here
in Genesis 38 and as written by Moses to be the Law, Obed was the seed and
son of Mahlon and of the house of Elimelech which would make Obed the heir of
that Ephrathite family and not of the family of Judah as Boaz was so recorded.
This is further attested to when Jesse, Obed's son, is called 'that
Ephrathite of Bethlehem' (Samuel 17:12). The fact that the Jews did claim
David as of their tribe and so wrote the record of Ruth to include Boaz's
ancestry of the house of David and not Mahlon's and Elimelech's ancestry to
the house of David does not change the law and the fact that Obed, Jesse,
David and Jesus Christ descended legally from Ephrathite linage and not of
the lineage of Judah.
9b lest that he should give seed to his
brother Again, it is not alway 'desired' to raise up seed to thine
brother. In this case it would have been raising up seed unto the firstborn
son, and the child would have therefore been made heir of Judah over and before
this second son of Judah. And thus the second son would not perform the
resonsibility of being the surogate parent of his brother's 'seed'. This was
like 'such a one' in the story of Ruth, who though being the nearer kinsman,
perhap even also of the tribe of Ephraim, 'such a one' declined taking Ruth
to raise up seed to the dead as it would 'mar his own inheritance'—Ruth 4:6.
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8a
TG
Widows
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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.
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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, 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.
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15 When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.
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?
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18 And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And
she said, Thy asignet, 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.
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.
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18a
Gen. 38:25
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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.
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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 aburnt.
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
asignet, 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.
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24a
Lev. 21:9
25a
Gen. 38:18
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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
aPharez.
30 And afterward came out his brother, that had the
scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called
aZarah.
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29a
Ruth 4:18-22;
Luke 3:33 (23-38)
30a
Gen. 46:12
Neh. 11:24;
Matt. 1:3
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