Genesis 38:14

Tamar thought about Judah’s son Shelah. She knew that he was grown up now, but Judah still didn’t let her marry him. So Tamar thought, “I will trick Judah and get him to sleep with me, like a man sleeps with his wife, so that I can have kids. Then those kids will belong to my dead husband Er.” At that time, Tamar was wearing the sort of clothes that widows wear. But then, Tamar changed those clothes, and she put on some pretty clothes, and she put a scarf over her head, to cover her face. Then she went and sat outside the town called Enayim. That town is on the road that goes to Timnah.

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

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.

In Context

13Then somebody told that woman Tamar, “Your dead husband’s father is going to Timnah to visit his work-men. They are cutting the wool off his sheep there.”

15Later, Judah walked along that road, and he saw Tamar sitting there. She had that scarf over her head, and Judah couldn’t see her face. So Judah didn’t know that she was Tamar, his dead son’s wife. He thought she was a woman that sleeps with men for pay. So Judah went to her, and he said, “I want to sleep with you, like a man sleeps with his wife.” Tamar said, “If I sleep with you, then you have to give me something to pay me. What will you give me?”

Read all of Genesis 38

Cross References

Genesis 38:11Then Judah thought, “My sons Er and Onan, they are both dead, and they didn’t have any kids with that woman. So now, my other son Shelah has to marry that woman and have kids with her. That’s the rule in our culture. But if Shelah marries that woman, he might die too, just like Er and Onan.” So Judah got worried, and he didn’t want his son Shelah to marry that woman Tamar. So Judah talked to Tamar, and he tried to trick her. He said to her, “My son Shelah is too young to marry you now. So go back to your father’s house, and live there. Don’t get married to anyone else. Later on, Shelah will grow up, and then you can marry him.” So Tamar went back to her father’s house, and she lived there. Judah’s son Shelah grew up and became a man. But Judah didn’t keep that promise he made to Tamar. He didn’t let her marry his son Shelah.

Genesis 38:26So they took those things to Judah, and they told him what Tamar said. And Judah looked at those things, and he knew that they belonged to him. Then Judah knew that Tamar tricked him, and he felt shame. He said, “You know, I did the wrong thing. I didn’t let Tamar marry my son Shelah. But Tamar is better than me. She wanted to have kids that will belong to her dead husband, just like our culture says. That’s the reason why she got me to sleep with her.” So Judah didn’t punish Tamar, and he never slept with her again.

Matthew Henry on Genesis 38:13-24

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 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. 15 When… Read the whole commentary →

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Study Genesis 38:14