GENESIS 38: JUDAH AND HIS DESCENDANTS

Starting in chapter 37, the story that has been developed throughout Genesis shifts its focus towards Jacob’s sons. The bible continues with a special attention on Joseph’s story, even when he was in Egypt, outside of the Promised Land. Joseph was away from his family for approximately 23 years. During that time, the only mention of Jacob’s other sons is found in chapter 38, Judah’s story.

JUDAH

The bible tells Judah’s story because there was a time in which he separated from his brothers.

(Gen. 38:1) It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. 

Why did he separate from his brothers? The bible doesn’t specifically say why Judah left; however, it could have had to do with what happened with Joseph, since this story is told as a parenthesis between the selling of Joseph (chapter 37) and Joseph’s life in Egypt (chapter 39). Judah was the one who suggested the idea of selling Joseph as a slave and he might have felt guilty for it. He saw the pain he caused on his father so he might not have been able to bear it anymore.

Jacob’s family was really affected by what had happened. Now there were two brothers missing: Joseph and Judah. Neither one of them was just any son; later we will see that they were destined to be leaders of the family (1 Chronicles 5:1-2). They will be the leaders of the Two Houses of Israel.

CANAANITE WOMAN

When Judah left his family, he went to Adullam, a town east of Hebron. There he met the leader’s daughter and married her.

(Gen. 38:2-5) There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her and went in to her, (3) and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. (4) She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. (5) Yet again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah. Judah was in Chezib when she bore him.

Instead of taking the woman to his father’s house, Judah went to live in her father’s house. There they had 3 sons, who were raised according to the Canaanite culture.  When their older son grew up, he got him a wife from among the young Canaanite women.

(Gen. 38:6-7) And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. (7) But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD put him to death.

Judah had separated himself from Jacob, and probably also from his father’s God. But God had not forgotten him. In the eyes of God, Judah was still a part of Israel’s family, so the Lord would guide his steps until he came back. This guidance included putting to death Judah’s sons who didn’t belong to God’s people; neither in mentality nor in heart.

We could ask ourselves: “Why was it necessary to take his son’s life? Why not simply separate them?” There are many things that God does that we don’t understand. But when we look back, we can see things under a different light. Further ahead in the story, we can see the importance of taking care of Judah’s descendents…

LEVIRATE MARRIAGE

In Biblical times, it was very important to have children, since through them their father’s name was kept alive. Judah’s oldest son, Er, had married but had no children. So the only way to keep his name alive was that the widow had to have a son from someone related to her husband. To this effect, there was a Biblical law known as the “levirate law” [lat. Levir: brother in law].

(Deu. 25:5-6) "If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband's brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. (6) And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel.

According to tradition, in the case in which a man did not want to give sons to his deceased brother, the society would force him to carry a sign of shame, which consisted in walking with one bare foot. The entire family would be burdened with this public shame, since they were called the “family of the barefooted one”.

This was all done because of the importance that was given to keeping the family’s name alive and because of the importance of the lineage, especially if the deceased son was the firstborn.

Since Judah’s firstborn died without having any descendants, he decided to apply the levirate law.

(Gen. 38:8-9) Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” (9) But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother’s wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother.

We have to realize that Onan did not refuse to sleep with Tamar, he just refused to give descendants to his brother. He just used her for his pleasure, but he did not fulfill his duty. Because of this, God judged him and also took his life.

(Gen. 38:10) And what he did was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and he put him to death also.

Now there was only one of Judah’s sons left, but Shelah was too young to marry.

(Gen. 38:11) Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house, till Shelah my son grows up”—for he feared that he would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went and remained in her father’s house.

Tamar was left waiting and waiting, but the day never came, because Judah did not intend to keep his word. Maybe Judah thought that she was to blame for both of his sons’ deaths, but the truth is that the reason they died was because of their sin. This is similar to when people blame their misfortunes on “bad luck” or on other people, when really it is all the result of bad decisions and their own sin. Judah had sinned, just as his sons had, and that is why they had this happen to them, not because having of Tamar as wife.

TAMAR’S RESPONSE

Tamar was being unjustly accused. Besides she was being condemned to staying a widow in hopes of a redemption that would never come, without the opportunity of every of marrying again. 

But she would not sit there and do nothing. She made a plan that would guarantee her a son and make her a part of Judah’s family.

(Gen. 38:12-19) In the course of time the wife of Judah, Shua’s daughter, died. When Judah was comforted, he went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. (13) And when Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,” (14) she took off her widow’s garments and covered herself with a veil, wrapping herself up, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she had not been given to him in marriage. (15) When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. (16) He turned to her at the roadside and said, “Come, let me come in to you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?” (17) He answered, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” And she said, “If you give me a pledge, until you send it—” (18) He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” She replied, “Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand.” So he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him. (19) Then she arose and went away, and taking off her veil she put on the garments of her widowhood.

Tamar found the right moment in which Judah would be the most vulnerable. On one hand, he was without a wife since his wife had just died. On the other hand, he was probably drunk since he had just come from shearing his sheep, for which they did a great celebration.

THE ITEMS

The items that Tamar asked Judah to give her as a proof of payment were important:

1. The signet: a ring that was used to sign documents, equivalent to a signature.

2. The cord: a string or lace on which the signet was hung.

3. The staff: a stick which was used as a support for the shepherds, but some of them had their names engraved on them.

Tamar was not prostituting herself to get a payment, but her objective was to get pregnant from someone related to her husband. The items that she asked were not going to be of any use to her besides identifying the person that gave them to her.

(Gen. 38:20-23) When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite to take back the pledge from the woman’s hand, he did not find her. (21) And he asked the men of the place, “Where is the cult prostitute who was at Enaim at the roadside?” And they said, “No cult prostitute has been here.” (22) So he returned to Judah and said, “I have not found her. Also, the men of the place said, ‘No cult prostitute has been here.’” (23) And Judah replied, “Let her keep the things as her own, or we shall be laughed at. You see, I sent this young goat, and you did not find her.”

But the truth surfaced a few months later…

(Gen. 38:24) About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has been immoral. Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality.” And Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.” 

It’s interesting to see how easily we can judge, without thinking that we ourselves could be guilty for the same thing. Judah was quick to judge Tamar without knowing that he was also responsible for this.

(Gen. 38:25-26) As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.” And she said, “Please identify whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff.” (26) Then Judah identified them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her again.

Maybe it’s hard for us to think that Tamar was “righteous” after what she did. But what Judah meant was that she was “more righteous than him”. Tamar’s fault was smaller than his. In this way, Judah finally recognized his fault. That is when his life finally began to make a turn for the better, which would culminate in his reencounter with Joseph.

JUDAH’S DESCENDENTS

The bible narrates this story because it was very important for Israel’s genealogy that these sons be born.

(Gen. 38:27-30) When the time of her labor came, there were twins in her womb. (28) And when she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” (29) But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” Therefore his name was called Perez. (30) Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.

Perez (heb. Peretz) lit. Breach forth

Zerah (heb. Zerach) lit. To rise as the sun, irradiate.

At first glance, these twins look like any other boy. But after tracing their lives, their descendents are made very important. Later in the bible, we see that from the line of descent of Perez came David, and then Jesus.

(Matthew 1:1-3) The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. (2) Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, (3) and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,…

(Matthew 1:16-17) And Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. (17) So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

The story of the scarlet thread also has a hidden significance. This is an image of the two male goats that were chosen for Yom Kippur (Lev. 16:7-10). One goat was sacrificed and the other was sent to the desert. According to Hebrew tradition, this last one had a white lace tied to it, which would turn scarlet when it died if God forgave the people’s sins. Since then, the Lord has been revealing in the Bible his redemption plan through symbolisms and shadows.