Genesis 38:11

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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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
said	וַיֹּ֣אמֶר vai.Yo.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Judah	יְהוּדָה֩ ye.hu.Dah	H3063	Jehudah (or Judah) · proper noun, a man's name
Tamar	לְתָמָ֨ר le.ta.Mar	H8559	Tamar · preposition + proper noun, a woman's name
law	כַּלָּת֜וֹ ka.la.To	H3618	a bride (as if perfect) · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
Remain	שְׁבִ֧י she.Vi	H3427	properly · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person feminine singular
widow	אַלְמָנָ֣ה 'al.ma.Nah	H490	a widow · noun, common feminine singular absolute
father’s	אָבִ֗יךְ 'a.Vikh	H1	father · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person feminine singular
house	בֵית veit-	H1004	a house (in the greatest variation of applications · noun, common masculine singular construct
Shelah	שֵׁלָ֣ה she.Lah	H7956	Shelah · proper noun, a man's name
son	בְנִ֔י ve.Ni	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
grown	יִגְדַּל֙ yig.Dal	H1431	to be (causatively make) large (in various senses · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
said	אָמַ֔ר 'a.Mar	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
die	יָמ֥וּת ya.Mut	H4191	to die (literally or figuratively) · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
brethren	כְּאֶחָ֑יו ke.'e.Chav	H251	a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relation… · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
Tamar	תָּמָ֔ר ta.Mar	H8559	Tamar · proper noun, a woman's name
went	יָלַךְ yâlak	H3212	to walk (literally or figuratively)
dwelt	וַתֵּ֖שֶׁב va.Te.shev	H3427	properly · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
father’s	אָבִֽיהָ 'a.Vi.ha	H1	father · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine singular
house	בֵּ֥ית beit	H1004	a house (in the greatest variation of applications · noun, common masculine singular construct

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Leviticus 22:13 But if the priest’s daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and is returned unto her father’s house, as in her youth, she shall…
Ruth 1:11-13 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 38:1-11

Here is, 1. Judah's foolish friendship with a Canaanite-man. He went down from his brethren, and withdrew for a time from their society and his father's family, and got to be intimately acquainted with one Hirah, an Adullamite, Gen 38:1. It is computed that he was now not much above fifteen or sixteen years of age, an easy prey to the tempter. Note, When young people that have been well educated begin to change their company, they will soon change their manners, and lose their good education. Those that go down from their brethren, that despise and forsake the society of the seed of Israel, and pick up Canaanites for their companions, are going down the hill apace. It is of great consequence…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 38:8

Judah said unto Onan . . . marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother--The first instance of a custom, which was afterwards incorporated among the laws of Moses, that when a husband died leaving a widow, his brother next of age was to marry her, and the issue, if any, was to be served heir to the deceased (compare Deu 25:5).

Adam Clarke on Genesis 38:10

Wherefore he slew him also - The sin of Onan has generally been supposed to be self-pollution; but this is certainly a mistake; his crime was his refusal to raise up seed to his brother, and rather than do it, by the act mentioned above, he rendered himself incapable of it. We find from this history that long be fore the Mosaic law it was an established custom, probably founded on a Divine precept, that if a man died childless his brother was to take his wife, and the children produced by this second marriage were considered as the children of the first husband, and in consequence inherited his possessions.

John Gill on Genesis 38:11

Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law,.... After the death of his two sons, who had successively married her: remain a widow at thy father's house till Shelah my son be grown: who was his third and youngest son, though perhaps not more than a year younger than Onan; but he might not choose he should marry so soon as his brethren had done, for a reason following: according to the custom and law of marrying a brother's wife, who died without issue, she in course was to be the wife of Shelah; since if there were ever so many brothers, they all married such an one in turn, until there was issue by one of them, see Matthew 22:25; as Judah knew this, he pretended at least to give her to hi…

Dictionary and topics

Pharez — Breach, the elder of the twin sons of Judah (Gen. 38:29). From him the royal line of David sprang (Ruth 4:18-22). “The chief of all the captains of the host” was of the children of Perez (1 Chr.…
Shelah — Petition. (1.) Judah’s third son (Gen. 38:2, 5, 11, 14). (2.) A son of Arphaxad (1 Chr. 1:18).
Tamar — Palm. (1.) A place mentioned by Ezekiel (47:19; 48:28), on the southeastern border of Palestine. Some suppose this was “Tadmor” (q.v.). (2.) The daughter-in-law of Judah, to whose eldest son, Er, she…
Inheritance · Provisions for inheritance un — Provisions for inheritance un
Shelah · 1. — 1.
Tamar · 1. Wife of the — 1. Wife of the

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Genesis 38:11

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 38:1-11

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 38:8

Adam Clarke on Genesis 38:10

John Gill on Genesis 38:11

Dictionary and topics

Genesis 38:11

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 38:1-11

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 38:8

Adam Clarke on Genesis 38:10

John Gill on Genesis 38:11

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Genesis 38:11-12

Keil & Delitzsch on Genesis 38:1-11

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Genesis 38:11

Rashi on Genesis 38:9