Knowing The Word in Genesis 38:1-11, Judah and Tamar

1 It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite [in a town southwest of Jerusalem], whose name was Hirah. [Judah separates himself voluntarily from his family, unlike Joseph, and gets into trouble. This chapter is inserted here to contrast Judah with Joseph in the following chapter.] 2 There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua [ruler]. He took her [what does this remind you of? (hint: fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil)] and went in to her, 3 and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er [is evil spelled backwards; means “guard”]. 4 She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan [vigorous]. 5 Yet again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah [draw out of the womb]. Judah was in Chezib when she bore him.

6 And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar [palm tree]. 7 But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked [“Er erred!”] in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death. [Does God purposely kill people?] 8 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.” [Hebrew law requires an unmarried brother to produce a child for the dead husband so that his name may not be blotted out.] 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. 10 And what he did was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death also. [God’s command is to be fruitful and multiply and Onan disobeys it.] 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. [Judah has no plans to follow through on this requirement.] So Tamar went and remained in her father's house.