Discovery BoxGenesis 38:1-3 
Context38:1 At that time Judah left 1 his brothers and stayed 2 with an Adullamite man 3 named Hirah.
38:2 There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man 4 named Shua. 5 Judah acquired her as a wife 6 and had marital relations with her. 7 38:3 She became pregnant 8 and had a son. Judah named 9 him Er.
Genesis 38:7
Context38:7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord killed him.
Genesis 38:10
Context38:10 What he did was evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord 10 killed him too.
Genesis 38:24-30
Context38:24 After three months Judah was told, 11 “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to prostitution, 12 and as a result she has become pregnant.” 13 Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!” 38:25 While they were bringing her out, she sent word 14 to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong.” 15 Then she said, “Identify 16 the one to whom the seal, cord, and staff belong.” 38:26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more upright 17 than I am, because I wouldn’t give her to Shelah my son.” He did not have sexual relations with her 18 again.
38:27 When it was time for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb. 38:28 While she was giving birth, one child 19 put out his hand, and the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” 38:29 But then he drew back his hand, and his brother came out before him. 20 She said, “How you have broken out of the womb!” 21 So he was named Perez. 22 38:30 Afterward his brother came out – the one who had the scarlet thread on his hand – and he was named Zerah. 23
1 tn Heb “went down from.”
2 tn Heb “and he turned aside unto.”
3 tn Heb “a man, an Adullamite.”
4 tn Heb “a man, a Canaanite.”
5 tn Heb “and his name was Shua.”
6 tn Heb “and he took her.”
7 tn Heb “and he went to her.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
8 tn Or “she conceived” (also in the following verse).
9 tc Some
tn Heb “and he called his name.” The referent (Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
11 tn Heb “it was told to Judah, saying.”
12 tn Or “has been sexually promiscuous.” The verb may refer here to loose or promiscuous activity, not necessarily prostitution.
13 tn Heb “and also look, she is with child by prostitution.”
14 tn Heb “she was being brought out and she sent.” The juxtaposition of two clauses, both of which place the subject before the predicate, indicates synchronic action.
15 tn Heb “who these to him.”
16 tn Or “ recognize; note.” This same Hebrew verb (נָכַר, nakhar) is used at the beginning of v. 26, where it is translated “recognized.”
17 tn Traditionally “more righteous”; cf. NCV, NRSV, NLT “more in the right.”
sn She is more upright than I. Judah had been irresponsible and unfaithful to his duty to see that the family line continued through the levirate marriage of his son Shelah. Tamar fought for her right to be the mother of Judah’s line. When she was not given Shelah and Judah’s wife died, she took action on her own to ensure that the line did not die out. Though deceptive, it was a desperate and courageous act. For Tamar it was within her rights; she did nothing that the law did not entitle her to do. But for Judah it was wrong because he thought he was going to a prostitute. See also Susan Niditch, “The Wronged Woman Righted: An Analysis of Genesis 38,” HTR 72 (1979): 143-48.
18 tn Heb “and he did not add again to know her.” Here “know” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
19 tn The word “child” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
20 tn Heb “Look, his brother came out.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through the midwife’s eyes. The words “before him” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
21 tn Heb “How you have made a breach for yourself!” The Hebrew verb translated “make a breach” frequently occurs, as here, with a cognate accusative. The event provided the meaningful name Perez, “he who breaks through.”
22 sn The name Perez means “he who breaks through,” referring to Perez reaching out his hand at birth before his brother was born. The naming signified the completion of Tamar’s struggle and also depicted the destiny of the tribe of Perez who later became dominant (Gen 46:12 and Num 26:20). Judah and his brothers had sold Joseph into slavery, thinking they could thwart God’s plan that the elder brothers should serve the younger. God demonstrated that principle through these births in Judah’s own family, affirming that the elder will serve the younger, and that Joseph’s leadership could not so easily be set aside. See J. Goldin, “The Youngest Son; or, Where Does Genesis 38 Belong?” JBL 96 (1977): 27-44.
23 sn Perhaps the child was named Zerah because of the scarlet thread. Though the Hebrew word used for “scarlet thread” in v. 28 is not related to the name Zerah, there is a related root in Babylonian and western Aramaic that means “scarlet” or “scarlet thread.” In Hebrew the name appears to be derived from a root meaning “to shine.” The name could have originally meant something like “shining one” or “God has shined.” Zerah became the head of a tribe (Num 26:20) from whom Achan descended (Josh 7:1).
