Discovery BoxGenesis 38:12-17 
Context38:12 After some time 1 Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah was consoled, he left for Timnah to visit his sheepshearers, along with 2 his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 38:13 Tamar was told, 3 “Look, your father-in-law is going up 4 to Timnah to shear his sheep.” 38:14 So she removed her widow’s clothes and covered herself with a veil. She wrapped herself and sat at the entrance to Enaim which is on the way to Timnah. (She did this because 5 she saw that she had not been given to Shelah as a wife, even though he had now grown up.) 6
38:15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute 7 because she had covered her face. 38:16 He turned aside to her along the road and said, “Come on! I want to have sex with you.” 8 (He did not realize 9 it was his daughter-in-law.) She asked, “What will you give me in exchange for having sex with you?” 10 38:17 He replied, “I’ll send you a young goat from the flock.” She asked, “Will you give me a pledge until you send it?” 11
1 sn After some time. There is not enough information in the narrative to know how long this was. The text says “the days increased.” It was long enough for Shelah to mature and for Tamar to realize she would not have him.
2 tn Heb “and he went up to the shearers of his sheep, he and.”
3 tn Heb “And it was told to Tamar, saying.”
4 tn The active participle indicates the action was in progress or about to begin.
5 tn The Hebrew text simply has “because,” connecting this sentence to what precedes. For stylistic reasons the words “she did this” are supplied in the translation and a new sentence begun.
6 tn Heb “she saw that Shelah had grown up, but she was not given to him as a wife.”
7 tn Heb “he reckoned her for a prostitute,” which was what Tamar had intended for him to do. She obviously had some idea of his inclinations, or she would not have tried this risky plan.
8 tn Heb “I will go to you.” The imperfect verbal form probably indicates his desire here. The expression “go to” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
9 tn Heb “for he did not know that.”
10 tn Heb “when you come to me.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
11 tn Heb “until you send.”
