Genesis 38 11

Genesis 38:11 kjv

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.

Genesis 38:11 nkjv

Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, "Remain a widow in your father's house till my son Shelah is grown." For he said, "Lest he also die like his brothers." And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.

Genesis 38:11 niv

Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Live as a widow in your father's household until my son Shelah grows up." For he thought, "He may die too, just like his brothers." So Tamar went to live in her father's household.

Genesis 38:11 esv

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.

Genesis 38:11 nlt

Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, "Go back to your parents' home and remain a widow until my son Shelah is old enough to marry you." (But Judah didn't really intend to do this because he was afraid Shelah would also die, like his two brothers.) So Tamar went back to live in her father's home.

Genesis 38 verses

Genesis 38 11 meaning

Judah's command to Tamar unjustly consigned her to an indefinite period of widowhood and social limbo in her paternal home. His underlying motivation was a self-preserving fear that his last son, Shelah, would also die, a superstitious interpretation of the previous deaths of Er and Onan. This act was a dereliction of his patriarchal and familial duty of levirate marriage, designed to preserve his family's lineage and provide for his daughter-in-law.

Genesis 38 11 Context

Genesis 38 serves as an interlude within the larger Joseph narrative, disrupting the flow between Joseph's betrayal and his rise in Egypt. This chapter details Judah's descent into moral compromise after separating from his brothers (Gen 38:1) and sets the stage for his future transformation. The passage reveals the customs surrounding levirate marriage (yibbum), where a brother-in-law was obligated to marry his deceased brother's widow to perpetuate the deceased's name and lineage. Judah's two elder sons, Er and Onan, had already died due to their wickedness (Gen 38:7, 38:10), making Tamar a thrice-widowed, childless woman. This verse shows Judah's evasion of the levirate duty concerning his third son, Shelah, demonstrating his self-interest and a superstitious misinterpretation of divine judgment, rather than a just concern. It is crucial for understanding the complex character of Judah, from whom the Messiah would ultimately descend.

Genesis 38 11 Word analysis

• Then Judah said: Highlights Judah's authority and decision-making role within his patriarchal family structure, asserting control over Tamar's fate.
• to Tamar his daughter-in-law: "Tamar" signifies an outsider (likely Canaanite) married into the Israelite line. "Daughter-in-law" (Hebrew: kallāh, כַּלָּה֙) denotes her marital connection to Judah's house and her expectant status, even in widowhood, for continuation of the family line.
• "Remain a widow": (Hebrew: shevi almanah, שֵׁבִי אַלְמָנָה֙, literally "sit/dwell a widow"). This is not merely a description but an imperative, instructing her to remain in a vulnerable, socially ambiguous status. It is a directive for a prolonged, inactive period.
• "in your father's house": (Hebrew: bêt ’āḇîḵ, בֵּ֣ית אָבִ֔יךְ). The customary place for a young widow without a direct provision to return. It offered social protection but isolated her from the active household of her deceased husband, implicitly halting her life's progress towards bearing children for her former husband's line.
• "till my son Shelah grows up": (Hebrew: ‘ad-kî-yiḡdal, עַד־כִּֽי־יִגְדַּל֙, "until he grows up"). This is a deliberately vague and non-committal promise. Shelah was already alive, so this signifies a long, indefinite delay or outright deception on Judah's part, implying he was stalling beyond a customary coming-of-age for marriage.
• "—for he thought,": (Hebrew: kî ’āmar, כִּ֣י אָמַ֗ר, literally "for he said/thought"). This introduces Judah's internal reasoning, revealing his hidden motives to the reader. It shifts from external command to internal fear, exposing his deceptive intention.
• "Lest he also die": (Hebrew: pen-yāmûṯ gam-hû’, פֶּן־יָמ֤וּת גַּם־הֽוּא). Reveals Judah's fear, suggesting a superstitious belief or a misunderstanding of divine judgment regarding the deaths of Er and Onan. He unjustly blames Tamar or sees marrying her as an automatic death sentence, rather than attributing their deaths to their personal wickedness.
• "like his brothers.": (Hebrew: kə-’eḥāw, כְּאֶחָיו֙). Links Shelah's potential fate to Er and Onan's, but ignores the reason for their deaths (divine judgment for their sin, not Tamar herself), highlighting Judah's flawed interpretation.

Words-Group Analysis:

• "Remain a widow in your father's house": This phrase captures the imposed state of social limbo and deprivation of agency on Tamar. It dictates her withdrawal from Judah's family and the public sphere, making her effectively a hostage to an unfulfilled promise, blocking her rightful marital and maternal future within the tribe.
• "—for he thought, 'Lest he also die like his brothers.'": This internal reflection is pivotal. It lays bare Judah's self-centeredness and deep-seated fear. His motive is not based on compassion or an accurate understanding of divine justice but on a misattribution of past tragedies, leading him to abandon his familial responsibility and unjustly suspend Tamar's fate.

Genesis 38 11 Bonus section

• The placement of Genesis 38 within the Joseph narrative emphasizes that despite personal and familial failures (like Judah's), God's covenant promises and providential plan for the chosen lineage (ultimately leading to Christ) continue to unfold, often through unexpected means and seemingly flawed individuals.
• Tamar's situation, as presented in this verse, sets up her remarkable proactive role later in the chapter, demonstrating an "unconventional righteousness" by adhering more closely to the spirit of the law of levirate marriage than Judah himself.
• The mention of Shelah growing up is intentionally vague, setting the stage for Judah's later failure to send Shelah when he indeed came of age, cementing the broken promise and Judah's deliberate deception (Gen 38:14).

Genesis 38 11 Commentary

Genesis 38:11 is a pivotal verse highlighting Judah's moral decline and the challenging social position of women, particularly widows, in ancient Israelite society. Judah's command to Tamar, to remain in her father's house as a widow awaiting Shelah, was a calculated evasion of the levirate law. The underlying fear that Shelah might also die "like his brothers" reveals Judah's flawed spiritual understanding; he attributes Er and Onan's deaths to some curse associated with Tamar rather than to their personal wickedness and divine judgment. This verse underscores Judah's immediate concern for his own bloodline's survival over his familial duty and the vulnerable state of Tamar. His broken promise, delaying justice, forced Tamar to later take drastic, but righteous, action to secure her place and the perpetuation of the messianic lineage, thereby ironically showcasing her greater integrity compared to Judah at this stage.