Genesis 38:22 kjv

And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this place.

Genesis 38:22 nkjv

So he returned to Judah and said, "I cannot find her. Also, the men of the place said there was no harlot in this place."

Genesis 38:22 niv

So he went back to Judah and said, "I didn't find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, 'There hasn't been any shrine prostitute here.'?"

Genesis 38:22 esv

So he returned to Judah and said, "I have not found her. Also, the men of the place said, 'No cult prostitute has been here.'"

Genesis 38:22 nlt

So Hirah returned to Judah and told him, "I couldn't find her anywhere, and the men of the village claim they've never had a shrine prostitute there."

Genesis 38 verses

Genesis 38 22 Meaning

Genesis 38:22 describes Judah's unsuccessful attempt to pay the disguised Tamar with a young goat and retrieve his pledged items. His trusted friend, Hirah the Adullamite, searched for her but could not find her, a divinely orchestrated failure that would lead to the eventual exposure of Judah's actions and the revelation of Tamar's pregnancy. This inability to find her was crucial, preventing Judah from easily hiding his sin and setting the stage for God's redemptive plan through an unexpected lineage.

Genesis 38 22 Context

Genesis chapter 38 serves as a distinct interlude within the larger narrative of Joseph, shifting focus to his brother Judah. This chapter portrays Judah's moral decline: his marriage to a Canaanite woman, the death of his first two wicked sons, Er and Onan, whom the Lord struck down, and his failure to fulfill his levirate duty by giving his third son, Shelah, to Tamar. Tamar, desiring to secure her rightful place and perpetuate her deceased husband's lineage, disguises herself as a roadside prostitute to conceive by Judah himself. After their encounter, Judah pledges his seal, cord, and staff as collateral for a promised young goat. Verse 22 details Judah's subsequent attempt, through his trusted friend Hirah, to deliver the payment and retrieve his pledge. The inability to find the woman highlights a pivotal moment where Judah's attempts to tidy up his misconduct are thwarted, setting the stage for the dramatic revelation of Tamar's pregnancy and her righteous exposure of Judah's hypocrisy and negligence. This unexpected turn is vital for understanding Judah's character development and his crucial role in the messianic line.

Genesis 38 22 Word analysis

• So (וַיִּשְׁלַח - Wəyyišlaḥ): "And he sent," indicating a narrative sequence, linking this action directly to Judah's promise in the preceding verses (Gen 38:17).
• Judah (יְהוּדָה - Yəhûḏâ): The son of Jacob, progenitor of the tribal line from which the Davidic kings and ultimately the Messiah would descend (Gen 49:10; Matt 1:2-3). His flawed character and this moral failing are ironically part of God's larger sovereign plan.
• sent (וַיִּשְׁלַח - Wəyyišlaḥ): Hebrew shalach, meaning "to send out" or "dispatch." This denotes an action taken to fulfill his side of the transaction, highlighting his attempt to resolve the matter and recover his valuable items.
• the kid (אֶת־גְּדִי הָעִזִּים - ’eṯ-gəḏî hā‘izzîm): Literally "a young goat of the goats." This was the specified payment Judah promised (Gen 38:17). Goats were common animals used for food, payment, and sacrifice in the ancient world, representing an ordinary commodity.
• by the hand of (בְּיַד - bəyaḏ): A Hebrew idiom meaning "through the agency of" or "by means of." It indicates a delegated action, underscoring Judah's reliance on his friend.
• his friend (רֵעֵהוּ - rē‘ēhû): Hebrew rea‘, meaning "friend" or "companion." This signifies a trusted associate, not a servant. This reliance on a trusted friend for such a sensitive task indicates a measure of trust and the clandestine nature of Judah's action.
• the Adullamite (הָעֲדֻלָּמִי - hā‘ăḏullāmî): Referring to Hirah (Gen 38:1), Judah's friend from Adullam, a city in the Shephelah. This geographical tag grounds the story in the everyday life of the region and reinforces the close ties between Judah and the local inhabitants.
• but he did not find her (וְלֹא מְצָאָהּ - wəlo’ məṣā’āh): This is the critical turning point. Lo' is the negation particle, and matsa' means "to find." The active failure to locate the woman, though outwardly accidental, is presented by biblical commentators as a clear instance of divine intervention, thwarting Judah's attempt to erase his tracks and enabling the unfolding of God's providential plan for the messianic lineage through Tamar.
• Words-group analysis:
  • Judah sent the kid...by the hand of his friend: Judah, despite his status, is involved in a tawdry transaction and needs assistance to complete it. This illustrates his current moral and spiritual state, resorting to indirect means to handle a direct consequence of his sin.
  • ...but he did not find her: This clause carries immense theological weight. It reveals that human efforts, even when executed by trusted allies, are subject to divine overarching purpose. The inability to "find her" is not just a failed search; it's a divinely ordained frustration of Judah's intent to escape consequences and maintain anonymity, thus leading to the preservation of a line crucial for salvation history. This "not finding" sets in motion a chain of events that exposes truth and furthers God's redemptive agenda, using human imperfection for perfect ends.

Genesis 38 22 Bonus section

The seemingly coincidental inability to find Tamar is a potent illustration of God working behind the scenes, using even human flaws and unforeseen circumstances to direct events towards His predetermined purposes. It highlights that God's plans are not contingent upon human perfect execution or predictable outcomes; rather, He actively orchestrates situations, even frustrating human attempts at concealment, to bring about His will. This subtle divine intervention protects the integrity of the Messianic lineage, ensuring that Perez, from whom David and Jesus would descend, would indeed come forth, proving that God's ways are truly higher than human ways, capable of weaving redemption even through deceit and moral failure.

Genesis 38 22 Commentary

Genesis 38:22, though seemingly a mundane detail, is pivotal in the unfolding drama of Judah and Tamar. Judah's effort to discretely fulfill his pledge and recover his items represents his attempt to control the consequences of his sin and maintain his reputation. However, the providential "failure" to find Tamar demonstrates God's sovereign hand in human affairs. This thwarted search ensured that the collateral (Judah's seal, cord, and staff), which would later serve as irrefutable evidence, remained with Tamar. This meant Judah could not simply walk away from his moral lapse unnoticed. God used this seemingly insignificant non-event to secure Tamar's place in the lineage of the Messiah and to publicly humble Judah, initiating a transformation in his character that would eventually see him become a leader and a figure of the covenant. The "not finding" thus prevents the cover-up, facilitates the truth's revelation, and ensures the path for God's redemptive purpose through an unconventional yet righteous outcome.