Kejadian 38:1-30

Judah and Tamar

38:1 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. 38:4 She became pregnant again and had another son, whom she named Onan. 38:5 Then she had ¹⁰  yet another son, whom she named Shelah. She gave birth to him in Kezib. ¹¹ 

38:6 Judah acquired ¹²  a wife for Er his firstborn; her name was Tamar. 38:7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord killed him.

38:8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Have sexual relations with ¹³  your brother’s wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her so that you may raise ¹⁴  up a descendant for your brother.” ¹⁵  38:9 But Onan knew that the child ¹⁶  would not be considered his. ¹⁷  So whenever ¹⁸  he had sexual relations with ¹⁹  his brother’s wife, he withdrew prematurely ²⁰  so as not to give his brother a descendant. 38:10 What he did was evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord ²¹  killed him too.

38:11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until Shelah my son grows up.” For he thought, ²²  “I don’t want him to die like his brothers.” ²³  So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.

38:12 After some time ²⁴  Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah was consoled, he left for Timnah to visit his sheepshearers, along with ²⁵  his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 38:13 Tamar was told, ²⁶  “Look, your father-in-law is going up ²⁷  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 ²⁸  she saw that she had not been given to Shelah as a wife, even though he had now grown up.) ²⁹ 

38:15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute ³⁰  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.” ³¹  (He did not realize ³²  it was his daughter-in-law.) She asked, “What will you give me in exchange for having sex with you?” ³³  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?” ³⁴  38:18 He said, “What pledge should I give you?” She replied, “Your seal, your cord, and the staff that’s in your hand.” So he gave them to her and had sex with her. ³⁵  She became pregnant by him. 38:19 She left immediately, ³⁶  removed her veil, and put on her widow’s clothes.

38:20 Then Judah had his friend Hirah ³⁷  the Adullamite take a young goat to get back from the woman the items he had given in pledge, ³⁸  but Hirah ³⁹  could not find her. 38:21 He asked the men who were there, ⁴⁰  “Where is the cult prostitute ⁴¹  who was at Enaim by the road?” But they replied, “There has been no cult prostitute here.” 38:22 So he returned to Judah and said, “I couldn’t find her. Moreover, the men of the place said, ‘There has been no cult prostitute here.’” 38:23 Judah said, “Let her keep the things ⁴²  for herself. Otherwise we will appear to be dishonest. ⁴³  I did indeed send this young goat, but you couldn’t find her.”

38:24 After three months Judah was told, ⁴⁴  “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to prostitution, ⁴⁵  and as a result she has become pregnant.” ⁴⁶  Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!” 38:25 While they were bringing her out, she sent word ⁴⁷  to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong.” ⁴⁸  Then she said, “Identify ⁴⁹  the one to whom the seal, cord, and staff belong.” 38:26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more upright ⁵⁰  than I am, because I wouldn’t give her to Shelah my son.” He did not have sexual relations with her ⁵¹  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 ⁵²  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. ⁵³  She said, “How you have broken out of the womb!” ⁵⁴  So he was named Perez. ⁵⁵  38:30 Afterward his brother came out – the one who had the scarlet thread on his hand – and he was named Zerah. ⁵⁶ 

Kejadian 21:16

21:16 Then she went and sat down by herself across from him at quite a distance, about a bowshot ⁵⁷  away; for she thought, ⁵⁸  “I refuse to watch the child die.” ⁵⁹  So she sat across from him and wept uncontrollably. ⁶⁰ 

Kejadian 21:1

The Birth of Isaac

21:1 The Lord visited ⁶¹  Sarah just as he had said he would and did ⁶²  for Sarah what he had promised. ⁶³ 

1 Samuel 6:9-19

6:9 But keep an eye on it. If it should go up by the way of its own border to Beth Shemesh, then he has brought this great calamity on us. But if that is not the case, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us; rather, it just happened to us by accident.”

6:10 So the men did as instructed. ⁶⁴  They took two cows that had calves and harnessed them to a cart; they also removed their calves to their stalls. 6:11 They put the ark of the Lord on the cart, along with the chest, the gold mice, and the images of the sores. 6:12 Then the cows went directly on the road to Beth Shemesh. They went along, mooing as they went; they turned neither to the right nor to the left. The leaders of the Philistines were walking along behind them all the way to the border of Beth Shemesh.

6:13 Now the residents of Beth Shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley. When they looked up and saw the ark, they were pleased at the sight. 6:14 The cart was coming to the field of Joshua, who was from Beth Shemesh. It paused there near a big stone. Then they cut up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. 6:15 The Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the chest that was with it, which contained the gold objects. They placed them near the big stone. At that time the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord. 6:16 The five leaders of the Philistines watched what was happening and then returned to Ekron on the same day.

6:17 These are the gold sores that the Philistines brought as a guilt offering to the Lord – one for each of the following cities: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. 6:18 The gold mice corresponded in number to all the Philistine cities of the five leaders, from the fortified cities to hamlet villages, to greater Abel, ⁶⁵  where they positioned the ark of the Lord until this very day in the field of Joshua who was from Beth Shemesh.

6:19 But the Lord ⁶⁶  struck down some of the people of Beth Shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the Lord; he struck down 50,070 ⁶⁷  of the men. The people grieved because the Lord had struck the people with a hard blow.

1 Samuel 6:1

The Philistines Return the Ark

6:1 When the ark of the Lord had been in the land ⁶⁸  of the Philistines for seven months, ⁶⁹ 

Kisah Para Rasul 4:9

4:9 if ⁷⁰  we are being examined ⁷¹  today for a good deed ⁷²  done to a sick man – by what means this man was healed ⁷³  –

Kisah Para Rasul 4:2

4:2 angry ⁷⁴  because they were teaching the people and announcing ⁷⁵  in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.

Kisah Para Rasul 14:11-13

14:11 So when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted ⁷⁶  in the Lycaonian language, ⁷⁷  “The gods have come down to us in human form!” ⁷⁸  14:12 They began to call ⁷⁹  Barnabas Zeus ⁸⁰  and Paul Hermes, ⁸¹  because he was the chief speaker. 14:13 The priest of the temple ⁸²  of Zeus, ⁸³  located just outside the city, brought bulls ⁸⁴  and garlands ⁸⁵  to the city gates; he and the crowds wanted to offer sacrifices to them. ⁸⁶ 

[38:1]  ¹ tn Heb “went down from.”

[38:1]  ² tn Heb “and he turned aside unto.”

[38:1]  ³ tn Heb “a man, an Adullamite.”

[38:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “a man, a Canaanite.”

[38:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “and his name was Shua.”

[38:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “and he took her.”

[38:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “and he went to her.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:3]  ⁸ tn Or “she conceived” (also in the following verse).

[38:3]  ⁹ tc Some mss read this verb as feminine, “she called,” to match the pattern of the next two verses. But the MT, “he called,” should probably be retained as the more difficult reading.

[38:3]  tn Heb “and he called his name.” The referent (Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[38:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and she added again and she gave birth.” The first verb and the adverb emphasize that she gave birth once more.

[38:5]  ¹¹ tn Or “and he [i.e., Judah] was in Kezib when she gave birth to him.”

[38:6]  ¹² tn Heb “and Judah took.”

[38:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “go to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:8]  ¹⁴ tn The imperative with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose.

[38:8]  ¹⁵ sn Raise up a descendant for your brother. The purpose of this custom, called the levirate system, was to ensure that no line of the family would become extinct. The name of the deceased was to be maintained through this custom of having a child by the nearest relative. See M. Burrows, “Levirate Marriage in Israel,” JBL 59 (1940): 23-33.

[38:9]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “offspring.”

[38:9]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “would not be his,” that is, legally speaking. Under the levirate system the child would be legally considered the child of his deceased brother.

[38:9]  ¹⁸ tn The construction shows that this was a repeated practice and not merely one action.

[38:9]  sn The text makes it clear that the purpose of the custom was to produce an heir for the deceased brother. Onan had no intention of doing that. But he would have sex with the girl as much as he wished. He was willing to use the law to gratify his desires, but was not willing to do the responsible thing.

[38:9]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “he went to.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:9]  ²⁰ tn Heb “he spoiled [his semen] to the ground.” Onan withdrew prematurely and ejaculated on the ground to prevent his brother’s widow from becoming pregnant.

[38:10]  ²¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[38:11]  ²² tn Heb “said.”

[38:11]  ²³ tn Heb “Otherwise he will die, also he, like his brothers.”

[38:11]  sn I don’t want him to die like his brothers. This clause explains that Judah had no intention of giving Shelah to Tamar for the purpose of the levirate marriage. Judah apparently knew the nature of his sons, and feared that God would be angry with the third son and kill him as well.

[38:12]  ²⁴ 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.

[38:12]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and he went up to the shearers of his sheep, he and.”

[38:13]  ²⁶ tn Heb “And it was told to Tamar, saying.”

[38:13]  ²⁷ tn The active participle indicates the action was in progress or about to begin.

[38:14]  ²⁸ 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.

[38:14]  ²⁹ tn Heb “she saw that Shelah had grown up, but she was not given to him as a wife.”

[38:15]  ³⁰ 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.

[38:16]  ³¹ 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.

[38:16]  ³² tn Heb “for he did not know that.”

[38:16]  ³³ tn Heb “when you come to me.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:17]  ³⁴ tn Heb “until you send.”

[38:18]  ³⁵ tn Heb “and he went to her.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:19]  ³⁶ tn Heb “and she arose and left,” the first verb in the pair emphasizing that she wasted no time.

[38:20]  ³⁷ tn Heb “sent by the hand of his friend.” Here the name of the friend (“Hirah”) has been included in the translation for clarity.

[38:20]  ³⁸ tn Heb “to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand.”

[38:20]  ³⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Judah’s friend Hirah the Adullamite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[38:21]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “the men of her place,” that is, who lived at the place where she had been.

[38:21]  ⁴¹ sn The Hebrew noun translated “cult prostitute” is derived from a verb meaning “to be set apart; to be distinct.” Thus the term refers to a woman who did not marry, but was dedicated to temple service as a cult prostitute. The masculine form of this noun is used for male cult prostitutes. Judah thought he had gone to an ordinary prostitute (v. 15); but Hirah went looking for a cult prostitute, perhaps because it had been a sheep-shearing festival. For further discussion see E. M. Yamauchi, “Cultic Prostitution,” Orient and Occident (AOAT), 213-23.

[38:23]  ⁴² tn The words “the things” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[38:23]  ⁴³ tn Heb “we will become contemptible.” The Hebrew word בּוּז (buz) describes the contempt that a respectable person would have for someone who is worthless, foolish, or disreputable.

[38:24]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “it was told to Judah, saying.”

[38:24]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “has been sexually promiscuous.” The verb may refer here to loose or promiscuous activity, not necessarily prostitution.

[38:24]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “and also look, she is with child by prostitution.”

[38:25]  ⁴⁷ 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.

[38:25]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “who these to him.”

[38:25]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “ recognize; note.” This same Hebrew verb (נָכַר, nakhar) is used at the beginning of v. 26, where it is translated “recognized.”

[38:26]  ⁵⁰ tn Traditionally “more righteous”; cf. NCV, NRSV, NLT “more in the right.”

[38:26]  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.

[38:26]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “and he did not add again to know her.” Here “know” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:28]  ⁵² tn The word “child” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[38:29]  ⁵³ 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.

[38:29]  ⁵⁴ 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.”

[38:29]  ⁵⁵ 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.

[38:30]  ⁵⁶ 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).

[21:16]  ⁵⁷ sn A bowshot would be a distance of about a hundred yards (ninety meters).

[21:16]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “said.”

[21:16]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “I will not look on the death of the child.” The cohortative verbal form (note the negative particle אַל,’al) here expresses her resolve to avoid the stated action.

[21:16]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “and she lifted up her voice and wept” (that is, she wept uncontrollably). The LXX reads “he” (referring to Ishmael) rather than “she” (referring to Hagar), but this is probably an attempt to harmonize this verse with the following one, which refers to the boy’s cries.

[21:1]  ⁶¹ sn The Hebrew verb translated “visit” (פָּקַד, paqad ) often describes divine intervention for blessing or cursing; it indicates God’s special attention to an individual or a matter, always with respect to his people’s destiny. He may visit (that is, destroy) the Amalekites; he may visit (that is, deliver) his people in Egypt. Here he visits Sarah, to allow her to have the promised child. One’s destiny is changed when the Lord “visits.” For a more detailed study of the term, see G. André, Determining the Destiny (ConBOT).

[21:1]  ⁶² tn Heb “and the Lord did.” The divine name has not been repeated here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[21:1]  ⁶³ tn Heb “spoken.”

[6:10]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “and the men did so.”

[6:18]  ⁶⁵ tc A few Hebrew mss and the LXX read “villages; the large rock…[is witness] until this very day.”

[6:19]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:19]  ⁶⁷ tc The number 50,070 is surprisingly large, although it finds almost unanimous textual support in the MT and in the ancient versions. Only a few medieval Hebrew mss lack “50,000,” reading simply “70” instead. However, there does not seem to be sufficient external evidence to warrant reading 70 rather than 50,070, although that is done by a number of recent translations (e.g., NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). The present translation (reluctantly) follows the MT and the ancient versions here.

[6:1]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “field.”

[6:1]  ⁶⁹ tc The LXX adds “and their land swarmed with mice.”

[4:9]  ⁷⁰ tn This clause is a first class condition. It assumes for the sake of argument that this is what they were being questioned about.

[4:9]  ⁷¹ tn Or “questioned.” The Greek term ἀνακρίνω (anakrinw) points to an examination similar to a legal one.

[4:9]  ⁷² tn Or “for an act of kindness.”

[4:9]  ⁷³ tn Or “delivered” (σέσωται [seswtai], from σώζω [swzw]). See 4:12.

[4:2]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “greatly annoyed,” “provoked.”

[4:2]  ⁷⁵ tn Or “proclaiming.”

[14:11]  ⁷⁶ tn Grk “they lifted up their voice” (an idiom).

[14:11]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “in Lycaonian, saying.” The word “language” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[14:11]  ⁷⁸ tn So BDAG 707 s.v. ὁμοιόω 1. However, L&N 64.4 takes the participle ὁμοιωθέντες (Jomoiwqente") as an adjectival participle modifying θεοί (qeoi): “the gods resembling men have come down to us.”

[14:11]  sn The gods have come down to us in human form. Greek culture spoke of “divine men.” In this region there was a story of Zeus and Hermes visiting the area (Ovid, Metamorphoses 8.611-725). The locals failed to acknowledge them, so judgment followed. The present crowd was determined not to make the mistake a second time.

[14:12]  ⁷⁹ tn The imperfect verb ἐκάλουν (ekaloun) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[14:12]  ⁸⁰ sn Zeus was the chief Greek deity, worshiped throughout the Greco-Roman world (known to the Romans as Jupiter).

[14:12]  ⁸¹ sn Hermes was a Greek god who (according to Greek mythology) was the messenger of the gods and the god of oratory (equivalent to the Roman god Mercury).

[14:13]  ⁸² tn The words “the temple of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. The translation “the priest of (the temple/shrine of) Zeus located before the city” is given for this phrase by BDAG 426 s.v. Ζεύς.

[14:13]  ⁸³ sn See the note on Zeus in the previous verse.

[14:13]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “oxen.”

[14:13]  ⁸⁵ tn Or “wreaths.”

[14:13]  sn Garlands were commonly wreaths of wool with leaves and flowers woven in, worn on a person’s head or woven around a staff. They were an important part of many rituals used to worship pagan gods. Although it was an erroneous reaction, the priest’s reaction shows how all acknowledged their power and access to God.

[14:13]  ⁸⁶ tn The words “to them” are not in the Greek text, but are clearly implied by the response of Paul and Barnabas in the following verse.