Genesischapter 38
30 verses · Moses, by tradition · 15th to 13th century BC · The Law
In Jewish life
The reading
Weekly portion 9 of 54
וַיֵּשֶׁב Vayeshev, Genesis 37:1 to 40:23
Read with it: Amos 2:6 to 3:8.
The verse numbers here are the ones a Hebrew Bible carries, which differ from an English Bible by a verse or two in several places. The Sephardi reading is named only where this site records a difference; communities vary beyond what is listed. What these books are, and how a Christian reader meets them →
How it is read
The corpus holds very little English on this chapter and a great deal of citation, so the classical reading of it stands here mostly as references. Rashi comments at nineteen places and Malbim at one, and no English of any of them is in the corpus under a licence permitting quotation: Rashi on Genesis 38:1:1, 38:2:1, 38:5:1, 38:7:1, 38:8:1, 38:9:1, 38:11:1, 38:12:1, 38:13:1, 38:14:1, 38:15:1, 38:16:1, 38:17:1, 38:18:1, 38:21:1, 38:23:1, 38:24:1, 38:25:1 and 38:26:1, Malbim on Genesis 38:20:1. Four short comments carry English. Radak reads the naming of the three sons as a record of ordinary family custom: "Yehudah named the first son, whereas his wife named the second son. This appears to have been the custom at that time", and explains the break in the pattern at the third by Judah's absence (Radak on Genesis 38:3:1, translated by Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash, CC-BY). On the death of the second son he writes one line, that "both brothers had been guilty of the same sin" (Radak on Genesis 38:10:1), and on Tamar's removing of her veil he notes only that it came from her head and face (Radak on Genesis 38:19:1). Sforno reads the friend's report back to Judah as a warning about reputation, that pressing the search further "would be liable to hurt his image" (Sforno on Genesis 38:22:1, Munk translation, CC-BY).
What the rabbis say
The corpus records forty rabbinic locators on this chapter, thirty-six of them Midrash and four Talmud, and the rabbis are where the weight of the Jewish reading of this chapter sits. Bereshit Rabbah is cited at 41:7, 60:15, 61:4, 63:8, 74:5, 85:5, 85:8 and 85:14, the last three running through Tamar's widowhood, her waiting at the road and the birth of the twins. Midrash Lekach Tov is cited at Genesis 38:2:1, 38:3:1, 38:7:1, 38:8:1, 38:19:1 and 38:21:1, Bereshit Rabbati at Parashat Vayeshev 14, 18, 19, 20 and 25, Midrash Aggadah at Genesis 38:3:1, 38:4:1, 38:16:1 and 38:30:1, Midrash Sekhel Tov at Bereshit 38:4:1, 38:6:1 and 38:22:1, Aggadat Bereshit at 27:2, 61:3, 64:1, 64:3 and 83:1, and Bamidbar Rabbah at 9:24 and 21:11. The Ein Yaakov collection is cited three times, at Pesakhim 3:6, Niddah 2:3 and Bava Kama 8:9 in the Glick edition. The four Talmud locators are Jerusalem Talmud Demai 1:1:4 and Jerusalem Talmud Ketubot 7:5:4 early in the chapter, Avot DeRabbi Natan 34:5 at Tamar's sending of the pledge, and Bava Kamma 92a:22 at Judah's acknowledgement.
The text, verse by verse
Each word shows the Hebrew, the English under it, how it sounds and its Strong’s number. A rule between verses marks where the Hebrew manuscripts end a paragraph.
Judah's Sons and a Widowed Tamar
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 38:1
This does not refer to the time that Joseph was sold. 1 As the sequence of chapters would tend to indicate.
Read it in full at Sefaria · Ibn Ezra's commentary on the Pentateuch, tran. and annot. by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver. Menorah Pub., 1988-2004
Onkelos Genesis 38:1
And it was at that time, that Yehudah descended from his brothers.
Read it in full at Sefaria · Metsudah Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009 [with Onkelos translation]
Rashbam on Genesis 38:10
גם אותו. According to our sages Er also died for this same type of sin, as he deliberately wasted his semen by ejaculating prematurely to prevent his wife from becoming pregnant. He wanted to preserve her physical beauty.
Read it in full at Sefaria · Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash
Onkelos Genesis 38:10
What he did was evil in the eyes of [ before ] Adonoy, and He also put him to death.
Read it in full at Sefaria · Metsudah Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009 [with Onkelos translation]
Ramban on Genesis 38:11
ABIDE A WIDOW AT THY FATHER’s HOUSE. The meaning thereof is that “you should conduct yourself there as a widow until Shelah be grown up.
Read it in full at Sefaria · Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976
Tamar Waits Beside the Road
Ramban on Genesis 38:12
He would go there continually to console himself after his wife’s death so that he may turn his attention to the sheep and forget his poverty. 170 Proverbs:7.
Read it in full at Sefaria · Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 38:14
Ve-tekhas is a transitive verb. It means and covered herself. 28 An intransitive verb is not followed by the object.
Read it in full at Sefaria · Ibn Ezra's commentary on the Pentateuch, tran. and annot. by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver. Menorah Pub., 1988-2004
She Is More Righteous Than I
Hebrew words in this chapter
The 40 most used Hebrew words of the chapter, counted by lemma. The article, the object marker, the negatives and the common prepositions are left out.
| Word | Sense here | Uses | Strong’s |
|---|---|---|---|
| אָמַרʼâmar | to say | 22 | H559 |
| יְהוּדָהYᵉhûwdâh | Judah | 15 | H3063 |
| אָחʼâch | brother | 8 | H251 |
| שֵׁםshêm | name | 8 | H8034 |
| נָתַןnâthan | to give | 8 | H5414 |
| יָלַדyâlad | and she bore | 7 | H3205 |
| יָדyâd | hand | 7 | H3027 |
| בּוֹאbôwʼ | to come | 6 | H935 |
| אִשָּׁהʼishshâh | woman | 6 | H802 |
| לָקַחlâqach | to take | 5 | H3947 |
| בֵּןbên | son | 5 | H1121 |
| קָרָאqârâʼ | to call | 5 | H7121 |
| תָּמָרTâmâr | Tamar | 5 | H8559 |
| הִנֵּהhinnêh | there | 5 | H2009 |
| שָׁלַחshâlach | to send | 5 | H7971 |
| יָצָאyâtsâʼ | to come out | 5 | H3318 |
| שֵׁלָהShêlâh | Shelah | 4 | H7956 |
| מוּתmûwth | to die | 4 | H4191 |
| אִישׁʼîysh | man | 3 | H376 |
| עֲדֻלָּמִיʻĂdullâmîy | Adullamite | 3 | H5726 |
| Word | Sense here | Uses | Strong’s |
|---|---|---|---|
| רָאָהrâʼâh | and he saw | 3 | H7200 |
| הָרָהhârâh | and she conceived | 3 | H2029 |
| עֵרʻÊr | er | 3 | H6147 |
| עוֹדʻôwd | again | 3 | H5750 |
| אוֹנָןʼÔwnân | Onan | 3 | H209 |
| יְהֹוָהYᵉhôvâh | yahweh | 3 | H3068 |
| זֶרַעzeraʻ | offspring | 3 | H2233 |
| יָדַעyâdaʻ | to know | 3 | H3045 |
| כַּלָּהkallâh | daughter-in-law | 3 | H3618 |
| יָשַׁבyâshab | to dwell | 3 | H3427 |
| צֹאןtsôʼn | flock | 3 | H6629 |
| תִּמְנָהTimnâh | Timnah | 3 | H8553 |
| דֶּרֶךְderek | road of | 3 | H1870 |
| גְּדִיgᵉdîy | kid | 3 | H1423 |
| עֲרָבוֹןʻărâbôwn | pledge | 3 | H6162 |
| מָצָאmâtsâʼ | he found her | 3 | H4672 |
| קְדֵשָׁהqᵉdêshâh | cult prostitute | 3 | H6948 |
| עֵתʻêth | time | 2 | H6256 |
| נָטָהnâṭâh | and he turned aside | 2 | H5186 |
| חִירָהChîyrâh | Hirah | 2 | H2437 |
Keep studying
Sources for this chapter
The Hebrew text
STEP Bible, the tagged Hebrew text and its English glosses and James Strong, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance.
In Jewish life
Radak, Radak on Genesis 38:3:1, 38:10:1 and 38:19:1, translated by Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash, CC-BY; Sforno, Sforno on Genesis 38:22:1, translated by Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash, CC-BY; Rashi, Rashi on Genesis 38:1:1, 38:2:1, 38:5:1, 38:7:1, 38:8:1, 38:9:1, 38:11:1, 38:12:1, 38:13:1, 38:14:1, 38:15:1, 38:16:1, 38:17:1, 38:18:1, 38:21:1, 38:23:1, 38:24:1, 38:25:1 and 38:26:1, cited only, no English version in the corpus under a licence permitting quotation; Malbim, Malbim on Genesis 38:20:1, cited only; Midrash, Bereshit Rabbah 41:7, 60:15, 61:4, 63:8, 74:5, 85:5, 85:8 and 85:14; Midrash Lekach Tov, Genesis 38:2:1, 38:3:1, 38:7:1, 38:8:1, 38:19:1 and 38:21:1; Bereshit Rabbati, Parashat Vayeshev 14, 18, 19, 20 and 25; Midrash Aggadah, Genesis 38:3:1, 38:4:1, 38:16:1 and 38:30:1; Midrash Sekhel Tov, Bereshit 38:4:1, 38:6:1 and 38:22:1; Aggadat Bereshit 27:2, 61:3, 64:1, 64:3 and 83:1; Bamidbar Rabbah 9:24 and 21:11; Ein Yaakov, Pesakhim 3:6 and Niddah 2:3; Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition), Bava Kama 8:9; Babylonian Talmud, Bava Kamma 92a:22; Jerusalem Talmud, Jerusalem Talmud Demai 1:1:4, Jerusalem Talmud Ketubot 7:5:4 and Avot DeRabbi Natan, Avot DeRabbi Natan 34:5.
The rabbinic texts
Ramban, Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976; Ibn Ezra, Ibn Ezra's commentary on the Pentateuch, tran. and annot. by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver. Menorah Pub., 1988-2004; Rashbam, Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash; Targum, Metsudah Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009 [with Onkelos translation] and Sefaria, texts and citation data.