Genesis 38:18
in Genesis 38“What pledge should I give you?” he asked. She answered, “Your seal and your cord, and the staff in your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet and thy cord, and thy staff that is in thy hand. And he gave them to her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.
KJV
And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.
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This verse in Genesis 38
Commentary
6 notes on this verseA commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
But the Hebrew word here rendered "bracelets," is everywhere else translated "lace" or "ribbon"; so that as the signet alone was probably more than an equivalent for the kid, it is not easy to conjecture why the other things were given in addition, except by supposing the perforated seal was attached by a ribbon to the staff.
This site's exposition
a young goat from my flock
on Genesis 38:17-18
The price Judah offers is a young goat from his flock. Tamar asks for a pledge to hold until the goat comes, and she takes his seal, his cord and the staff in his hand. Those three named a man in that country and made his word binding, the way a signature does now. She becomes pregnant by him.
This site's exposition
Your seal and your cord, and the staff
The seal was a small engraved cylinder or stamp, worn on the cord around the neck and pressed into clay to sign. Men of rank in the ancient Near East carried a seal and a staff carved at the head. The Hebrew for staff, matteh, later names the tribe of Judah.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
Let no one who hears this, however, condemn Tamar. As I said before, she was carrying out the divine plan, and hence neither did she incur any blame, nor did Judah lay himself open to any charge. I mean, as you proceed along from this point, you will find Christ tracing his lineage from the two children born to him. In particular, the two children born to him were a type of the two people, prefiguring Jewish life and the spiritual life. For the time being, however, let us see how after Judah's departure a short time elapsed and then the affair came to light; Judah admitted his own involvement and acquitted her of any guilt. So, after Tamar had achieved what she wanted, she once more changed her dress, the text says, left the spot and returned to her home. Judah, of course, was aware of none of this; he kept his promise by sending a kid so as to recover the pledge given by him, but the woman was nowhere to be found, and the servant returned informing Judah that no word of the woman could be had anywhere. Learning this, Judah said, the text goes on, "Let's hope we are never condemned for being thought ungrateful." He was unaware of what had happened, you see.
The purpose and intention of the divinely inspired Scripture is to describe to us the mystery of Christ through countless facts. And with good reason some have compared it with a magnificent and illustrious city that does not have a single statue of its king or imperator but many statues placed in a most frequented spot, where everybody can admire them. See how Scripture does not omit any fact that refers to such mystery but rather describes at length any and all of them.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And he said, what pledge shall I give thee?....
The words behind it
18 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֗אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| מָ֣ה | mah | what? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| הָֽעֵרָבוֹן֮ | haeravon | [is] the pledge | H6162 → | 3 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| אֶתֶּן־ | ʾeten- | I will give | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| לָּךְ֒ | lokh | to <the> you | ||
| וַתֹּ֗אמֶר | vatomer | and she said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| חֹתָֽמְךָ֙ | chotamekha | seal your | H2368 → | |
| וּפְתִילֶ֔ךָ | ufetilekha | and cord your | H6616 → | |
| וּמַטְּךָ֖ | umatekha | and staff your | H4294 → | |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| בְּיָדֶ֑ךָ | beyadekha | [is] in hand your | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| וַיִּתֶּן־ | vaiyiten- | and he gave [them] | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| לָּ֛הּ | lah | to <the> her | ||
| וַיָּבֹ֥א | vaiyavo' | and he went | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֵלֶ֖יהָ | ʾeleiha | into her | H413 → | 5510 times |
| וַתַּ֥הַר | vatahar | and she conceived | H2029 → | 43 times |
| לֽוֹ׃ | lo | to <the> him |
וַיֹּ֗אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
מָ֣הwhat?
mahH4100 →752 times
הָֽעֵרָבוֹן֮[is] the pledge
haeravonH6162 →3 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
אֶתֶּן־I will give
ʾeten-H5414 →2011 times
לָּךְ֒to <the> you
lokh
וַתֹּ֗אמֶרand she said
vatomerH559 →5305 times
חֹתָֽמְךָ֙seal your
chotamekhaH2368 →
וּפְתִילֶ֔ךָand cord your
ufetilekhaH6616 →
וּמַטְּךָ֖and staff your
umatekhaH4294 →
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
בְּיָדֶ֑ךָ[is] in hand your
beyadekhaH3027 →1618 times
וַיִּתֶּן־and he gave [them]
vaiyiten-H5414 →2011 times
לָּ֛הּto <the> her
lah
וַיָּבֹ֥אand he went
vaiyavo'H935 →2568 times
אֵלֶ֖יהָinto her
ʾeleihaH413 →5510 times
וַתַּ֥הַרand she conceived
vataharH2029 →43 times
לֽוֹ׃to <the> him
lo
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Hosea 4:11Promiscuity, wine, and new wine take away understanding.
it leads to
- Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by them is not wise.
- Luke 21:34
But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.
- Proverbs 20:1
Through
Luke 15:22But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
it leads to
- Genesis 41:42
Then Pharaoh removed the signet ring from his finger, put it on Joseph’s finger, clothed him in garments of fine linen, and placed a gold chain around his neck.
- Esther 8:2
The king removed the signet ring he had recovered from Haman and presented it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed Mordecai over the estate of Haman.
- Revelation 6:11
Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been…
- Isaiah 61:10
I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom…
- Esther 3:10
So the king removed the signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.
- Genesis 41:42
Through
Jeremiah 22:24“As surely as I live,” declares the LORD, “even if you, Coniah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on My right hand, I would pull you off.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 37:1
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made Zedekiah son of Josiah the king of Judah, and he reigned in place of Coniah son of Jehoiakim.
- Jeremiah 37:1
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies2
On this verse
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About Genesis
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Cyril of Alexandria, GLAPHYRA ON GENESIS, 6.1; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, HOMILIES ON GENESIS 62.5 and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).