Genesis 38:21
in Genesis 38He asked the men of that place, “Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?” “No shrine prostitute has been here,” they answered.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then he asked the men of her place, saying, Where is the prostitute, that was at Enaim by the wayside? And they said, There hath been no prostitute here.
KJV
Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this place.
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This verse in Genesis 38
Commentary
3 notes on this verseWhere is the harlot that was openly by the wayside? - Our translators often render different Hebrew words by the same term in English, and thus many important shades of meaning, which involve traits of character, are lost. In Gen 38:15, Tamar is called a harlot, זונה zonah, which, as we have already seen, signifies a person who prostitutes herself for money. In this verse she is called a harlot in our version; but the original is not זונה but קדשה kedeshah, a holy or consecrated person, from קדש kadash, to make holy, or to consecrate to religious purposes.
This site's exposition
the shrine prostitute who was beside the road
on Genesis 38:21-23
Hirah asks for the woman with a different word from the one the writer used. He asks after a qedeshah, a woman consecrated to a shrine, where verse 15 called her a zonah, a common prostitute. The men of Enaim answer that no shrine prostitute has been there. Judah drops the search to keep from being laughed at.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Then he asked the men of that place,....
The words behind it
16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּשְׁאַ֞ל | vaiyishal | and he asked | H7592 → | 171 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אַנְשֵׁ֤י | ʾanshei | [the] men of | H582 → | 566 times |
| מְקֹמָהּ֙ | mekomah | place her | H4725 → | 401 times |
| לֵאמֹ֔ר | lemor | <to> saying | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אַיֵּ֧ה | ʾaiyeh | where? | H346 → | 45 times |
| הַקְּדֵשָׁ֛ה | hakedeshah | [is] the cult prostitute | H6948 → | 5 times |
| הִ֥וא | hi' | she | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| בָעֵינַ֖יִם | vaeinayim | [was] at <the> Enaim | H5879 → | |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | at | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הַדָּ֑רֶךְ | hadarekh | the road | H1870 → | 707 times |
| וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ | vaiyomeru | and they said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| הָיְתָ֥ה | hayetah | she was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| בָזֶ֖ה | vazeh | in this [place] | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| קְדֵשָֽׁה׃ | kedeshah | a cult prostitute | H6948 → | 5 times |
וַיִּשְׁאַ֞לand he asked
vaiyishalH7592 →171 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
אַנְשֵׁ֤י[the] men of
ʾansheiH582 →566 times
מְקֹמָהּ֙place her
mekomahH4725 →401 times
לֵאמֹ֔ר<to> saying
lemorH559 →5305 times
אַיֵּ֧הwhere?
ʾaiyehH346 →45 times
הַקְּדֵשָׁ֛ה[is] the cult prostitute
hakedeshahH6948 →5 times
הִ֥ואshe
hi'H1931 →1879 times
בָעֵינַ֖יִם[was] at <the> Enaim
vaeinayimH5879 →
עַל־at
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הַדָּ֑רֶךְthe road
hadarekhH1870 →707 times
וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּand they said
vaiyomeruH559 →5305 times
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
הָיְתָ֥הshe was
hayetahH1961 →3559 times
בָזֶ֖הin this [place]
vazehH2088 →1180 times
קְדֵשָֽׁה׃a cult prostitute
kedeshahH6948 →5 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Genesis
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament.