Genesis 38:24
in Genesis 38About three months later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and now she is pregnant.” “Bring her out!” Judah replied. “Let her be burned to death!”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter-in-law hath played the harlot; and moreover, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.
KJV
And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.
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This verse in Genesis 38
Commentary
5 notes on this verseBring her forth, and let her be burnt - As he had ordered Tamar to live as a widow in her own father’s house till his son Shelah should be marriageable, he considers her therefore as the wife of his son; and as Shelah was not yet given to her, and she is found with child, she is reputed by him as an adulteress, and burning, it seems, was anciently the punishment of this crime.
This site's exposition
About three months later
on Genesis 38:24-25
Three months later Judah hears that Tamar is pregnant and sentences her to burning in one breath. She sends his own pledge back with a request to examine the seal and cord and staff. Judah and his brothers had sent Joseph's bloodied robe to their father at Genesis 37:32 and told him to examine it. Henry marks how severe men are about their own sin.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Note, it is a common thing for men to be severe against those very sins in others in which yet they allow themselves; and so, in judging others, they condemn themselves, Rom. ii. If he designed that she should be burnt to death, perhaps, under pretence of zeal against the sin, he was contriving how to get rid of his daughter-in-law, being loath to marry Shelah to her.
And it came to pass about three months after,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Bring her forth, and let her be burnt--In patriarchal times fathers seem to have possessed the power of life and death over the members of their families.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
The words behind it
17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְהִ֣י׀ | vayhi | and it was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| כְּמִשְׁלֹ֣שׁ | kemishlosh | when from three | H7969 → | 432 times |
| חֳדָשִׁ֗ים | chodashim | months | H2320 → | 284 times |
| וַיֻּגַּ֨ד | vaiyugad | and it was told | H5046 → | 370 times |
| לִֽיהוּדָ֤ה | lihudah | to Judah | H3063 → | 819 times |
| לֵֽאמֹר֙ | lemor | <to> saying | H559 → | 5305 times |
| זָֽנְתָה֙ | zanetah | she has acted as a prostitute | H2181 → | 94 times |
| תָּמָ֣ר | tamar | Tamar | H8559 → | 25 times |
| כַּלָּתֶ֔ךָ | kalatekha | daughter-in-law your | H3618 → | 34 times |
| וְגַ֛ם | vegam | and also | H1571 → | 769 times |
| הִנֵּ֥ה | hineh | here! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| הָרָ֖ה | harah | [she is] pregnant | H2030 → | 16 times |
| לִזְנוּנִ֑ים | liznunim | to prostitution<s> | H2183 → | |
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| יְהוּדָ֔ה | yehudah | Judah | H3063 → | 819 times |
| הוֹצִיא֖וּהָ | hotziuha | bring out her | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| וְתִשָּׂרֵֽף׃ | vetisaref | so she may be burned | H8313 → |
וַיְהִ֣י׀and it was
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
כְּמִשְׁלֹ֣שׁwhen from three
kemishloshH7969 →432 times
חֳדָשִׁ֗יםmonths
chodashimH2320 →284 times
וַיֻּגַּ֨דand it was told
vaiyugadH5046 →370 times
לִֽיהוּדָ֤הto Judah
lihudahH3063 →819 times
לֵֽאמֹר֙<to> saying
lemorH559 →5305 times
זָֽנְתָה֙she has acted as a prostitute
zanetahH2181 →94 times
תָּמָ֣רTamar
tamarH8559 →25 times
כַּלָּתֶ֔ךָdaughter-in-law your
kalatekhaH3618 →34 times
וְגַ֛םand also
vegamH1571 →769 times
הִנֵּ֥הhere!
hinehH2009 →843 times
הָרָ֖ה[she is] pregnant
harahH2030 →16 times
לִזְנוּנִ֑יםto prostitution<s>
liznunimH2183 →
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
יְהוּדָ֔הJudah
yehudahH3063 →819 times
הוֹצִיא֖וּהָbring out her
hotziuhaH3318 →1067 times
וְתִשָּׂרֵֽף׃so she may be burned
vetisarefH8313 →
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
Judges 19:2But she was unfaithful to him and left him to return to her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah. After she had been there four months,
it leads to
- Ezekiel 16:28
Then you prostituted yourself with the Assyrians, because you were not yet satisfied. Even after that, you were still not satisfied.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ezekiel 16:28
Through
Hosea 2:5For their mother has played the harlot and has conceived them in disgrace. For she thought, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me bread and water, wool and linen, oil and drink.’
it leads to
- Jeremiah 44:17–18
Instead, we will do everything we vowed to do: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and offer drink offerings to her, just as we, our fathers, our kings, and our officials…
- Hosea 2:8
For she does not acknowledge that it was I who gave her grain, new wine, and oil, who lavished on her silver and gold—which they crafted for Baal.
- Hosea 3:1
Then the LORD said to me, “Go show love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn…
- Isaiah 1:21
See how the faithful city has become a harlot! She once was full of justice; righteousness resided within her, but now only murderers!
- Jeremiah 44:17–18
Through
Ezekiel 23:5Oholah prostituted herself while she was still Mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians—warriors
it leads to
- 2 Kings 15:19
Then Pul king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver in order to gain his support and strengthen his own grip on the kingdom.
- 2 Kings 17:3
Shalmaneser king of Assyria attacked him, and Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute.
- 2 Kings 16:7
So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hands of the kings of Aram and Israel, who are…
- 2 Kings 15:19
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Genesis
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.