GENESIS 38

JUDAH + TAMAR 

The story shifts from Joseph and focuses on Judah, one of the sons of Jacob and Leah. Judah lives in Canaan and marries a Canaanite woman who gives him two sons, Er and Onan.

Er marries a woman named Tamar, but Er is wicked in the sight of the Lord, so God kills him. Now, Onan was to marry Tamar. Onan was also evil in God’s sight, wasting his childbearing potential instead of blessing Tamar with a child, so God kills him as well. 

Judah later has a third son, named Selah. Because his first two sons died, Judah promises Tamar that Selah will marry her when he is older. Because Judah does not want Selah to also die, he does not keep his promise to Tamar. 

Tamar takes matters into her own hands and dresses up as a prostitute. Judah, not knowing who she is, sleeps with her, and she becomes pregnant. Judah finds out that Tamar is pregnant and wants her killed. But Tamar covered her tracks by keeping Judah’s personal belongings, incriminating him as the one who impregnated her. 

Tamar gives birth to twin boys, named Tamar and Perez. Matthew 1:1-6 shows the lineage of Jesus, including Judah and Perez. Even in this unconventional story, God is working to fulfill his promise to Abraham through the line of Judah.