Genesis 38: “Judah and Tamar”
1. The Setting and Separation
“It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.” (Gen 38:1)
Judah leaves his family — the first separation from the covenant household.
The fall begins not in one act but in distance from the promise.
St Bede the Venerable notes:
“Judah’s descent from his brothers is the descent of the soul from the company of the faithful into worldly friendship.”
(Commentary on Genesis, 38)
Once apart from the flock, Judah’s moral decline unfolds swiftly.
2. Marriage and Worldliness
“There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; he took her and went in to her.” (v. 2)
He marries a Canaanite — repeating Esau’s mistake.
The line chosen for holiness mingles with pagan blood.
Yet even here, God’s plan is not thwarted.
St Augustine remarks:
“The sons of men may mix seed with the daughters of men, yet the seed of God’s purpose remains undefiled; for grace draws light from the shadow.”
(City of God XVI.47)
Three sons are born: Er, Onan, and Shelah — each name meaning life, yet soon linked with death.
3. The Death of Er
“And Judah took a wife for Er his first-born, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah’s first-born, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord slew him.” (vv. 6–7)
Scripture gives no details of Er’s sin; the silence itself is severe.
The moral is that life within the covenant does not guarantee righteousness.
St Ambrose comments:
“He was called Er — which means ‘awake’ — yet he slept in sin. The name that should have been vigilance became his reproach.”
(On Jacob and the Happy Life 20)
The Lord’s swift judgement prepares the scene for mercy.
4. The Duty of Onan
“Then Judah said to Onan, ‘Go in to your brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a brother-in-law, and raise up offspring for your brother.’” (v. 8)
This practice (levirate marriage) safeguarded the family line and inheritance.
Onan’s duty was to give Tamar a son in his brother’s name — preserving the covenant promise.
But he refuses.
“But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother’s wife he spilled the seed on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother.” (v. 9)
5. The Sin of Onan
The Church Fathers and moral tradition see here not mere contraception but a deliberate act of selfishness — denying both justice and life.
St Augustine writes:
“Onan’s sin was not that he lay with his brother’s wife, but that he corrupted his seed, refusing the generation of offspring. For this, he deserved death.”
(De bono coniugali 34)
His refusal strikes at the heart of God’s creative plan: the unity of love and fruitfulness.
Every sin against life is rebellion against the Author of life.
6. Judah’s Fear and Neglect
“Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, ‘Remain a widow in your father’s house, till Shelah my son grows up’; for he feared lest he also die, like his brothers.” (v. 11)
Judah blames Tamar for his sons’ deaths rather than their sin.
He sends her away — a double injustice, combining superstition and cowardice.
St Bede observes:
“He who should have repented of his sons’ wickedness turns his suspicion against the innocent. Fear blinds the unrepentant.”
(Commentary on Genesis, 38)
Thus, the promise seems endangered: the line of Judah risks extinction.
7. Tamar’s Bold Resolve
“In course of time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah was comforted, he went up to Timnah to his sheep-shearers… and it was told Tamar.” (vv. 12–13)
Tamar hears that her father-in-law travels nearby; she acts.
“She put off her widow’s garments, covered herself with a veil… and sat at the entrance to Enaim.” (v. 14)
Her purpose is not lust but justice — to claim the right Judah denied her.
St Ambrose defends her intention:
“Her deed was not the work of wantonness but of faith; she sought not pleasure but posterity.”
(On Jacob and the Happy Life 20)
Her means are irregular, but her motive is covenantal. Through her daring, the messianic line survives.
8. Judah’s Fall
“When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot, for she had covered her face… He turned to her by the roadside, and said, ‘Come, let me come in to you.’” (vv. 15–16)
Judah, who condemned Tamar to barrenness, now seeks unlawful union.
Sin blinds; the deceiver becomes deceived.
St John Chrysostom remarks:
“He who refused to give seed lawfully seeks it unlawfully. Thus divine justice turns vice against itself.”
(Homilies on Genesis LXIV.1)
Judah promises a goat as payment and leaves his signet, cord, and staff as pledges — tokens of identity and authority.
9. Tamar Conceives
“So she conceived by him.” (v. 18)
From this ambiguous act God will bring blessing.
Tamar withdraws and resumes her widow’s garments — not in shame, but in fulfilment.
Providence writes straight with crooked lines.
St Augustine reflects:
“God permitted the sin that He might manifest the Saviour’s lineage from sinners; that none might despair of mercy.”
(City of God XVI.47)
10. Judah’s Hypocrisy and Exposure
“About three months later Judah was told, ‘Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the harlot; moreover she is with child.’ And Judah said, ‘Bring her out, and let her be burned.’” (v. 24)
Hypocrisy always seeks severe judgement for others.
Judah, guilty himself, condemns what he imagines in another.
“As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, ‘By the man to whom these belong, I am with child.’ And she said, ‘Discern, I pray you, whose are these, the signet and the cord and the staff.’” (vv. 25)
The tokens of sin become instruments of truth.
St Bede comments:
“The signet, the cord, and the staff signify baptism, faith, and discipline; by these the Church proves her innocence before her accusers.”
(Commentary on Genesis, 38)
Tamar’s courage and discretion reveal righteousness within apparent shame.
11. Judah’s Confession
“Then Judah acknowledged them and said, ‘She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.’” (v. 26)
This is the turning point: Judah repents.
From this confession will spring the royal line.
St Ambrose writes:
“He who said ‘She is more righteous than I’ judged himself; and by humility regained what he had lost by sin.”
(On Jacob and the Happy Life 21)
Judah’s repentance prefigures the mercy shown to the sinful woman in the Gospel.
12. The Birth of the Twins
“When the time of her delivery came, behold, there were twins in her womb… one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, ‘This came out first.’ But he drew back his hand, and his brother came out; and she said, ‘What a breach you have made for yourself!’ So his name was called Perez.” (vv. 27–29)
Perez (“breach”) and Zerah (“rising”) both carry symbolic meaning.
Perez will become ancestor of King David and, through him, of Christ (Mt 1:3).
The line of salvation runs through this scandalous birth.
St Bede the Venerable interprets:
“Perez, who broke forth first, prefigures the Gentiles who entered salvation before the Jews; the scarlet thread signifies redemption through the blood of Christ.”
(Commentary on Genesis, 38)
13. Theological Summary
| Theme | Revelation |
| Judah’s descent | The fall from covenant into worldliness |
| Er and Onan’s deaths | Sin’s fruit is death |
| Tamar’s persistence | Faith seeking justice amid sin |
| Judah’s hypocrisy | The sinner’s blindness |
| Confession | Repentance that restores grace |
| Perez’s birth | The breach through which salvation comes |
St Augustine summarises:
“From the sin of Judah came the grace of David, and from David the Christ; for God turns even guilt into prophecy.”
(City of God XVI.47)
14. Moral and Spiritual Application
Do not abandon the covenant. Judah’s fall began with departure from his brothers.
Honour life and duty. Onan’s sin warns against selfish use of God’s gifts.
Repent quickly. Judah’s confession saved his soul and the promise.
Trust God’s providence. Even tangled sins can become channels of grace.
Defend the innocent. Tamar’s vindication reminds us that God sees the heart, not appearances.
15. Christ Hidden in the Line of Sinners
From this episode flows the genealogy of redemption:
| Judah’s Story | Fulfilment in Christ |
| Sins of the patriarchs | Christ born into a sinful humanity |
| Tamar’s daring faith | Mary’s pure faith in the fullness of time |
| Perez’s breach | The Cross that opens salvation to all |
| Scarlet thread | The Blood of Christ redeeming mankind |
| Judah’s confession | Humanity’s repentance before God |
St Ambrose concludes:
“Christ chose to be born of Judah’s line that mercy might triumph over shame, and that no sinner might despair who beholds the lineage of the Saviour.”
(On the Mysteries 16)
16. Closing Prayer
O Lord of mercy and providence,
You write straight with crooked lines
and bring holiness out of human sin.
Teach us to repent like Judah,
to persevere like Tamar,
and to trust that Your purposes never fail.
Let every scarlet thread of shame
become a sign of redemption in Christ,
who descended from sinners to save sinners
and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 