EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Genesis 38:15
15Judah saw her as she sat there. He thought that she was a prostitute, because she had covered her face.
Genesis 38:15 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.
- New International Version (NIV)When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.
- English Standard Version (ESV)When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.
- New King James Version (NKJV)When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face.
Context of Genesis 38:15
13Someone told Tamar, ‘Your husband's father is going to Timnah to get the wool from his sheep.’ 14Tamar knew that Judah's son Shelah had now become a man. But Judah had not yet let Shelah marry her. So Tamar took off her widow's clothes and she put on other clothes. She covered her head with a veil. She did not want anyone to recognize her. Then she sat at the gate of Enaim. Enaim is a town on the road that goes to Timnah. Judah saw her as she sat there. He thought that she was a prostitute, because she had covered her face. 16He did not know that she was his son's widow. He went to her at the side of the road. He said, ‘Let me have sex with you.’ Tamar asked him, ‘If I have sex with you, what will you give me?’ 17Judah replied, ‘I will take a young goat from my animals and I will give it to you.’ Tamar said, ‘Please give me something now to show me that you will really send the goat to me.’
Read all of Genesis 38Genesis 38:15 word by word
וַיִּרְאֶ֣הָ יְהוּדָ֔ה וַֽיַּחְשְׁבֶ֖הָ לְזוֹנָ֑ה כִּ֥י כִסְּתָ֖ה פָּנֶֽיהָ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Genesis 38:15
- Genesis 34:31But Simeon and Levi replied, ‘Shechem should not have had sex with our sister as if she were a prostitute.’
- Leviticus 19:29He must not sell his daughter for sex. You would make her ashamed. If he does this, all the people might do the same. The whole land would become full of sin.
- Leviticus 21:14The woman must not have had a husband who died. She must not have a husband that she has left. Men must not have paid to have sex with her. She must be a woman from Israel's people,
- Numbers 25:1The Israelites were staying in Shittim. The men began to have sex with the women from Moab.
- Deuteronomy 23:18You must not bring the money that people pay to these prostitutes into the Lord's temple. Do not use it to offer a gift that you have promised to the Lord your God. He hates prostitutes, both men and women.
- Judges 11:1Jephthah of Gilead was a brave soldier. His father's name was Gilead, but his mother was a prostitute.
- Judges 16:1One day, Samson went to Gaza. He met a prostitute there and he slept with her.
- Judges 19:2But she became angry with him. She left him and she returned to her father's house in Bethlehem. After she had been there four months,
- 1 Kings 3:16Two women who were prostitutes came to meet with the king. They stood in front of him to tell him their problem.
- Proverbs 2:18Do not go into her house! If you do, you will be on the road to death. If you follow her, you will arrive at the home of the spirits of dead people.
- Amos 2:7They are not kind to poor people and they do not help them. A father and his son have sex with the same woman. They do not respect the holy way that I want them to live.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:22But keep away from any kind of bad thing.
- 1 Peter 3:3Think about what makes you beautiful. The way that you prepare your hair does not really make you beautiful. Gold things or beautiful clothes do not make you beautiful.
- Genesis 38:14Tamar knew that Judah's son Shelah had now become a man. But Judah had not yet let Shelah marry her. So Tamar took off her widow's clothes and she put on other clothes. She covered her head with a veil. She did not want anyone to recognize her. Then she sat at the gate of Enaim. Enaim is a town on the road that goes to Timnah.
Commentaries on Genesis 38:15
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15Thought her to be a harlot - See the original of this term, Genesis 34:31; (note). The Hebrew is זונה zonah, and signifies generally a person who prostitutes herself to the public for hire, or one who lives by the public; and hence very likely applied to a publican, a tavern-keeper, or hostess, Joshua 2:1; translated by the Septuagint, and in the New Testament, , from , to sell, which certainly may as well apply to her goods as to her person. It appears…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-30Verses 1-30 - The Family of Judah 1. עדלם ‛ǎdûllâm Adullam, “righteousness.” חירה chı̂yrâh Chirah, “nobility?” 2. שׁוּע shûa‛ Shua, “luck, riches, cry.” 3. ער ‛êr Er, “watching.” 4. אונן 'ônân Onan, “strong.” 5. שׁלה shēlâh Shelah, “request? rest.” כזיב kezı̂yb Kezib, “falsehood.” 6. תמר tāmār Tamar, “palm.” 12. תמנה tı̂mnâh Timnah, “counted or assigned.” 14. עינים 'êynayı̂m Enaim, “two fountains.” 29. פרץ perets Perets, “breach.” This…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14-19Tamar understood she needed to act to secure her family's future. Following the levirate custom (see study note on 38:8), she remained loyal to her dead husband. She had a legal right to have a child with Judah's son or Judah himself. So she tricked her father-in-law into having sexual relations with her. Again, Jacob’s family experiences deception, this time by a Canaanite daughter-in-law.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-301. at that time--a formula frequently used by the sacred writers, not to describe any precise period, but an interval near about it.Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 38:15
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 38
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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