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Genesis 38 Bible study: More righteous than I
Judah left his brothers, lost two sons, and kept his daughter-in-law Tamar waiting for a son he never gave her. She found a way to bear children in his family, and when Judah recognized his own pledge he said, "She is more righteous than I". Her son Perez became an ancestor of David and of Jesus.
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“Judah acknowledged them, and said, “She is more righteous than I, because I didn’t give her to Shelah, my son.” He knew her again no more.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“Judah said of Tamar, ‘She is more righteous than I.’”
Is that in Genesis 38, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
Judah went down from his brothers
"At that time, Judah went down from his brothers" (38:1). Genesis places it right after the brothers sold Joseph (37:26-28). He marries the daughter of a Canaanite named Shua and has three sons, Er, Onan and Shelah (38:2-5). Er marries Tamar. "Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the LORD’s sight. So the LORD killed him" (38:6-7).
Where it leads to Jesus
Tamar's son in Jesus' line
Genesis 38:29leads toMatthew 1:16
Tamar bears twins, and one is named Perez (38:29). Matthew's list of Jesus' ancestors names this chapter's mother and sons, "Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar" (Matthew 1:3), and ends with "Jesus, who is called Christ" (Matthew 1:16). Luke's list runs through Perez too: "the son of Perez, the son of Judah" (Luke 3:33).
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Genesis 38
That was a taste
The rest of Genesis 38 is waiting in Favor
- Shelah held back
- The signet, the cord and the staff
- "She is more righteous than I"
- Tamar in the line of Jesus
- Judah and the pledge
- 12 questions as you read
- 4 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Genesis 38 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
צָדַקtsadaqsay tsa-DAK
"Be just, righteous", including "have a just cause, be in the right" (Brown-Driver-Briggs). Judah says of Tamar, "She is more righteous than I" (38:26); the Hebrew is two words, tsadqah mimmenni, literally "she is in the right, more than I". This is the verb's first appearance in the Bible. Its only other use in Genesis is Judah again, before Joseph: "How will we clear ourselves?" (44:16).
For your group
Genesis 38 Bible study questions
- 1Judah told Tamar to wait for Shelah, then didn't give him to her (38:11, 14, 26). What does this chapter show about the cost of leaving a word unkept?
- 2Judah was ready to condemn Tamar until he saw his own signet, cord and staff. When have you judged someone else for something you were part of?
- 3Tamar is named in Jesus' genealogy. What does it tell you that God worked through a family story like this one?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Genesis 38 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
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The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home