Seeds of Promise Series by Shenica Graham

Tamar: Wife of Er, Son of Judah, Son of Israel

Women of The Bible

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Memory Verses: AMP

Devotional Reading: Genesis 38:19-30

¹⁹ And she arose and went away and laid aside her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood. ²⁰ And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand; but he was unable to find her. ²¹ He asked the men of that place, Where is the harlot or cult prostitute who was openly by the roadside? They said, There was no harlot or temple prostitute here. ²² So he returned to Judah and said, I cannot find her; and also the local men said, There was no harlot or temple prostitute around here. ²³ And Judah said, Let her keep [the pledge articles] for herself, lest we be made ashamed. I sent this kid, but you have not found her. ²⁴ But about three months later Judah was told, Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the harlot, and also she is with child by her lewdness. And Judah said, Bring her forth and let her be burned!

²⁵ When she was brought forth, she [took the things he had given her in pledge and] sent [them] to her father-in-law, saying, I am with child by the man to whom these articles belong. Then she added, Make out clearly, I pray you, to whom these belong, the signet [seal], [signet] cord, and staff. ²⁶ And Judah acknowledged them and said, She has been more righteous and just than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son. And he did not cohabit with her again. ²⁷ Now when the time came for her to be delivered, behold, there were twins in her womb. ²⁸ And when she was in labor, one baby put out his hand; and the midwife took his hand and bound upon it a scarlet thread, saying, This baby was born first. ²⁹ But he drew back his hand, and behold, his brother was born first. And she said, What a breaking forth you have made for yourself! Therefore his name was called Perez [breaking forth]. ³⁰ And afterward his brother who had the scarlet thread on his hand was born and was named Zerah [scarlet].

Tamar was somewhat cheated in marriage, not given to Judah’s son Shelah when she was a widow and the custom was for a brother to marry his brother’s widow. Someone told Tamar that her father-in-law (of her widowhood) was going a certain way, and that she should deceive him; which, she did. She dressed and veiled herself like a harlot and Judah went in unto her and she conceived a child. But before lying with Judah, Tamar asked a tribute for her acts. Judah gave her distinct items according to Tamar’s requests. Later, it was known that there was not harlot by the way that Judah had traveled, but that he had slept with his daughter-in-law; and that because he had not given his son Shelah to be her husband. Tamar became the mother of twins, Perez and Zerah.