Notes on genesis 38

Main Themes: Royal seed, blessing the nations through that seed, paradise lost
Context of Genesis is the line of promise i.e. Gen !, faith in tal"ing #i$es from %r, &braham's
homeland and not ta"ing #i$es from Canaanites, and marrying into the land.
Tension bet#een the promise and the reality
(a)ob fled from *sau but also to get a non Canaanite #ife from %r remember mother and father's
tri)"ery in ma"ing him do this.
(a)ob's return and resettlement in +)he)hem after return from homeland and ,aban.
Gen 3- ,e$i and +imeon's trea)hery #ith the +)he)hemites. (a)ob's response
Gen 3. God instru)ts (a)ob to go to /ethel and rededi)ate0purify himself and rid himself of his
idols. Re1establishments of promises222 3srael 4God fights5 is name gi$en, signifi)an)e66 (a)ob is
3srael and d#ells in the hill )ountry as the histori)al asso)iation of 3srael and the hill )ountry is
strong. Ne$er thought of as ha$ing a strong asso)iation #ith the south p!. &n)ient 3srael
Gen 37 *sau's des)endants named, Cannaanite #i$es.
Gen 38: This is the story of (a)ob 93: fa$ouritism of (a)ob prefering (oseph o$er other boys6
3n)luding his remembran)e of the dream that (oseph's brothers #ould bo# do#n before (oseph,
38:
&ll about (oseph and (udah2
38:!8 (udah's role in the (oseph affair only Reuben )omes out #ith any integrity #anting to )ome
ba)" and sa$e his brother. (udah #anted to sell him to Midianites as he did not #ant the blood guilt
on his hands.
Gen 38 ;hy66
38:! (udah ta"es a Canaanite #ife, his entire family is Canaanite, #ife's name ne$er mentioned as
heirs )ome through Tamar, /ath1shua Chr !:3
Tamar mentioned in genealogies66 <er sons
$7 Tamar a Canaanite also6
98 *r is #i)"ed and his life is ta"en, be)ause of Canaanite religion of mother66
$= >nan's )rime of not loo"ing after #ido#, Tamar and )arrying on the line of promise6 f?God's
@udgement of *r and Tamar's @usti)e in getting an heir
$ (udah's la)" of )on)ern for Tamar, sent a#ay to her father's house to prote)t +helah, (udah's
third son, did (udah thin" it #as Tamar #ho #as the problem, )ausing his son's to die6
9! again +huah's daughter is not named
$. passi$e Tamar be)omes a)ti$e Tamar s)heming for she "ne# that +helah #ould not be gi$en to
her rightfully, in@usti)e to a #ido#.
Aid he normally use harlots #as it @ust be)ause his #ife had died6 ;as it @ust unusual to see one in
*naim, on the road to Timnah6 <e #ould be a))ustomed to the use of temple prostitutes in
Canaanite religion6
98 preplanned the gi$ing of signet ring as )ertain sign of his identity and authority, line of promise
#hi)h he readily gi$es as assuran)e to a prostitute6
9! (udah has no shame in sear)hing and as"ing for #here the temple prostitute is6 <e had
assumed that #as #ho she #as.
9!3 realises that he #ill be a laughingsto)" for losing his pledge
$!- (udah's rea)tion to Tamar's harlotry B hypo)risy )onsidering he used one B the se$erity to burn
her, is this a Cah#eh punishment6 Drom the Canaanite religion6
9!7 she is more righteous than I E F*C :<R&+* be)ause of not gi$ing +helah to Tamar
$!8 t#ins signifi)ant6 ,ine )omes through :ereG not Herah e$en though Herah appears first but @ust
his hand
;hat #e "no# of (udah in his role #ith (oseph and #ith Tamar is that he is not a righteous man
Comparison of the t#o sons (oseph and (udah in (a)ob's story, (oseph marries a priest's daughter in
*gypt B not @ust a Canaanite but an *gyptian -=:.I.
(a)ob and his sons "no# the story of their father and grandfather, abraham's promises #hi)h are
repeated to (a)ob. (a)ob's responsibility to ensure that they are not marrying Canaanites6
(a)ob "no#s father and mother's displeasure at *sau ta"ing Canaanite #i$es. 3saa) and (a)ob both
too" #i$es from %r.
(udah li"e his brothers should be rightly @udged for his beha$iour. Aid (udah "no# the brothers
#ould be ta"en out of the line of promise6
Aid (a)ob intend to gi$e (oseph as the youngest and most fa$oured the line of promise6
-3:331
/en@amin being fa$oured by (oseph, sitting in the line of birthright
Need to loo" )losely at (a)ob's blessing )losely, Tamar's right and righteous beha$iour and (udah's
and Aa$idi) birth1line, Tamar mentioned in all the genealogies, p-7 atler narrati$e #omen in
bibli)al narrati$es refle)ting )reation ordinan)es
Gi$en through Tamar be)ause of the #i)"ed a)tions of (udah e$en though li"e his brothers he
should rightly been @udged himself
(udah's family is all Canaanite B #hat does this say6 Compare Rahab and +almon and /oaG and
Ruth also in line.
-3:33 *gyptians #ould not eat #ith the <ebre#s for it #as loathsome for them
-7:3- shepherds are loathsome to *gyptians
Chapter -- (udah offering himself as a ransom for /en@amin
-.:718 God's pro$iden)e despite their trea)hery and s)hemes
$!8 (a)ob's spirit re$i$ed by ne#s of (oseph fa$ouritism again
-7:!8 (udah is sent before 3srael to (oseph
-8:!= (a)ob #ants to be buried in the land of promise
-8
(a)ob ta"es (oseph's sons as part of the promise, 'they are mine' blesses *phraim abo$e Manasseh.
The first born loses out on the blessing. (oseph unhappy e$en though he #as a fa$ourite and not the
firstborn.
-= 3sraelJs prophe)y, (udah the line of promise #hy666
Compare (udah and (oseph's blessings, the ! "ingdoms, one signifying the Gentile6
Aate, )ultural and histori)al setting
+han"s notes that the (oseph story is problemati) plus see his suggested dating, also names of
(a)ob's sons are regions p3I,3 8II/C* p3
(agersma p!! )on)lusion on lifestyle of the patriar)hs p33 la)" of mention of baal gi$es late dating
mention anar)hronisms +** N>T*+
p- )ontext of seed being important )onsidering )onditions
p7 mythos $ logos "aren armsrong
p- m#ts hagar naming god p-- #omen's life tenuous 3M:>RT&NC* of outsiders
&nxiety of reprodu)tion and proper des)endan)y, @a)ob's family mar"ed by "in strife and dis)ord
-!
&lter R, Genesis: Translation and Commentary, ==7, Ne# Cor", ; ; Norton K Company
Good *M, 3rony in the >ld Testament, =8 +heffield, The &lmond :ress
(agersma <, & <istory of 3srael to /ar Fo)hba, =8., ,ondon, +CM :ress ,td
+han"s <, &n)ient 3srael, ===, ;ashington AC, :renti)e <all
9an ;i@"1/os (;<, Ma"ing ;ise the +imple, !II., Grand Rapids, *erdmans :ublishing Co.