s When many days had paſſed, and Shelzh, tho grown, was not
iven to Tamar. # To Feaſt and rejoyce with them at that time, as the manner was then and afterwards: See 1 Sam: 25:36. u A place not far from Adullam ; of which See Jof: 15: 57. |
13 And it was told Tamar, ſaying, behold thy fa- ther-in-law goeth up to Timnath ro ſhear his ſheep.
14 And ſhe put her widows garments off from her, and covered her with a vail x, and wrapped her ſelf, and ſatin Þ an open place y, which is by the way to + x7: 5; Timnath : for ſbe ſaw that Shelah was grown, and ſhe goor of eyes, was not given unto him to wife, or of Eno-
x As Harlots uſed to do in thoſe modeſter Ages of the World, #/”- when they had not learnt to outface the Sun, nor to glory in theiv Villanies. y Where ſhe might be ſooneſt diſcovered by Paſlengers.
This is noted as the praCtice of Harlots, Prov: 7: 12: and g: 14. Jer: J: 2. Ezek: IG: 24, 25.
15 When Judah ſaw her, he thought her to be an harlot : becauſe ſhe, had covered her face z:
z And was doubtlels careful not to diſcover her ſelf by her Voice.
16 And he turned unto her by the way, and aid, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee (for he knew not that ſhe wes his daughter-in-law ) and ſhe ſaid, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayeſt come in unto me? ,
17 And he ſaid, I will ſend thee + a kid fromthe flock: and ſhe faid, Wilt thou give »e a pledge till thou ſend it? ** 18 And he ſaid, What pledge ſhall I give thee ? And © the ſaid, Thy ſignet, and thy bracelets s, 2nd thy ſtaff that is in thine hand : and he gave it her, and came ip
i Heb:was
days were
kid ofthe
FF,
unto her, and ſhe conceived by him 6, 4 4 p Q1,
——— EET IE —
evil in the
t Heb. hs |. multiplied. :
+ He! becom, C03tE
T Or,
Wherefore
' haſt thou
' made this * breach a- &dtnlſt thee
har 1:
> 8 breach,
+ Heb: & : 3 2, 4: ; » Marth:
4
7: Chror,
LE}
?'
7. ES ALPINA 3;
_
=
' made this * breach a-
* Fx Chron;
" Chap. XXXVIIL GEN a Or, handkerchief, os girdle, or any other Ornament made of :wiſted Thread, which the Hebrew word ſignifies» b God ſo ordering things by his Providence, that his Sin might be diſcovered, And this 2nd other ſuch horrid Crimes committed ſometimes by the Patriarchs, and other eminent Perſons, it hath pleaſed God for divers wiſe and holy Reaſons to Jeave upcn Record, partly to diſcover how great and deep the Corcuptien of Man's Nature js, and that even in che beſt ; partly to oblige all Men to an humble Senſe of their own Infirm:ity,and to a diligent Application of themſelves to God for his gracious Succors, andto a greater CircumſpeGion and Warchfulneſs to prevent thoſe Evils in themſelves ; partly re encourage even the greateſt ſinners to R:pentance and the hope of Pardon ; and partly for the juſt Puniſhment and Obduration of incorrigible Sinners, who make ſuch ſad Examples matter of their Delighr and Imitation, 19 And ſhe aroſe and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widow- hood. 2 20 And Judah ſent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive bis pledge from the womans hand, but he found her not. 21 Then he-asked the men of that place, ſaying, + Or, = Where is the harlot that was + openly by the way fide? Enojim. And they ſaid, There was no harlot in this place. 22 And he returned to Judah, and faid, I cannot find her : and alſo the men of the place {a:d, That there was no harlot in this place.
And Judah ſaid, Let her take it to her, left we A rod wn behold, I fentthis kid, and thou haſt
+ 20S. + be aſhameds : ecome 4 not found her. comer pl. b Nore, That Fornication was eſteemed finful and ſhameful
among{t the Heathens.
24 4 And it came to paſs about three months after, that it was told Judah, ſaying, Tamar thy daughter-in- law hath playcd the harlot, and alſo behold, ſhe is with child by whoredom : and Judah faid, Bring her forth c,
and let her be burnt de | c To the Magiftrat, from whom ſhe may receive her Sentence
of and deſerved Puniſhmenre. Judah had not the power of Life and Death, at leaſt not over her who was 2 Canaanite, and who was not 3n his, but in ker own Father's Houſe. Bur he being a perſon of great Eſtate and Authority, and as it ſeems, of obliging Converſation, could dovery much to perſwade thoſe who then had the power of the Sword, either to draw it forth, at leaſt in a juſt Caule, on his behalf, or to ſheath it upon his defire and fatisfaQtion. & As guilty of Adultery, which was puniſhed with Death by the Laws of God, Deut: 22: 23, 24: and of Nations too, Jer: 29: 22, 23. He chargerh her with Adultery, beczuſc ſhe was betrothed to Shelah. See Deur: 22: 23. This eagerneſs of J#4a4 proceeded not from zeal of Juſtice, for then he would not have endeavoured to deſtroy the innocent Child with the guilty Mother, againſt God's Law, Deut: 24: 16: Ezek: 18: 20: but from worldly Policy, that. he might take her cut of the way, which he eſteemed a burden and a blot ro his Family. 25 When ſhe was brought forth, ſhe ſent to her fa-
ther-in-law, ſaying, By the man whoſe theſe are, am I with child: and ſhe {aid, Diſcern, I pray thee, whoſe are theſe, the ſignet, and bracelets, and itaft.
26 And Judah acknowledged hem e, and faid, She] ©
hath been more righ:eous than I f ; becauſe that [ gave her not to Shelah my ſon : and he knew her agan no
more g. e His guilty Conſcience, and the horrour offo foul a Fatt, together
with his ſudden ſurprizal, forced him to an ingenuous Confeſſion, whereas he might have uſed many pretences and evaſions, which would eaſily have prevailed with ſuch partial Judges. f She was more unchaſt, becauſe ſhe knowingly committed Adultery and Inceſt, when he deſigned neither ; but he was more unjuſt, becauſe he was the cauſe of her Sin, both by withholding She/ah from her, who was hers both by Right and by Judah's Promiſe, and by whom her Chaſtiry ſhould have Been preſerved ; and by his ſolicitation and and encouragement of her to the Sin. g Shewing the ſincerity of his Confeſſion by his forſaking of the Sin confefled, See Job 34: 32. And it may be probably concluded rhat he neither knew her, nor any other Woman afterward, becaule there is no mention of any Child which he had after th1s time. Y : : : 27 4 And it camets pals in the time of her trayail,
that behold, twins were in her womb.
28 And it came to paſs when the travailed, that the one put out his hand, and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a {carlet thread b, ſaying, This came
out firſt.