SEV Biblia, Chapter 38:1
¶ Y aconteció en aquel tiempo, que Judá descendió con sus hermanos, y se fue a un varón adulamita, que se llamaba Hira.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Genesis 38:1
Verse 1. And it came to pass at that time] The facts mentioned here could not have happened at the times mentioned in the preceding chapter, as those times are all unquestionably too recent, for the very earliest of the transactions here recorded must have occurred long before the selling of Joseph. Mr. Ainsworth remarks ""that Judah and his sons must have married when very young, else the chronology will not agree. For Joseph was born six years before Jacob left Laban and came into Canaan; chap. xxx. 25, and chap. xxxi. 41. Joseph was seventeen years old when he was sold into Egypt, ver. 2, 25; he was thirty years old when he interpreted Pharaoh's dream, chap. xli. 46. And nine years after, when there had been seven years of plenty and two years of famine, did Jacob with his family go down into Egypt, chap. xli. 53, 54, and chap. xlv. 6, 11. And at their going down thither, Pharez, the son of Judah, whose birth is set down at the end of this chapter, had two sons, Hezron and Hamul, chap. xlvi. 8, 12. Seeing then from the selling of Joseph unto Israel's going down into Egypt there cannot be above twenty-three years, how is it possible that Judah should take a wife, and have by her three sons successively, and Shelah the youngest of the three be marriageable when Judah begat Pharez of Tamar, chap. xxxviii. 14, 24, and Pharez be grown up, married, and have two sons, all within so short a space? The time therefore here spoken of seems to have been soon after Jacob's coming to Shechem, chap. xxxiii. 18, before the history of Dinah, chap. 34., though Moses for special cause relates it in this place."" I should rather suppose that this chapter originally stood after chap. 33., and that it got by accident into this place. Dr. Hales, observing that some of Jacob's son must have married remarkably young, says that ""Judah was about forty-seven years old when Jacob's family settled in Egypt. He could not therefore have been above fifteen at the birth of his eldest son Er; nor Er more than fifteen at his marriage with Tamar; nor could it have been more than two years after Er's death till the birth of Judah's twin sons by his daughter-in-law Tamar; nor could Pharez, one of them, be more than fifteen at the birth of his twin sons Herron and Hamul, supposing they were twins, just born before the departure from Canaan. For the aggregate of these numbers, 15, 15, 2, 15, or 47 years, gives the age of Judah; compare chap. 38. with Genesis xlvi. 12."" See the remarks of Dr. Kennicott, at the end of chap. 31. See at ""chap. xxxi. 55"". Adullamite] An inhabitant of Adullam, a city of Canaan, afterwards given for a possession to the sons of Judah, Josh. xv. 1, 35. It appears as if this Adullamite had kept a kind of lodging house, for Shuah the Canaanite and his family lodged with him; and there Judah lodged also. As the woman was a Canaanitess, Judah had the example of his fathers to prove at least the impropriety of such a connection.
Matthew Henry Commentary
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family. --This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family, and such a account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, ou Lord should spring out of Judah, Heb 7:14. But God will show that his choice is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthiness of Christ is of himself, and not from his ancestors. How little reason ha the Jews, who were so called from this Judah, to boast as they did, Jo 8:41. What awful examples the Lord proclaims in his punishments, of his utter displeasure at sin! Let us seek grace from God to avoid ever appearance of sin. And let that state of humbleness to which Jesu submitted, when he came to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, in appointing such characters as those here recorded, to be his ancestors endear the Redeemer to our hearts __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
ויהי 1961 בעת 6256 ההוא 1931 וירד 3381 יהודה 3063 מאת 853 אחיו 251 ויט 5186 עד 5704 אישׁ 376 עדלמי 5726 ושׁמו 8034 חירה׃ 2437
