Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.
Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, 'Go back to your father's house and remain a widow there until my son Shelah grows up.' He said this because he was afraid that Shelah might also die like his brothers had. So Tamar went and lived in her father's house.
Judah sent his daughter-in-law Tamar away, promising she could marry his youngest son later, but he was really just trying to protect his son from what he feared was a curse.
📚 Historical Context
In ancient Hebrew culture, if a married man died without children, his brother was obligated to marry the widow to carry on the family name (called levirate marriage). Judah's two older sons had already died after marrying Tamar, so according to custom, she should have married the third son, Shelah. However, Judah was superstitious and feared that Tamar might somehow be cursed, causing his sons' deaths.
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