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 the ancient Near Eastern culture, it was a customary practice for a widow to marry her deceased husband's brother to preserve the family lineage and inheritance, as seen in the broader context of patriarchal societies. Judah, one of Jacob's sons, had already lost two sons who were married to Tamar, and he feared that his third son, Shelah, might meet the same fate if he married her, leading him to send Tamar away temporarily. This event occurs within the larger narrative of Genesis, highlighting themes of family duty, loss, and the cultural pressures of the time.
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