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Genesis 38:18

Made Simple — Modern English Translation

Translated by Verse Made Simple Editorial
KJV ORIGINAL
And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE

He asked, 'What should I give you as a guarantee?' She answered, 'Your seal ring, your cord, and the walking stick you're holding.' So he gave these things to her, slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

This verse describes Judah giving personal items as payment to someone he thought was a prostitute (actually his daughter-in-law Tamar in disguise), resulting in her pregnancy.

📚 Historical Context

This occurs during the story of Tamar and Judah, where Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute to secure her right to have children through Judah's family line after being denied marriage to his youngest son. Signet rings, cords, and staffs were personal identification items in ancient times, like a modern ID or signature.

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