Tamar: Accountability for Harm
Scripture
Genesis 38
Literary
Genre
The book of Genesis is a collection of narratives – or stories – of the Hebrew people. The story of Tamar is one of the less mythologically styled stories in the text. So one can approach it without much reference to stories of other cultures and read it more as one would read a short story, looking for characters, plot, and themes.
Author
Traditionally, Moses is known as the author of Genesis, as well as Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Today, scholars are more divided on the issue of authorship – asserting that as many as four different writers, each with different styles – are responsible for its content.
Audience
Genesis is written first for the Hebrew people probably across a wide time range from the era of King David through the fall of the northern kingdom. It is their book of origin stories – moving from general creation of all humankind to their particular chosen status through Abraham and beyond. Because of this, these stories are considered part of their history (even if some are more mythological in style) and are meant to help shape their identity as the people of God who hold the covenant promises of God to Abraham.
Timing
In early history of the Hebrew people, we see the following important figures:
Adam & Eve → Noah → Abraham → Isaac → Jacob → Joseph → Moses
Adam and Eve’s story shows us that God created humanity, bestowed dignity upon us all, and chose to have a relationship with us. Noah’s story is a difficult one, but it seems to tell the story of God wanting to start over with humans to re-establish justice and righteousness in the world. When that doesn’t go to plan, God then begins to call and set aside a particular people through Abraham.
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are often called “the patriarchs.” All of Israel are considered sons of Abraham at the time this was written. This patriarchal period is one in which the people of Israel were initially being formed and their identity shaped. The stories in Genesis help establish the identity of the Hebrew people, know their God, and explain their presence in Egypt before the Exodus. Tamar’s story is part of the Jacob and Joseph narratives.
These are their origin stories, and Tamar is a part of this collection of narratives that shape who they are and demonstrate what God wants from them.
Main Characters
Judah: One of Jacob’s sons, notably it was his idea in Genesis 37 to sell his brother Joseph into slavery, and his name is also on one of the twelve tribes of Israel – the one from which David and later Jesus would descend
Er, Onan, and Shelah: Judah’s three sons, Er and Onan both died for their wickedness, but Shelah remained alive and did not seem to follow in the same footsteps as his brothers
Tamar: Wife of Er and now member of Judah’s family, and through her line we see ties to both David and Jesus
Themes
Surrounding Text
One of the unique elements of this story is its placement. Authors and editors often place stories together for thematic reasons or to shape the narrative toward their communication goal.
In Genesis 37, we see Joseph sold into slavery by his brothers, Judah among them. Then in Genesis 39, we pick up again with Joseph’s encounter with Potiphar’s wife. In Genesis 38, we get Tamar and Judah’s story. After this, Tamar is not mentioned in the narrative, but Judah returns in Genesis 42-45. But he specifically speaks up in support of his father and brother in order to gain compassion from Joseph before realizing it was his brother.
Tamar’s story is an independent episode inserted into the middle of Joseph’s story. In every Bible study I’ve ever been a part of that studied Joseph, they tend to skip over it because it seems strange to have it inserted in a story that otherwise flows well. And yet, the editors of Genesis thought it was important to place this story right here.
One reason that the two stories could be placed together is that they share common themes. For example:
Deception: Judah deceives his father out of wickedness, but Tamar deceives Judah to demand righteousness. Later, Joseph deceives Judah and the rest of the brothers but eventually reveals himself to bring joy and salvation to his family in the famine.
Recognition: Seeing and perceiving are important themes in these books. Those who perceive pursue justice and eventually preserve the line of Judah and eventually Jesus. Judah does not recognize Tamar, but Tamar takes the signet that identifies Judah in order to have everyone recognize the injustice done to her. Joseph recognizes his brothers in Egypt during the famine, and he eventually calls them all to live in Egypt to be fed.
With these two stories intertwined, we see the redemption arc for Judah – how he goes from the one who harms his brother to the one who advocates for his brother. Tamar gives him the opportunity for repentance and repair, and it seems he takes it and becomes part of the salvation of his family … and through Jesus, the whole world.
Within the Text
The structure of this narrative casts Tamar and Judah in contrasting terms.
He is in control of his family’s fate and her fate, but she does not even have a say in her own future or family.
Judah sends Tamar away to continue to ignore her and not attend to her needs. She seeks him out to have her needs met and her future assured.
He surrenders the marks of his identity for due payment, and she reveals her identity and his through those marks for due justice.
Being associated with prostitution for a woman is often associated with foolishness, and yet, it is Judah who is revealed to be the foolish one – even fearing being a laughingstock.
Judah desires to have Tamar pay for her sin according to the law, and Tamar seeks to hold him accountable for his responsibility under the law.
Judah loses two sons, and Tamar bears two sons.
Judah makes all the wrong decisions. He is written as the foil and the fool in the story until a woman with no power intervenes. Tamar spoke up and demanded justice by the law of God for her treatment and her future.
Judah’s credit in the end, however, is that he admits his wrongdoing and corrects his way going forward. Judah changes because of the prophetic call of his daughter in law.
Lifetime
The Role of the Law
As you see above, Genesis takes place before the Exodus and before the Law is given to Moses. At this time, the only governing rules appear in the Noahic covenant in Genesis 9:
Do not eat meat from an animal that still contains its lifeblood.
Humans are responsible for the lives of other humans, and those who take the life of another will face their own death.
However, the book was written after the Exodus. This means that though the Law does not exist at the time of the setting, it is part of the backdrop of ethics and morality that govern the actions and reactions in the story. The “rules” were made most clear in the later narratives, but we are meant to see those rules and guidelines in the background of the early stories. God’s priorities are on display even before the Law is solidified, showing the consistency of God’s character.
And because the author writes knowing the Law, we can look for its echoes throughout the story to help enlighten our understanding of the conflict and the climactic resolution. Below, you will see references to particular Scriptures and Laws that govern the people at the time of writing, because those in the audience will know and understand how they inform the story.
A Woman’s Place
In the time and place of this story’s setting, there is a traditional, patriarchal backdrop. This often looks like men valuing women for one purpose – producing more men. In Genesis, women are often there to produce heirs. Here, Tamar is meant to continue the line of Judah.
Within this construct, women are often seen as property passed from one household to another to fulfill her duty. Their ability to make good marriages and produce heirs are often what their livelihoods are tied to, but God in the Torah gives them the right to have children and be cared for.This is where we find the conflict in Tamar’s story. She is not in control of her own destiny, passed around from house to house, and still left without heir or care.
Men’s Duty
By contrast, Judah has full control over his destiny. The mention of his signet and cord show that he was important, likely the head of his household and may have even been associated with some kind of important office. It was personalized to mark his identity, but it also shows his identity was tied to these positions of power within the surrounding society. It also seems he chooses his son’s wives, even though he got to choose his own wife. He is the head honcho in the story, and he bears the responsibility for his family, their sins, and their futures.
It appears that his sons do not seem to share that same level of personal responsibility for their own sins or families. Er is struck down for his unknown wickedness – leaving Tamar without a future. In this case, according to Deuteronomy 25:5-10, there is provision for the legacy of the deceased and the care of the widow. It’s called “levirate marriage.”
In this provision, if a man dies without an heir, the wife is not to marry outside the family. Instead, she marries one of her husband’s brothers and her first son through that union will be considered the heir of her first husband so that his name will carry on. For a brother to not participate in this is a disgrace to the family and leaves the wife vulnerable.
This is the sin of Onan and of Judah. Onan does not marry Tamar and neither does he fulfill his duty in providing an heir. Perhaps because he wishes to inherit more, he spills his seed on the ground. His lack of care and consideration for Tamar results in his death. Judah, who may fear losing a third son, also denies Tamar the right she’s owed by withholding marriage from Shelah, and sends her back to her father – who is under no obligation to care for her now that she has been married.
A Call for Care
Tamar finds herself forced into the margins. She is economically vulnerable, legally stuck, and socially excluded. By putting her out of sight, Judah demonstrates his lack of care for the Law that provides for the marginalized like Tamar. He also demonstrates his lack of knowledge of the Law in that he wants to Tamar to burn for her “adultery,” rather than stone her, which is the proper punishment if she were in the wrong according to the narrative.
But Tamar knows better, and she demands the abuse she has suffered through negligence and denial of her rights to be recognized and repaired. She knows what she is owed, and she does what is needed – even though it doesn’t look like we would normally expect or suggest. In this way, Tamar displays the Law better than Judah, and she demonstrates the heart of God by advocating for her own care.
Lenses
A few different takes from scholars of varying viewpoints:
Tamar played the role of trickster and subverted an oppressive system. In this way she compelled those with privilege and power to do justice.
Hypocrisy is on display. Judah experiences what he has done to someone else and learns his lesson.
We should avoid mistreating a brother’s wife.
Unfair suffering is sometimes a way God works out his plan of salvation.
Woven Together
The context shows us that it should not have been Tamar’s duty to hold the men who held her fate to account, but in the absence of those willing to act justly on her behalf, she takes matters into her own hands to demonstrate how far they have strayed from God’s priorities. In the end, Tamar is found just even in what some would consider wrongdoing – deception and adultery – and requires the men in her life to be held to account for their harm to her and their duties to her as part of their family. Judah agrees, repents, and repairs by bringing her back into his household, and it would seem God agrees too as she is not condemned by the text or those involved for her advocacy and action.
When Tamar confronted Judah about his wrongdoing, he also did the surprising thing. He apologized. More than that, he repented – changed his ways – and repaired by including the child in the family legacy. Because of the ways they lived the values of God, Tamar and Judah both get to be part of the ancestry of Jesus.
But what does it look like today? What are we to take from Tamar’s story for ourselves?
Conversation Starters
This story appears in the middle of Joseph’s story. Why do you think the authors or editors of Genesis place this story about Judah here?
How would you feel if you were Judah in this story?
How would you feel if you were Tamar in this story?
Tamar turned to imitating a prostitute in order to receive justice, what do you think about doing what is often thought of as the “wrong” thing in the pursuit of justice?
Do you have a time when you stood up to someone in the wrong? Is there a time you wish you would have?