Tamar

Three women named Tamar appear in the Bible. This article focuses on Tamar, the daughter-in-law of Judah; the other two are treated separately below.

Biblical Account

Tamar appears in Genesis 38. Judah, the son of Jacob, took Tamar as a wife for his firstborn son, Er. After Er, who was wicked in the sight of the LORD, died, Judah told his second son, Onan, to go in to his brother's wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Under this custom, if a man died childless, his brother would marry the widow and produce descendants in the dead brother's name. Known as levirate marriage, the practice was later set down as law in Deuteronomy 25:5–10. Onan, knowing that the offspring would not be counted as his own, evaded the duty and died. Judah sent Tamar back to her father's house, promising to give her his third son, Shelah, once he had grown up, but he did not keep his promise.

Later, Tamar covered her face and sat by the roadside at Enaim. Judah, taking her for a harlot, lay with her and left his signet, cord, and staff with her as a pledge. About three months later, when it became known that Tamar was pregnant, Judah ordered that she be burned. When Tamar produced the pledge, Judah acknowledged, "She hath been more righteous than I" (Genesis 38:26). Tamar gave birth to twins, Perez and Zerah.

Significance Within the Bible

David descended from Perez. The blessing in Ruth 4:12, the genealogy in Ruth 4:18–22, and 1 Chronicles 2:4 all mention Tamar and Perez. In the New Testament, Matthew 1:3 records, "And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar." Tamar is the first of four women named in the genealogy of Jesus Christ, along with Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah.

Interpretation and Issues

• Genesis 38 is placed in the middle of the Joseph narrative. Some interpreters therefore contrast it with Joseph's self-restraint in chapter 39 and read it in connection with Judah's transformation in chapter 44, where he offers himself in his brother's place.
• The words "She hath been more righteous than I" are commonly understood not as praise for the deception itself but as an admission that Tamar was more in the right than Judah, who had neglected his obligation to provide an heir. Some interpreters commend Tamar's action as a resolute act of faith for the sake of offspring, while others focus on God's providence at work even through deeply flawed people.
• The women in Matthew's genealogy were Gentiles or had unusual histories. On this basis, a widely known interpretation reads them as signs of grace and of the inclusion of the Gentiles. The text, however, does not explicitly state that Tamar was a Canaanite.
• The Catholic tradition and some Protestants have cited Onan's sin as grounds for prohibiting contraception and masturbation, whereas other interpreters regard his refusal of the duty to raise up offspring for his brother as the central issue.
• A Jewish rabbinic tradition is said to hold that Tamar was a daughter of Shem, but this is not found in the biblical text.

Others of the Same Name

• Tamar, daughter of David: The sister of Absalom. In 2 Samuel 13, her half-brother Amnon feigned illness to lure her to him, raped her, and then drove her out. Tamar tore the garment of divers colours worn by the king's daughters, put ashes on her head, and wept; afterward she remained desolate in Absalom's house (2 Samuel 13:20). David was very angry but did not punish Amnon. Two full years later Absalom killed Amnon, an event that marks the beginning of the tragedies in David's house that led to the rebellion of Absalom.
• Tamar, daughter of Absalom: 2 Samuel 14:27 briefly notes that Absalom named his daughter Tamar and that she was a woman of a fair countenance.

In the Korean Church

Around Advent and Christmas, sermons on the genealogy in Matthew 1 frequently introduce the four women, including Tamar. Because of the difficult subject matter of Genesis 38 and 2 Samuel 13, these passages tend to be addressed mainly in sermons and Bible studies for adults rather than in Sunday school. In recent years, 2 Samuel 13 has also been read as a text for reflecting on victims of sexual violence and on the silence of the community (see sexual abuse in the church).