Shelah (Son of Judah)

Biblical Record

Shelah was the youngest of the three sons born to Judah by his wife, the daughter of Shua the Canaanite. His older brothers were Er and Onan. Genesis 38:5 records that Judah was at Chezib when Shelah was born.

The firstborn, Er, married Tamar but died. The second son, Onan, was obligated to raise up offspring for his brother, but he evaded that duty and also died. Judah then told his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Remain a widow at thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown" (Genesis 38:11). The text gives the reason: "for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did." Even after Shelah had grown, Judah did not give him to Tamar (Genesis 38:14). Tamar then covered her face and sat by the roadside, where she met her father-in-law Judah; from that union the twins Perez and Zerah were born. When the truth came to light, Judah acknowledged, "She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son" (Genesis 38:26).

Shelah later appears as a son of Judah in the list of Jacob's household that went down to Egypt (Genesis 46:12). In Numbers 26:20, the "family of the Shelanites," descended from him, is listed as one of the clans of the tribe of Judah. First Chronicles 2:3 and 4:21–23 also record him as a son of Judah. First Chronicles 4 in particular notes that Shelah's descendants included a house of workers in fine linen and men who served as potters. Scripture does not record whom Shelah married or any other details of his life.

Significance in Scripture

The background of Shelah's story is the ancient custom by which a man married his deceased brother's widow in order to continue the dead brother's line. This custom is codified as law in Deuteronomy 25:5–10. Genesis 38 portrays Judah as failing to honor this obligation by withholding Shelah, which in turn led to Tamar's actions. The passage is often cited alongside the account of the kinsman-redeemer in the Book of Ruth as a text illustrating this institution.

The principal line of the tribe of Judah runs not through Shelah but through Perez. David descended from Perez, and the genealogy of Jesus Christ in Matthew 1:3 continues, "And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar." The New Testament does not mention Shelah directly.

Interpretation and Discussion

Because the name is shared by others, confusion can easily arise. Shelah the son of Arphaxad and father of Eber (Genesis 10:24; 11:12–14) is a different person. The "Sala" of the genealogy in Luke 3 also refers to this son of Arphaxad. The term Selah, which occurs frequently in the Psalms, is generally understood not as a personal name but as a term related to music or recitation.

The text states only that Judah withheld Shelah out of fear "lest peradventure he die also." The interpretation that Judah blamed Tamar for the deaths of his two sons is an inference supplied by commentators. The text does not reveal what Shelah himself thought about the matter.