“I will send you a young goat from my flock,” Judah answered. But she replied, “Only if you leave me something as a pledge until you send it.”
Parallel translations
- WEB He said, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” She said, “Will you give me a pledge, until you send it?”
- KJV And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?
- NKJV And he said, “I will send a young goat from the flock.” So she said, “Will you give me a pledge till you send it?”
- NASB He said, therefore, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” She then said, “Will you give a pledge until you send it?”
- NLT “I’ll send you a young goat from my flock,” Judah promised. “But what will you give me to guarantee that you will send the goat?” she asked.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Judah promises a young goat as payment, and Tamar shrewdly asks for a pledge until it comes.
Overview
Tamar's demand for a deposit ensures she holds tangible evidence rather than relying on a future payment. Her foresight will prove decisive when her life is later endangered. The exchange shows her acting with cunning to obtain the justice and standing she is owed.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Ezek 16:33Men give gifts to all their prostitutes, but you gave gifts to all your lovers. You bribed them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors.
- Gen 38:20Now when Judah sent his friend Hirah the Adullamite with the young goat to collect the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her.
- Prov 20:16Take the garment of the one who posts security for a stranger; get collateral if it is for a foreigner.
- Luke 16:8The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the sons of light.
- Gen 38:24–25About three months later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and now she is pregnant.” “Bring her out!” Judah replied. “Let her be burned to death!”
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 38:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.