Reference: Tamar (2)
Fausets
("a palm".) (See THAMAR.)
1. (See JUDAH.) Her importance in the narrative (Ge 38:6-30) lies in her being the instrument (though in an incestuous way) of saving from extinction the family and tribe from which Messiah was to spring. Er and Onan were dead; and Judah's wife Bathshun. Shelab alone remained; and Judah's parental fears for him, lest if joined to Tamar he too like his brothers should die, were preventing Judah from giving him as the tribe law required (De 25:5; Mt 22:24) to Tamar. She took the desperate measure of helping herself by incest. Pharez and Zarah were her sons by Judah; and a fruitful race followed, God not sanctioning but overruling evil to His own good purpose (Ro 3:5-8; Ru 4:12,22; Mt 1:3).
2. Daughter of David and Maacah; the handsome Absalom's beautiful sister; forced by Amnon at his bad friend Jonadab's abominable suggestion (2 Samuel 13; 1Ch 3:9). (See ABSALOM; AMNON; JONADAB.) Beauty is a snare unless grace accompany and guard it (Pr 31:30). Tamar excelled in baking palatable cakes (lebibah, "heartcakes," with spices as "cordials".) Amnon availed himself of this to effect his design, as if he wished to see the exquisite grace with which she baked before his eyes.
She remonstrated at his force, dwelling twice on such baseness being wrought "in Israel," where a higher law existed than in pagandom. Yet such was the low opinion she, in common with the rest of David's children, formed of the king's foolish fondness for his offspring that she believed it would outweigh his regard for the law of God against incest (Le 18:9,11). Amnon was his oldest, son, from whom he would not withhold even a half sister! Each prince, it appears, had his own establishment, and princesses were not above baking; the king's daughters in their virginity were distinguished by "garments of divers colours."
3. Absalom's sole surviving child, beautiful as her aunt and father; married Uriel of Gibeah, and bore Maachah, wife of Rehoboam king of Judah (1Ki 15:2; 2Ch 11:20-22; 13:2), and mother of Abijah (2Sa 14:7).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And Judah took a wife for Er his first-born, whose name was Tamar. And Er, Judah's first-born, was wicked in the sight of Jehovah. And Jehovah killed him. read more. And Judah said to Onan, Go in to your brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to your brother. And Onan knew that the seed would not be his. And it happened when he went in to his brother's wife, that he spilled on the ground, not giving seed to his brother. And what he did was evil in the eyes of Jehovah. Therefore He killed him also. Then said Judah to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, Remain a widow at your father's house until Shelah my son is grown. For he said, Lest perhaps he die also, as his brothers did. And Tamar went and lived in her father's house. And the days were many, and Judah's wife, the daughter of Shuah, died. And Judah was comforted, and went up to shearers of his sheep, he and his friend Hiram of Adullam, to Timnah. And it was told to Tamar, saying, Behold, your father-in-law goes up to Timnah to shear his sheep. And she put off her widow's clothes, and covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself. And she sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown and she was not given to him as wife. When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face. And he turned aside to her by the wayside, and said, Come now, let me come in to you. For he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, What will you give me, so that you may come in to me? And he said, I will send a kid of the goats from the flock. And she said, Will you give me a pledge until you send it? And he said, What pledge shall I give you? And she said, Your signet, and your bracelet, and your staff that is in your hand. And he gave to her, and came in to her, and she conceived by him. And she arose, and went away, and laid away her veil from her, and put on the clothes of her widowhood. And Judah sent the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman's hand. But he did not find her. Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot who was by the wayside? And they said, There was no harlot here. And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her. And also the men of the place said, There was no harlot here. And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be ashamed. Behold, I sent this kid, and you have not found her. And it happened, about three months afterward, that it was told Judah, saying, Your daughter-in-law Tamar has played the harlot, and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burned. When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, I am with child by the man whose things these are. And she said, Please observe. Whose things are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff? And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She has been more righteous than I have, because I did not give her to my son Shelah. And he never knew her again. And it happened, in the time of her travail, behold, twins were in her womb. And when she travailed, it happened that one put out a hand. And the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This one came out first. And it happened as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, How have you broken a break for yourself? And his name was called Pharez. And afterwards his brother came out, on whose hand was the scarlet thread. And his name was called Zarah.
You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father or the daughter of your mother, born at home or born away. Their nakedness you shall not uncover.
You shall not uncover the nakedness of the daughter of your father's wife, begotten of your father. She is your sister.
If brothers live together, and one of them dies and has no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry outside to a stranger. Her husband's brother shall go in to her and take her as a wife for himself, and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her.
And let your house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, of the seed which Jehovah shall give you of this young woman.
And behold, the whole family has risen against your handmaid. And they said, Deliver him who struck his brother so that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he killed. And we will destroy the heir also. And so they shall put out my coal which is left, and shall leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the face of the earth.
He reigned three years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.
These were all the sons of David, besides the sons of the concubines, and Tamar their sister.
Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears Jehovah, she shall be praised.
And Judah fathered Pharez and Zarah of Tamar. And Pharez fathered Hezron, and Hezron fathered Ram,
saying, Master, Moses said, If a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up seed to his brother.
But if our unrighteousness commends the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who lays on wrath? (I speak as a man.) Let it not be! For then how shall God judge the world? read more. For if in my lie the truth has more abounded to His glory why am I still judged as a sinner? And not rather, (as we are wrongly accused, and as some affirm that we say), Let us do bad things that good may come? Their condemnation is just.