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).
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And Judah taketh a wife for Er, his first-born, and her name is Tamar; and Er, Judah's first-born, is evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and Jehovah doth put him to death. read more. And Judah saith to Onan, 'Go in unto the wife of thy brother, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother;' and Onan knoweth that the seed is not reckoned his; and it hath come to pass, if he hath gone in unto his brother's wife, that he hath destroyed it to the earth, so as not to give seed to his brother; and that which he hath done is evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and He putteth him also to death. And Judah saith to Tamar his daughter-in-law, 'Abide a widow at thy father's house, till Shelah my son groweth up;' for he said, 'Lest he die -- even he -- like his brethren;' and Tamar goeth and dwelleth at her father's house. And the days are multiplied, and the daughter of Shuah, Judah's wife, dieth; and Judah is comforted, and goeth up unto his sheep-shearers, he and Hirah his friend the Adullamite, to Timnath. And it is declared to Tamar, saying, 'Lo, thy husband's father is going up to Timnath to shear his flock;' and she turneth aside the garments of her widowhood from off her, and covereth herself with a vail, and wrappeth herself up, and sitteth in the opening of Enayim, which is by the way to Timnath, for she hath seen that Shelah hath grown up, and she hath not been given to him for a wife. And Judah seeth her, and reckoneth her for a harlot, for she hath covered her face, and he turneth aside unto her by the way, and saith, 'Come, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee,' (for he hath not known that she is his daughter-in-law); and she saith, 'What dost thou give to me, that thou mayest come in unto me?' and he saith, 'I -- I send a kid of the goats from the flock.' And she saith, 'Dost thou give a pledge till thou send it?' and he saith, 'What is the pledge that I give to thee?' and she saith, 'Thy seal, and thy ribbon, and thy staff which is in thy hand;' and he giveth to her, and goeth in unto her, and she conceiveth to him; and she riseth, and goeth, and turneth aside her vail from off her, and putteth on the garments of her widowhood. And Judah sendeth the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the hand of the woman, and he hath not found her. And he asketh the men of her place, saying, 'Where is the separated one -- she in Enayim, by the way?' and they say, 'There hath not been in this place a separated one.' And he turneth back unto Judah, and saith, 'I have not found her; and the men of the place also have said, There hath not been in this place a separated one,' and Judah saith, 'Let her take to herself, lest we become despised; lo, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.' And it cometh to pass about three months after, that it is declared to Judah, saying, 'Tamar thy daughter-in-law hath committed fornication; and also, lo, she hath conceived by fornication:' and Judah saith, 'Bring her out -- and she is burnt.' She is brought out, and she hath sent unto her husband's father, saying, 'To a man whose these are, I am pregnant;' and she saith, 'Discern, I pray thee, whose are these -- the seal, and the ribbons, and the staff.' And Judah discerneth and saith, 'She hath been more righteous than I, because that I did not give her to Shelah my son;' and he hath not added to know her again. And it cometh to pass in the time of her bearing, that lo, twins are in her womb; and it cometh to pass in her bearing, that one giveth out a hand, and the midwife taketh and bindeth on his hand a scarlet thread, saying, 'This hath come out first.' And it cometh to pass as he draweth back his hand, that lo, his brother hath come out, and she saith, 'What! thou hast broken forth -- on thee is the breach;' and he calleth his name Pharez; and afterwards hath his brother come out, on whose hand is the scarlet thread, and he calleth his name Zarah.
'The nakedness of thy sister, daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, born at home or born without; thou dost not uncover their nakedness.
The nakedness of a daughter of thy father's wife, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister; thou dost not uncover her nakedness.
'When brethren dwell together, and one of them hath died, and hath no son, the wife of the dead is not without to a strange man; her husband's brother doth go in unto her, and hath taken her to him for a wife, and doth perform the duty of her husband's brother;
and let thy house be as the house of Pharez (whom Tamar bare to Judah), of the seed which Jehovah doth give to thee of this young woman.'
and lo, the whole family hath risen against thy maid-servant, and say, Give up him who smiteth his brother, and we put him to death for the life of his brother whom he hath slain, and we destroy also the heir; and they have quenched my coal which is left -- so as not to set to my husband a name and remnant on the face of the ground.'
three years he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother is Maachah daughter of Abishalom;
The grace is false, and the beauty is vain, A woman fearing Jehovah, she may boast herself.
and Judah begat Pharez and Zarah of Tamar, and Pharez begat Hezron, and Hezron begat Ram,
'Teacher, Moses said, If any one may die not having children, his brother shall marry his wife, and shall raise up seed to his brother.
And, if our unrighteousness God's righteousness doth establish, what shall we say? is God unrighteous who is inflicting the wrath? (after the manner of a man I speak) let it not be! since how shall God judge the world? read more. for if the truth of God in my falsehood did more abound to His glory, why yet am I also as a sinner judged? and not, as we are evil spoken of, and as certain affirm us to say -- 'We may do the evil things, that the good ones may come?' whose judgment is righteous.