Choice observations and explanations upon the Old Testament containing in them many remarkable matters, either not taken notice of, or mistaken by most, which are additionals to the large annotations made by some of the Assembly of Divines : to which are added some further and larger observations of his upon the whole book of Genesis perused and attested by the Reverend Bishop of Armagh, and Mr. Gataker Pastor of Rederith / by ... John Richardson ...

CHAP. XXXVIII.

Verse 1. AT that time] Or in that time not of Josephs selling into Egypt. For between that time and Judahs going into Egypt with his father Jacob, were but twenty two or twenty three yeares. Joseph be∣ing sold at seventeen yeares old; and all coming down when he was fourty yeares old. And within the compasse of those twenty two or twenty three years, Judabs marri∣age with the daughter of Shuah, and the begetting of Pharez upon Tamar his daughter-in-law, and Pharez his begetting of Hezron and Hamul could not possibly be done. Judah's marriage then must needs precede the story of Jo∣sephs sale; and Er his eldest sonne must needs be about ten yeares old at that time. Therest, and so the most of the story in this chapter, fell out after the selling of Joseph into Egypt.

went dom•• from his brethren] Not before he left Laban, though some reject not that opinion; but before Dinahs ravishing, yea, speedily upon his first coming into Canaan. They that make Judah to be born in the beginning of the 14th year of the latter seven of Jacobs service, & so but three or four years older then Ioseph, and but fourty three or fourty foure when he came with his father into Egypt, they find him by that account to be but ten yeares old when he first came into Canaan, and thereupon defer his marriage till two or three yeares after, and so straiten the times for the births of his off-spring before they all went into Egypt, which howsoever the great Annotations miscast it upon this place, must needs run thus, viz. that Judah at twelve or thirteen married the daughter of Shuah, two or three yeares after his coming into Canaan; and in three yeares after had Er, Onan and Shelah. That Er at twelve marri∣ed Tamar, that foure yeares were spent in the matters of Onan and Shelah, and Judahs begetting Pharez, and Zerah of Tamar, to the time of the birth of Pharez: that Pharez at twelve married, and in two yeares had Ezrom and Hamul. All which do make up but thirty three or thirty four years, which is the ful time between the first coming of them all into Canaan, and their going down into Egypt, as clearly appears by the several periods of Josephs age; he being six or seven yeares old when they all left Laban, and fourty when they all came down unto him into Egypt. But the other opinion which makes Judah to be borne in the fourth yeare of the first seven of Jacobs service, and so to be ten yeares older then Joseph, and fifty yeares old when he with his father came into Egypt, doth give fairer way to the course and times of the story thus, viz. Judah at six∣teen yeares old, comes into Canaan, and speedily marries the daughter of Shuah. In the next yeare hath Er. Er mar∣ries Tamar at fourteen. After which foure yeares are spent in the matters of Onan, of Shelah, and till the birth of Pha∣rez, begotten by Judah after the death of his wife, upon the body of Tamar, and Pharez at thirteen yeares old mar∣ries, and in two yeares hath Hezron and Hamul, and then all go down into Egypt. And all this within the fifty years of Judahs age.

Adullamite] Adullam, a city that fell afterwards to the tribe of Judah, Josh. 12. 15. 15. 33, 35. had a King was seated in a valley, David fled to a cave here, 1 Sam. 22. 1. 2 Sam. 23. 13.

V. 2. Canaanite] Contrary to the wills of his Grand∣father and great Grandfather, ch. 24. 3. 27. 46. 28. 1.

Shuah] The name not of Judahs wife, but of her father, v. 12. 1 Chron. 2. 3.

V. 3. He called] The man names the childe.

V. 4. She called] The woman names. And so, v. 5.

Chezib] Likely Achzib, Josh. 19. 29. 15. 44. signifies lying, and thereto the Prophet alludes, Micah. 1. 14.

V. 7. Was wicked in] What wickednesse is not set down, but heinous sure in kinde and degree.

slew him] Shortly after his marriage, how or by what meanes is not set down, ch. 46. 12. Numb. 26. 19. 1 Chron. 2. 3. In some extraordinary remarkable manner by sud∣den vengeance.

V. 8. And marry her and raise up seed] This before Mo∣ses time. After a Law made for it, Deut. 25. 5, 7, 9. And in want of a brother, the next Kinsman was to do it, Ruth 3. 9. 4. 6, 7. But forbidden in case the brother left a∣ny issue before he died, Lev. 18. 16. 20. 21.

V. 11. Remain a widow at thy fathers house] Lev. 22. 13. Lest she should entice Shelah.

till Shelah] Yet he minded it not, v. 14, 26.

lest he die] Conceiving something amisse of Tamar, up∣on an evil surmise, as if some unluckinesse followed her.

V. 12. In processe of time] The dayes were multiplied, yet long it could not be: but surely after the deat••s of Er and Onan, because after his fit of mourning for her death, he soon lies with Tamar.

sheep-shearers] Then they used to have feasts, 1 Sam. 25. 8, 11. So he went to make merry after his mourn∣ing.

Timnath] A City in the Philistines countrey, which af∣ter fell to the lot of Judah, Josh. 15. 20, 57. There Sampson took a wife, Judg. 14. 1.

V. 14. Widowes garment] Some mournful guise and ha∣bit, to notifie her estate. An ancient and lawful pra∣ctice.

in an open place.] So whores used, Prov. 7. 12. 9. 14. Jer. 3. 2. Ezech. 16. 25.

grown, and she was not given] Some suitable time must be allowed to this: which will hardly stand with that opini∣on of Judah's not marrying till he had been three yeares in the land of Canaan.

V. 15. Because she had covered her face] A veile did serve for Modesty, ch. 24. 65. But here it was that Judah might not know her. And likely to the same purpose she used whis∣pering, or changed her voice and tone. See, Annot. on ch. 29. 25

V. 16. What wilt thou give me] Ezech. 16. 33. Deut. 23. 18. Micah 1. 7.

V. 17] Pledge] Hebrew Eraben, whence the Greek Arrhaebon, and the Latine Arrhabon. This she did for her future security. v. 24, 25.

V. 18. Thy signet] Luke 15. 22. Jer. 22. 24.

came in unto her] In some secret place by, and near.

conceived by him] Being now about thirty foure yeares of age. The great Annotators reckon him now to be a∣bout thirty yeares of age; and yet by the grounds of their own reckoning, he must needs be twenty nine at the mar∣riage of Er; marrying himself at fourteen, and his eldest sonne Er likewise marrying at fourteen; which how they will agree together let the Reader judge. See their Annot. on ch. 38. 1. yet of Judah by this conception come the Jewes, who brag they were not borne of fornication, John 8. 41. yea, our blessed Saviour sprung from this race, Mat. 1. 3. He will not reject great sinners.

V. 23. Lest we be shamed] Shameful was the sin of for∣nication among the Heathen.

V. 24. Let her be burnt] For adultery, as being betroth∣ed and belonging to Shelah. Thus the Heathens condemned adultery, Jer. 29. 22, 23. And so Moses Law after, Deut. 22. 23, 24. condemned there to be stoned. And a Priests daugh∣ter for fornication to be burnt, Lev. 21. 9. Judah here takes upon him, as if he had power of life and death over those that belonged to his family, as Tamar did though now in her fathers house; or at least, he shewes the eager∣nesse of his desire against her, if his meaning were, but to have her carried before the Magistrate, and be so pu∣nished by burning, according to the Law of the countrey. However, he was desirous to be rid of her, for his sonne Shelahs sake: and bewrayes his own partiality in his owne sinne, and inhumane cruelty in thus judging her to fire, and the fruit in her wombe yet unborne, and that before he heard what she could say for her self, never minding how unjustly he had dealt with her, in not giving her to Shelah to wise. Thus, 2 Sam. 12. 5, 7. Rom. 2. 1.

V. 25. When she was brought forth] To execution, or rather to prison or trial.

she sent] To stay his proceedings, and haply to smother it before it came to a publick hearing.

the signet, and bracelet, and staffe] Thus she convicts him by his owne seale, and beats him with his owne staffe.

V. 26. And Judah acknowledged] His repentance, else he might have pleaded against those tokens many wayes, by many excuses, to have freed himself.

more righteous then I] Aggravates his own fault. In ma∣ny things both faulty, and in some things each of them more faulty then the other. He was the cause or occasion of her sin.

and he knew her again no more] It had been incest. His repentance. To sin no more is true repentance, Job 34. 31, 32. Though Judah were young now, yet we reade not of any more of his children after, so that it seems he married not again, or had no children by his second wife, ch. 46. 12. Numb. 26. 19, 20, 21, 22. 1 Chron. 2. 3, 4. She∣lah was after married, and likely to Tamar, Numbers 26. 20.

V. ••8. Put out his hand] Dangerous labour for her sin, ch. 25. 26.

a scarlet thread] Discerning there were twins, as a skil∣ful midwife might do, and intending to mark the first-borne.

V. 29. This breach be upon thee] Thou hast made it, and thou shalt beare the name of it. As these twins, so Ja∣cob and Esau may be said to strive for the birth-right in the wombe.

Pharez] Ruth 4. 12. Mat. 1. 3.

V. 30. Zarah] Signifies risen or sprung up, as the Sun is said to rise. In the birth of these two brethren, the state of the two Churches of Jewes and Gentiles may be considered, as in a figure, the Jew drawing back his hand by unbelief, Rom. 10. 3. and after the fulnesse of the Gen∣tiles is broken forth and come in, then he coming forth last of all, Rom. 11. 11, 12, 24, 25, 26.