In brief
Tamar is Judah's daughter-in-law, in the age of the patriarchs. A widow, she is not given to Shelah, the son Judah had promised her. She acts to obtain justice, and Judah acknowledges that she is in the right and he is not. She gives birth to twins, including Perez. Matthew 1 names her in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. We remember that God carries out his plan despite complicated stories.
What does the name Tamar mean?
The name Tamar is generally understood to mean palm tree or date palm, which remains a common explanation, though the Bible does not state it. The text gives no reason for this name. It presents Tamar as Judah's daughter-in-law (Genesis 38:11).
The story of Tamar
A widow in her father's house
Genesis 38:1-11Judah takes a Canaanite wife and has sons. His firstborn Er takes Tamar as his wife, but he dies, and then his brother Onan as well. Judah tells Tamar to remain a widow in her father's house until Shelah, his youngest son, grows up. Tamar goes away.
Tamar takes the initiative
Genesis 38:12-19Time passes, Shelah has grown up, and Tamar sees that she has not been given to him. Judah's wife dies. When Judah goes up to Timnah, Tamar takes off her widow's clothes, covers herself with a veil and sits by the road. Judah takes her for a prostitute and leaves her his seal, his cord and his staff as a pledge.
Judah acknowledges his fault
Genesis 38:24-26Three months later, Judah is told that Tamar is pregnant, and he wants her burned. She sends word to her father-in-law that she is pregnant by the man who owns these objects. Judah recognizes them and says she is in the right and he is not, because he did not give her to Shelah.
The birth of the twins
Genesis 38:27-30When the time comes for her to give birth, Tamar has twins in her womb. One puts out a hand, the midwife ties a scarlet thread on it, then he draws it back and his brother comes out. He is named Perez. Then Zerah is born, who had the thread on his hand.
A woman in the genealogy of Christ
Matthew 1:3The genealogy of Jesus Christ, at the start of Matthew's Gospel, refers to this story: Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar. Tamar is part of the line that leads to the Messiah.
What Tamar teaches us
- God places in the Messiah's line people whose stories are difficult or controversial.
- A promise broken toward the most vulnerable must be acknowledged and put right.
- Admitting one's wrong, as Judah did, opens the way to a right relationship.
- The genealogy of Jesus shows that salvation comes through grace and not through a family's merits.
- God carries out his plan through the most confusing situations of our history.
Key verses
Judah tells Tamar to remain a widow in her father's house until Shelah grows up. He fears that Shelah will die like his brothers. Judah's promise will not be kept.
Judah recognizes the seal, the cord and the staff, and says that Tamar is in the right, since he did not give her to Shelah. The admission restores the truth.
Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar. Tamar is one of the women named in the genealogy of Jesus Christ, among the names of men.
Sermons about Tamar
Frequently asked questions
Who was Tamar in the Bible?
Tamar is Judah's daughter-in-law, the widow of his son Er. Judah does not give her Shelah as he had promised. She acts to obtain justice, and Judah acknowledges that she is in the right and he is not. She becomes the mother of Perez and appears in the genealogy of Jesus.
What does the name Tamar mean?
The name Tamar is generally understood to mean palm tree or date palm. This is the sense usually given to the word, but the Bible does not explain it. The Bible's own account of the name is silent, and she is simply named in Matthew 1:3.
Where can I find Tamar's story in the Bible?
Tamar's story is found in Genesis, in chapter 38. She is recalled in the genealogy of Jesus Christ, in chapter 1 of the Gospel of Matthew, which mentions Judah and Tamar among the ancestors of Jesus.