Thamar

Thamar is the er wife, wire of Juda.

Chapter 38 of the Genèse teaches us that Juda chooses Thamar like marries with his/her oldest son er. But er was " malicious with the eyes of the Eternal; and the Eternal made it die ". Under the terms of the law of the Lévirat Thamar becomes then the wife of Onan, second wire of Juda. But Onan dies in its turn because it " displeased " with the Eternal while refusing to fertilize Thamar not to give a descent to his/her brother. Always under the terms of the lévirat, Thamar must become the woman of Chêla, the third and the last wire of Juda. But Juda refuses to give his/her son to Thamar, pretexting that it is too young. It thus returns Thamar in his father. But Chêla grows without Juda not recontacting Thamar. Thamar is bitter because Juda floué it.

One day, Juda decides to go in Thimna for the shearing of its ewes. Thamar having learned it gets dressed as a prostitute, veil her face and is posted on the passage of Juda. Juda then proposes to him to have sexual relationships with it exchanges some of a kid. In waiting of this gift, Thamar requires in pledge the seal, the cord and the stick of Juda. Juda accepts the market, but when it sends his friend Hira Adullamite to give the kid and to recover these businesses, the prostitute disappeared. Indeed, Thamar having had what she wishes, she is turned over in her father. To resulting from this union, Thamar falls pregnant. But about the third month of pregnancy, Juda learned the prostitution and maternity from his/her daughter-in-law. Furious, it requires that she be burned. This torment appears surprising because and unusual, for example Deutéronome (22, 23-24) condemns to lapidation been engaged having had relations with a man (under the terms of the lévirat Thamar is considered been engaged to the one of the family member: Chêla or if this one to him is refused Juda). Not to know this terrible fate, Thamar then shows the seal, the cord and the stick and known as which they belonged to the man who had put it pregnant. Recognized Juda, and he forgave in Thamar, grateful which he had had twists not to give him Chêla. The choice of the pledge thus proves particularly judicious since the seal was a badge personal carried by all the household heads either with the finger, or suspended with the neck by a cord, and the stick probably had a handle of the type canes which carried a distinctive mark.

With the eyes of the law, although having used of a trick to achieve its goal, Thamar is not completely in its twists. Indeed, under the terms of Lévirat, Chêla having been refused him, more the close relative of her husband is well juda.

Thamar had twins of Juda, Perets and Zérah. Their birth is presented by the Genèse like particularly extraordinary, since Zérah initially left its hand to which the put midwife a crimson cord but finally, it is Perets which was born the first.

Thamar counts among the ancestors of king David and Jesus quoted in the genealogy opening the Évangile according to Matthieu.

Several tables represent Juda meeting Thamar. This topic in particular was chooses by Aert de Gelder in 1667 and Horace Vernet in 1840.

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