Bible Strands
Genesis 38:13
When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — An unnamed informant relays news to Tamar at the moment Judah departs for Timnah following his wife’s death. The report informs her that her father-in-law is traveling to Timnah to shear his sheep.
The words — The verb וַיֻּגַד (yugad) renders “it was told,” a passive construction indicating Tamar received the information from an external source. The noun חָמִיךְ (chamiyk) literally means “your father-in-law,” establishing the familial authority figure whose movements trigger her next actions.
The thread — This report bridges Judah’s departure in Genesis 38:12 with Tamar’s response in Genesis 38:14, where she learns his exact location and route. The verse functions as the narrative catalyst that shifts Tamar from passive waiting to active pursuit of her rights.
Why it lands — It requires the reader to track how received information directly dictates character movement and plot progression. The verse demonstrates that narrative momentum in Genesis 38 depends on precise geographical knowledge rather than divine intervention.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.