Genesis 38:16

Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.” “What will you give me for sleeping with you?” she inquired.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Judah speaks to Tamar, whom he mistakes for a prostitute, after turning aside from the road near Enaim. He initiates the conversation by proposing a sexual encounter before she negotiates terms.

The words — וַיֵּט (va.yyet) literally means "he turned aside," describing Judah's physical movement toward her. הָבָה נָּא (ha.va na) literally means "give, please," and is spoken by Judah to propose the encounter, not by the woman demanding payment.

The thread — The proposal to share a bed appears in 2 Samuel 13:11 when Amnon commands Tamar. The inquiry about payment parallels the question in Matthew 26:15 and the warning in 1 Timothy 6:10 regarding the love of money.

Why it lands — The text records a transactional proposal born of mistaken identity, demanding recognition of how deception drives human bargaining. It requires the reader to observe the mechanics of compromised judgment without excusing the moral failure.

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 he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?

Cross-references

2 Samuel 13:11 And when she had brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said, “Come lie with me, my sister!”
Matthew 26:15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?” And they set out for him thirty pieces of silver.
1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
Deuteronomy 23:18 You must not bring the wages of a prostitute, whether female or male, into the house of the LORD your God to fulfill any vow, because both are detestable to the LORD your God.
Ezekiel 16:33 Men give gifts to all their prostitutes, but you gave gifts to all your lovers. You bribed them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors.