Verse Lens · Context pointer
Genesis 38:13 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 13. 13And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
Tamar is told that her father-in-law is going to Timnath to shear sheep. The report supplies information that leads to her action in verse 14.
Read It With
- Genesis 38:1–30
Read verses 11–16. Judah has sent Tamar to wait, Shelah has grown, the journey is reported, and Tamar changes clothing and places herself on Judah's route.
Why It Needs Context
This verse reports what Tamar hears; it does not identify the messenger, Tamar's words, or the complete plan before the next verse.
Read Genesis 38:12–14 together
Why these verses belong together: Judah's bereavement and journey intersect with Tamar's recognition that Shelah has grown while the promised arrangement remains withheld.
Verse 12. 12 And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah’s wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.
Verse 13. 13 And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.
Verse 14. 14 And she put her widow’s garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 38:1–30 — Judah Recognizes His Failure and Tamar Secures the Family LineSources used for this context pointer
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed text, recognition motif, Judah's later responsibility, and canonical Perez-Tamar connections.
Exact location: Genesis 38:1–30; 37:31–33; 43:8–10; 44:18–34; Ruth 4:12, 18–22; Matthew 1:3 in the pinned standardized 1769 KJV
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Brother-in-law verb, Tamar's waiting, location and veil, pledge objects, prostitution terms, sexual-promiscuity term, recognition, comparative righteousness, and Perez wordplay.
Exact location: WLC Genesis 38:1–30, especially vv. 8–9, 11, 14–15, 18, 21, 24–26, 29
Open source ↗