Verse Lens · Context pointer
Genesis 38:27 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 27. 27And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
When Tamar goes into labor, twins are discovered in her womb. The notice begins the birth-order scene that verses 28–30 complete.
Read It With
- Genesis 38:1–30
Read verses 27–30 together. The twin discovery, extended hand, scarlet thread, withdrawal, Perez's breakthrough, and Zerah's birth form one inseparable sequence.
Why It Needs Context
This verse announces twins but does not identify the firstborn or explain the names until the following verses.
Read Genesis 38:27–30 together
Why these verses belong together: The twin discovery, extended hand, scarlet marker, Perez's breakthrough, and Zerah's birth must be read as one sequence.
Verse 27. 27 And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.
Verse 28. 28 And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.
Verse 29. 29 And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez.
Verse 30. 30 And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.
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 ↗