Biblical Times Podcast

Episode 12: Judah and Tamar: Part III

Part III
Tamar was about 11 years old when she married Er, Judah's firstborn son. Shortly after their marriage, God put Er to death. As required by the levirate marriage law, Judah married her to Onan, his second son, whom God also put to death. According to this law, Judah was supposed to marry her to Shelah, his third son, when he reached marriageable age.
During the years Tamar waited for Shelah, she was considered a married woman. Therefore, if she had sexual relations with another man, she would have been considered an adulteress and would have been executed.
However, when Shelah reached marriageable age, Judah decided not to marry Tamar to him, nor to release his ownership of her - and in doing so, he turned Tamar into an "anchor wife".
When Tamar realized she had no way out, she deliberately violated one of the most severe incest prohibitions in the book of Leviticus. She seduced Judah to sleep with her, and to become pregnant by him - and so it was.
As required by the terrible crime she committed, Judah intended to have her executed by burning. However, at the last minute, just before she was thrown into the fire, Judah admitted her righteousness - and Judah's confession, which represents the Bible's stance, sets a supreme moral standard!
The story of Judah and Tamar raises a long series of social, moral, legal, and theological questions, that we will deal with in this series.
In the first two episodes (10-11) of the series, we will focus on the social and legal questions that arise from their story. In the third episode, we will focus on the theological aspect of the story.
The first two episodes deal with the legal status of a woman whose husband passed away before they had children.
We will address the question of why the widow remained in the custody of her deceased husband's family, and what levirate marriage is, which obligated Judah to marry Tamar to his second son, and after his death, to marry her to his third son.
In the eyes of someone living in the modern society of the 21st century, this is a strange, arbitrary, and inconceivable law. However, the levirate marriage law is an ancient progressive law, designed to benefit the deceased, his family - and above all, his widow.
The question of what an "anchor wife" is, will also occupy us. According to the Bible, the fact that Judah anchored Tamar justifies the horrific incest she committed when she became pregnant by him. Indeed, instead of being punished, Tamar received a great reward for the terrible crime she committed!
We must not forget that the Bible is a theological book that reflects God's will for the Israelites. The fact that the Bible stands by Tamar's side sets a supreme moral standard, which determines that where the law conflicts with a woman's right to live - the woman's right prevails!
 
The third episode of the series (12) focuses on the theological aspect of the story.
Seemingly, Judah and Tamar were two simple people who lived almost 4,000 years ago. Yet, the truth is that they belonged to an ancient distinguished, and noble lineage, the lineage of David's fathers and mothers, which God chose on the sixth day of creation.
From a theological perspective, Tamar and Judah were supposed to marry each other and give birth to Perez, who was the next link in this distinguished lineage.
However, God's plans are hidden, yet they always come true. And Judah, who did not know that Tamar was destined to be his wife, innocently married her to his firstborn son - and therefore God put him to death. And when he married her to his second son, God also put him to death. And if he had married her to his third son, God would have put him to death as well!
In the third episode we show that in order to fulfill her destiny, Tamar had no choice but to violate the incest prohibitions and become pregnant by Judah - and that is exactly what happened.

Episode 11: Judah and Tamar: Part II

Part II
Tamar was about 11 years old when she married Er, Judah's firstborn son. Shortly after their marriage, God put Er to death. As required by the levirate marriage law, Judah married her to Onan, his second son, whom God also put to death. According to this law, Judah was supposed to marry her to Shelah, his third son, when he reached marriageable age.
During the years Tamar waited for Shelah, she was considered a married woman. Therefore, if she had sexual relations with another man, she would have been considered an adulteress and would have been executed.
However, when Shelah reached marriageable age, Judah decided not to marry Tamar to him, nor to release his ownership of her - and in doing so, he turned Tamar into an "anchor wife".
When Tamar realized she had no way out, she deliberately violated one of the most severe incest prohibitions in the book of Leviticus. She seduced Judah to sleep with her, and to become pregnant by him - and so it was.
As required by the terrible crime she committed, Judah intended to have her executed by burning. However, at the last minute, just before she was thrown into the fire, Judah admitted her righteousness - and Judah's confession, which represents the Bible's stance, sets a supreme moral standard!
The story of Judah and Tamar raises a long series of social, moral, legal, and theological questions, that we will deal with in this series.
In the first two episodes (10-11) of the series, we will focus on the social and legal questions that arise from their story. In the third episode, we will focus on the theological aspect of the story.
The first two episodes deal with the legal status of a woman whose husband passed away before they had children.
We will address the question of why the widow remained in the custody of her deceased husband's family, and what levirate marriage is, which obligated Judah to marry Tamar to his second son, and after his death, to marry her to his third son.
In the eyes of someone living in the modern society of the 21st century, this is a strange, arbitrary, and inconceivable law. However, the levirate marriage law is an ancient progressive law, designed to benefit the deceased, his family - and above all, his widow.
The question of what an "anchor wife" is, will also occupy us. According to the Bible, the fact that Judah anchored Tamar justifies the horrific incest she committed when she became pregnant by him. Indeed, instead of being punished, Tamar received a great reward for the terrible crime she committed!
We must not forget that the Bible is a theological book that reflects God's will for the Israelites. The fact that the Bible stands by Tamar's side sets a supreme moral standard, which determines that where the law conflicts with a woman's right to live - the woman's right prevails!
 
The third episode of the series (12) focuses on the theological aspect of the story.
Seemingly, Judah and Tamar were two simple people who lived almost 4,000 years ago. Yet, the truth is that they belonged to an ancient distinguished, and noble lineage, the lineage of David's fathers and mothers, which God chose on the sixth day of creation.
From a theological perspective, Tamar and Judah were supposed to marry each other and give birth to Perez, who was the next link in this distinguished lineage.
However, God's plans are hidden, yet they always come true. And Judah, who did not know that Tamar was destined to be his wife, innocently married her to his firstborn son - and therefore God put him to death. And when he married her to his second son, God also put him to death. And if he had married her to his third son, God would have put him to death as well!
In the third episode we show that in order to fulfill her destiny, Tamar had no choice but to violate the incest prohibitions and become pregnant by Judah - and that is exactly what happened.

Episode 10: Judah & Tamar: Part I

Genesis Chapter 38
Tamar was about 11 years old when she married Er, Judah's firstborn son. Shortly after their marriage, God put Er to death. As required by the levirate marriage law, Judah married her to Onan, his second son, whom God also put to death. According to this law, Judah was supposed to marry her to Shelah, his third son, when he reached marriageable age.
During the years Tamar waited for Shelah, she was considered a married woman. Therefore, if she had sexual relations with another man, she would have been considered an adulteress and would have been executed.
However, when Shelah reached marriageable age, Judah decided not to marry Tamar to him, nor to release his ownership of her - and in doing so, he turned Tamar into an "anchor wife".
When Tamar realized she had no way out, she deliberately violated one of the most severe incest prohibitions in the book of Leviticus. She seduced Judah to sleep with her, and to become pregnant by him - and so it was.
As required by the terrible crime she committed, Judah intended to have her executed by burning. However, at the last minute, just before she was thrown into the fire, Judah admitted her righteousness - and Judah's confession, which represents the Bible's stance, sets a supreme moral standard!
The story of Judah and Tamar raises a long series of social, moral, legal, and theological questions, that we will deal with in this series.
In the first two episodes (10-11) of the series, we will focus on the social and legal questions that arise from their story. In the third episode, we will focus on the theological aspect of the story.
The first two episodes deal with the legal status of a woman whose husband passed away before they had children.
We will address the question of why the widow remained in the custody of her deceased husband's family, and what levirate marriage is, which obligated Judah to marry Tamar to his second son, and after his death, to marry her to his third son.
In the eyes of someone living in the modern society of the 21st century, this is a strange, arbitrary, and inconceivable law. However, the levirate marriage law is an ancient progressive law, designed to benefit the deceased, his family - and above all, his widow.
The question of what an "anchor wife" is, will also occupy us. According to the Bible, the fact that Judah anchored Tamar justifies the horrific incest she committed when she became pregnant by him. Indeed, instead of being punished, Tamar received a great reward for the terrible crime she committed!
We must not forget that the Bible is a theological book that reflects God's will for the Israelites. The fact that the Bible stands by Tamar's side sets a supreme moral standard, which determines that where the law conflicts with a woman's right to live - the woman's right prevails!
The third episode of the series (12) focuses on the theological aspect of the story.
Seemingly, Judah and Tamar were two simple people who lived almost 4,000 years ago. Yet, the truth is that they belonged to an ancient distinguished, and noble lineage, the lineage of David's fathers and mothers, which God chose on the sixth day of creation.
From a theological perspective, Tamar and Judah were supposed to marry each other and give birth to Perez, who was the next link in this distinguished lineage.
However, God's plans are hidden, yet they always come true. And Judah, who did not know that Tamar was destined to be his wife, innocently married her to his firstborn son - and therefore God put him to death. And when he married her to his second son, God also put him to death. And if he had married her to his third son, God would have put him to death as well!
In the third episode we show that in order to fulfill her destiny, Tamar had no choice but to violate the incest prohibitions and become pregnant by Judah - and that is exactly what happened.

Episode 9: Jacob and His Wives, Part II

The stories of the Bible, especially those in the Book of Genesis, are very concise, and we discussed the reason for this in episode 5.For the stories to convey more than the words written in them, the writers of the Bible used puns and words with multiple meanings numerous times (synergy). Each meaning plays a crucial role in the story.
However, wordplay cannot be translated from one language to another, and this limitation is especially evident in literal translations.The names that Leah gave to her sons and her maidservant's sons are not random, but rather names whose meanings illustrate how she improved her status with each birth.
The meaning of each name shows how the woman, who was hated by her, gradually became a happy and beloved woman.
Conversely, the meanings of the names that Rachel gave to her sons and her maidservant's sons illustrate the tragic decline of the young and miserable woman. They start from a low place and descend to the grave.

Episode 8: Jacob and His Wives

In this episode, we tell the story of Jacob and his two wives from two different perspectives: historical and theological. 
The historical part focuses on the marriage practices that were common in the ancient world and explains the reason why Jacob had to work for many years to pay the bride price for Rachel. It also explains why Rachel was considered a "senior wife," while her sister Leah had to get married with the inferior status of a "concubine wife."
The vulnerability of the barren Rachel and the reason for the hostility she felt towards her sister are also highlighted. 
The theological part of this episode points out that Leah was a "chosen woman," while Rachel was an "ordinary woman." Leah was chosen by God to be the ancient mother of the lineage of priests who belonged to the tribe of Levi, named after her third son, and the ancient mother of King David of the tribe of Judah. 
The fact that Leah was a "chosen woman" explains why in the competition between the two sisters, Rachel always ended up losing. The struggle between the two sisters continued even after their deaths. Saul, the first king of Israel, was a member of the tribe of Benjamin, which was named after Rachel's son. However, the kingship was meant for David, whose ancient mother was Leah.

Episode 7: The World of Women in the Bible

The story of Sarah belongs to her – yet, it also sheds light on the world of other women from four thousand years ago, who are mentioned in the Bible. The story of Sarah’s journey opens a door to the world of women in the Bible, why girls got married when they were eleven or twelve years old, why at the age when our daughters are still studying in elementary school, watching TV or playing on their tablets, the women of the ancient world were already married women? We'll also talk about why the Bible speaks positively of polygamy, and of course, why the status of a barren woman fell to the lowest point on the social ladder. 
The Bible relates that men married wives who belonged to three classes: 'senior women' (or senior wives), concubines, and maidservants. If they took women war captives, they had children with them as well (Deut. 21:10-14). The Bible doesn’t give us an explanation of the difference between these three classes, so we’ll have to do that work ourselves.

Episode 6: The Birth of Isaac and Hagar’s Expulsion

One day, against all expectations Sarah conceived and gave birth to Isaac. As expected, she took back the special rights of the firstborn from Ishmael and transferred them to her own son. The Old Testament says that one day Sarah saw Ishmael “making merry.” The meaning of the word “making merry” has never been completely clarified. Still, something about Ishmael’s behavior incited Sarah’s anger, and she demanded that Abraham throw him and his mother out of their home.
It doesn't matter what made Sarah’s blood boil. Even if nothing specific made her angry, she still had to banish Ishmael and Hagar from her home. 

Episode 5: Sarah and Hagar

When Sarah lost all hope of having her own child, she gave Abraham her servant Hagar, so that Abraham would have a son through her.
Sarah intended to recognize Hagar's son Ishmael as her own son, and to give him the special status that ancient society reserved for the oldest son. She intended for him to be Abraham’s successor, the one who would continue his lineage.
For example, what right did Sarah have to give her maidservant to Abraham so that she would have a child for her? What were the legal relationships between her and Hagar? What status did Ishmael, the son born to Hagar, have?
Hagar exploited the fact that she gave birth to Abraham’s firstborn son to mock and humiliate Sarah. She felt that the pregnancy had turned the hierarchy of Abraham’s household upside down. Hagar was now in the superior position, able to mock Sarah for her barrenness.

Episode 4: Sarah’s Journey

According to the biblical story, God gave Abraham the mission to go on the journey, and so Abraham is the hero of the journey. God didn’t give Sarah any mission, so she was relegated to the sidelines. The main thing we remember about her is that she was barren. Abraham was righteous, and Sarah was barren!
But although God didn’t give Sarah any mission, she walked beside Abraham throughout the entire journey. She climbed mountains with him. She walked with him over the razor-sharp stones on the days they crossed the Sinai Desert. She survived snowstorms and sandstorms at his side, and together with him, she suffered from the very limited food supply.
Sarah lived in a world in which a woman’s sole role was to bear children for her husband.
Sarah did not fulfill this role. She did not give Abraham a son, and her social status in Abraham’s household fell to the lowest of the low.

Episode 3: The Journey to the Land of Canaan – Part 3

Twenty years is a very long time to be on the roads – but they fit into one lifetime, just as the Bible says.
As soon as we’ve proved that the journey passes the feasibility test, we can rule out the argument that it’s an unfounded myth. A myth can’t pass the feasibility test that we specified as a condition for the solution to our biblical riddle.