Was Tamar Judah's Wife?

 

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

Tamar is usually presented as a Canaanite woman with no Hebrew ancestry. This is clearly not the case because the Hebrew took only Hebrew marriage partners (caste endogamy). It is more likely that Tamar was a daughter of a Hebrew priest who maintained a water shrine along the road between Adullam and Timnah and that she was a shrine-dedicated virgin before her marriage. She was qedeshah, that is a holy woman. Judah’s friend Hirah went to find Tamar, asking for the qedeshah (Gen. 38:21).

Concerning such women, Bible scholar Edward Lipinski noted, “Contrary to the claims of some 20th-century scholarship, the Hebrew Bible never refers directly to cult prostitutes. Many modern Bible translations are simply misleading in this respect. Much of the confusion results from a misunderstanding of a few Biblical texts that mention qedeshot, the plural of qedeshah, which is related to qodesh, “holy place.”

In his “Akkadian Lexical Companion for Biblical Hebrew” Hayim Tawil notes that qedeshah or kedeshah is derived from the root K-D-Sh which can mean “separation” or “elevation” of a holy woman. It can refer to a woman dedicated to the service of a temple or a water shrine.

If we remove the narrative about Judah’s sons Er and Onan we are left with a coherent picture of Judah as a Hebrew clan chief with two wives. One wife was the daughter of a Hebrew man named Shua and the other, mentioned in rabbinic writings, was either the daughter of Asuel (or Bat-Asuel) or, if one credits the Book of Jubilees (34:20), a woman named Aliyah.

It is strange that the Bible provides so little information about someone as prominent as Judah. Afterall, the words Jew and Judea are derived from his name. Judah was a Hebrew chief who, by the time of the events described in Genesis 38, would have been an older man with two wives. Tamar was probably one of them. The detail about God killing Judah’s sons seems to come from the Deuteronomistic Historian, a source from about 1000 years after the time of Judah and Tamar. The narrative reflects the legal and theological frameworks of the Deuteronomistic history, the taboo of onanism, and the practice of levirate marriage as codified in Deuteronomy 25:5–10. The theology of the Deuteronomist entails a God who directly punishes and sometimes ends the lives of those who violate the Law.

When we extract this source from the picture Judah emerges as the father of three living sons: Shelah, Perez, and Zerah by two different wives. These Hebrew sons form a typical three-clan confederation. It was common for the descendants of two of the sons of a confederation to intermarry. The intermarriage between the descendants of Zerah and Perez explains why they are linked in the Book of Ruth and counted among the ancestors of King David and Jesus.

Typically, the Bible traces descent from two half-brothers and their wives. Consider these sibling sets in which a common father is acknowledged, but there are at least two different mothers.

Jubal, Jabal, Tubal-Cain – Lamech’s sons by two wives (Gen. 4).

Ham, Shem, Japheth – Noah’s sons by different women.

Nahor, Abraham, Haran – Terah’s sons by two wives.

Isaac, Joktan, Ishmael - Abraham’s sons by two wives and a concubine.

Moses, Aaron, Korah – Amram’s sons by two wives.

Numbers 26:20 explicitly identifies the three-clan confederation of Judah. “The descendants of Judah by their clans were: through Shelah, the Shelanite clan; through Perez, the Perezite clan; through Zerah, the Zerahite clan.”

Typically, only two of the three sons of a Hebrew confederation are ascendant, meaning that their roles as firstborn sons are prescribed. The firstborn of the first wife is his father’s heir and when the father dies, he rules over the father’s territory. The firstborn of the second wife serves the household of his maternal grandfather or becomes an official in that territory. The third is a son of a concubine and he is sent away with sufficient resources to become established in an area away from the two other sons. This custom drove the dispersion of the early Hebrew into far reaches on the ancient world.

Evidence that Judah married Tamar

Around the time that Joseph was serving his uncle Potiphar in Egypt, Judah left Hebron and went to Timnah for a sheep shearing with his Hebrew kinsmen Hirah of Abdullum. On the way, Judah stopped at Enaim where he married Tamar. The priest overseer of the Enaim water shrine was Tamar’s father.

Enaim means “Two Wells” and it was common for marriages to be formalized at such places. Abraham married Keturah who lived at the Well of Sheba (Beersheba). Moses married Zipporah who he met at the well of her father Jethro. Caesarius Archbishop of Arles explained that Isaac, Jacob, and Moses are types of Jesus Christ, "for this reason they found their wives at wells, because Christ was to find His church at the waters of baptism."

Note that when Judah arrived with a gift for his bride, she was veiled. This was a common practice. In Genesis 24:65 we read that Rebekah covered her face with a veil when she learned that the man walking toward them in the field was her future husband, Isaac.

Note also that Judah gave Tamar a kid from his flock and promised her a goat. This sounds very much like a bride price.

Related reading: The Hebrew were a Caste; The Hebrew Selection of Marriage Partners; Hebrew Rulers with Two Wives; Keturah was Abraham's Second Wife; Cousin Brides Among the Hebrew; The Hebrew Hierarchy of Sons; Fertility and Water Shrines

The Ram of God has been Provided

 

Connecting the Genesis 10 data with the Genesis 11 data.

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

The beliefs of the early Hebrew concerning the Son of God are reflected in their solar symbolism. They pictured the Son of God rising with the sun as a lamb and setting in the west as a ram. As they ascended Mount Moriah, Isaac asked his father "where is the lamb" for the sacrifice? Abraham replied that God would provide the lamb, but God provided a ram instead.

The Son of God often was shown riding with the Father on the celestial Sun boat. The boat of the morning hours was called Mandjet and the boat of the evening hours was called Mesektet. While the Son was on the Mandjet, he was depicted as a lamb. While on the Mesektet, he was a ram. Abraham would have understood the message of the ram provided by God on Mount Moriah, and he believed the promise, and believing, he was justified. We if don’t get hung up on chronological time, which does not pertain to God, we will see that the ground for justification is the same for all people throughout all human existence. 

The Son of God was called the “Lamb” in his weaker (kenotic) state, and he was called the “Ram” in his glorified state. The solar arc spoke of the Son’s death and resurrection. It spoke of a future Righteous Ruler who would overcome death and lead his people to immortality. This is what Jesus meant when he told the Jews, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it and was glad." (John 8:56)

The Genesis data shown in the diagram above reveals that Abraham was a descendant of both Ham and Shem because their lines intermarried. This is an example of caste endogamy. The Hebrew were a caste of ruler-priests. They were organized into 2 ritual groups (moieties): the Horite Hebrew and the Sethite Hebrew. A great deal is known about both groups from texts and prayers that they wrote on the walls of royal tombs in the Nile Valley. Those have been translated and collected in a volume titled “Ancient Pyramid Texts”. Some of the prayers date as early as 6200 years ago. Most date to around 4200 years ago, closer to the time of Abraham.

It is clear in The Ancient Pyramid Texts that the Horites and the Sethites maintained separate settlements. Utterance 308 addresses them as separate: "Hail to you, Horus in the Horite Mounds! Hail to you, Horus in the Sethite Mounds!"

Though separate groups or moieties, the Horite and Sethite Hebrew shared common religious practices and beliefs. They worshiped the same God whose symbol was the Sun, and they served the same king. However, the Horite temples and shrines were more prestigious. Utterance 470 strikes a contrast between the Horite and Sethite mounds and designates the Horite mounds as "the High Mounds."

Figures relating to both Seth and Horus have been found at Nekhen on the Nile, the oldest known site of Horite Hebrew worship (4000 B.C.). This figurine of Seth as a red man with the head of a hippo was found at Nekhen. A gold figure of HR (Horus in Greek) as a falcon was also found at Nekhen. The hippo was the totem of the Sethite Hebrew, and the golden falcon was the totem of the Horite Hebrew.

Among the early Hebrew green malachite was associated with HR and represented new life and the hope of resurrection. The Egyptian Book of the Dead speaks of how the deceased will become a falcon "whose wings are of green stone" (chapter 77). The Ancient Pyramid Texts speak of Horus as the "Lord of the green stone" (Utterance 301) and the land of the blessed dead was described as the "field of malachite."

Note that these prayers are written in hope that the buried king might rise to new life. In his resurrection body he is to restore his settlements and cities, and open the door to the Westerners, Easterners, Northerners and Southerners (Pt Utterance 587). He is to rule over the peoples, restore the former state of blessedness, and unite heaven and earth. The early Messianic expectation was expressed in Utterance 388 of The Pyramid Texts: "Horus has shattered the mouth of the serpent with the sole of his foot". In the Egyptian Book of the Dead, HR is called the "advocate of his father" (cf. 1 John 2: 1).

When seen from this perspective, the early Hebrew religion appears to be the foundation of the Messianic hope that is fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, a direct descendant of the Hebrew ruler-priests.

The New Testament speaks about Jesus as the firstborn from the grave and by his resurrection He delivers to the Father a "peculiar people." He leads us to the Father where we receive heavenly recognition because we belong to Him. Here we find the language of a royal procession: "When He ascended on high, He led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.” 

Paul continues in Ephesians 4:8-10.

What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the depths of the earth? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.

A Horite Hebrew song found at the royal complex at Ugarit, speaks of the Son's descent to the place of the dead "to announce good tidings." The text reads: Hr ešeni timerri duri - "Horus below in the dark netherworld" and has the phrase Šanizzin ḫalukan ḫalzi - "to announce good tidings." (See Note 2 on page 2012.)

The early Hebrew expected the Righteous Ruler to rise on the third day. Utterance 667 says: "Oh Horus, this hour of the morning, of this third day is come, when thou surely passeth on to heaven, together with the stars, the imperishable stars."

Heavenly recognition for the early Hebrew was never an individual prospect. Heavenly recognition came to the people through the righteousness of the ruler-priest. Some early Hebrew rulers took this seriously and the worst were so earthy minded that they shed much blood enlarging their territories. All failed to be the Ruler-Priest who rose from the dead. None had the power to deliver captives from the grave and to lead them to the Father in heaven (Ps. 68:18; Ps. 7:7; Eph. 4:8). That would be fulfilled by Jesus, the Son of God, and this was revealed to Abraham on Mount Moriah.

Related reading: The Hebrew Were a Caste; What Abraham Discovered on Mount Moriah; The Faith of the Early Hebrew Delivered to Us; The Religious Symbolism of Green Malachite; Competition Between the Horites and the Sethites

The Hebrew Selection of Marriage Partners

Newlywed Christian Bedouins

Beirut, 1923

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

The Hebrew ruler-priests selected marriage partners only from their widely dispersed caste members. Hebrew marriages were arranged to the benefit of the households of both the bride and the groom. Matches were not based on romantic love. Deliberation about suitable partners were conducted under the authority of the fathers, village elders, clan chiefs, and sometimes the king. The king of Egypt arranged the marriage of Asenath to Joseph, Jacob’s sent-away son. Asenath was the daughter of a high-ranking priest of Heliopolis (Gen. 41:45). This is an example of caste endogamy because both Asenath and Jacob were Hebrew.

The selection of marriage partners took into consideration political alliances, distribution of wealth, and the necessity of heirs. Some marriages served to raise the status of a family. There were many potential matches because there were many Hebrew clans other than Jacob’s clan (the Israelites). Priority was given to marriages within the three-clan Hebrew confederations such as Ham, Shem and Japheth, or Og, Gog and Magog, or Huz, Buz and Uz.

It seems that in Abraham’s time, deliberation about marriage partners involved a modular system with a cycle of between 9 and 12 possible matches. In this system, X represents a firstborn son, and the possible matches are between 9 and 12 blood related females, drawn from the three clans of the confederation, and considered in a fixed order of rotation.

A bride selected from the pool of possible females within the confederation typically would be a half-sister in the case of the ruler’s first marriage and a patrilineal cousin in the case of the second marriage. The bride for the next male in the Hebrew hierarchy of sons would be considered in the rotation, beginning with the next female in the rotation after the last match was made.

The numbers 9 -12 are based on the evidence that the early Hebrew had a military organization of 3 clans: my clan, my brother’s clan, and my cousin’s clan. This narrowed the pool from which a consanguine bride could be chosen. This is a method of exclusion.

A similar way of excluding potential marriage partners is found among Hindus who practice clan exogamy. Marriage is prohibited between members of clans with the same totem. The most common totems are those of animals regarded as sacred, such as the tiger, the cobra, the calf, and the elephant. Totems of Hindu clans can also be trees and other plants.

Animal totems are evident in the names of the Horite Hebrew listed in Genesis 36. These include Zibeon (the hyena), the father of Anah (the wild donkey), Aiah (the kite), Dishan (the gazelle), the father of Aran (the wild goat), and Akan (the roe), the son of Ezer. Totemic names include Cheran (the lamb) and Shobal (the young lion). The role played by the early Hebrew totemic organization has yet to be clarified. However, it is evident that the totems played a role in alliances by marriage, both by inclusion and exclusion.

It is possible that the account of Laban's insistence that the older sister (Leah) must marry before the younger (Rachel) alludes to a modular system. Jacob, who was sent to live with his maternal uncle, agreed to work for Laban for seven years in return for marriage to his youngest daughter Rachel. However, on their wedding night, Laban switched Leah for Rachel. Laban claimed that in his country it is not permitted to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one (Gen. 29:16-30).

Here a late hand on the text would have us believe that the marriage customs of the Hebrew in Paddan-Aram were different than the Hebrew customs in Jacob’s homeland in Edom. However, the biblical data revels that the early Hebrew consistently adhered to the same marriage and ascendancy pattern with its hierarchy of sons and daughters regardless of where they lived. Firstborn sons of ruling wives ranked at the top, followed by the firstborn sons of high-status concubines. High-status Hebrew daughters, such as the never-mentioned daughters of Abraham, would have been married to high-ranking Hebrew rulers, priests and clan chiefs.

Related reading: The Hebrew were a Caste; The Hebrew Hierarchy of Sons; Hebrew Rulers with Two Wives; Totemism - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia; Using Totems to Trace Ancestry and Marriage Ties; Keturah was Abraham's Second Wife

Thankful for Faithful Followers!

 

I'm dropping a line here to thank the readers of this blog. I appreciate you!

Feel free to post comments. I enjoy reading them and I try to respond to all of them.

Many who follow this blog also follow Biblical Anthropology, another of my blogs. If you have never visited that blog, I invite you to do so.

INDEX of topics at Biblical Anthropology 

Again, thank you for reading, and keep the comments coming.

Alice C. Linsley

Examples of the Cousin Bride's Naming Prerogative

 

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

The Hebrew men who ruled over territories maintained two wives in geographically separate settlements. The wife of the ruler’s youth was usually a half-sister, as was Sarah to Abraham. The ruler’s second wife was usually a patrilineal cousin, as was Keturah to Abraham. The second marriage came much later than the first marriage. 

Biblical examples of the cousin bride naming her firstborn son after her father include Lamech the Younger (Gen. 5) who was named after his maternal grandfather Lamech the Elder (Gen. 4) and Terah’s son Haran, who was named after his maternal grandfather, a ruler of Haran where Terah died (Gen. 11:32).

Nimrod’s firstborn son by his cousin was named Asshur after his maternal grandfather. The repetition of the names Lamech, Asshur, Joktan, and Sheba in the biblical king lists is evidence of the cousin bride’s naming prerogative, a distinctive feature of the Hebrew marriage and ascendancy pattern.

Another example involves the title Korah which refers to a ritually shaved priest. There are at least 4 men in the Bible named Korah. Some "Sons of Korah" wrote several Psalms. Korah, the son of Esau and Oholibamah, probably was the father of Ishara, Amram's cousin wife. Note that she gave the title to her firstborn son. Korah and Moses were half-brothers. 

Related reading: Hebrew Rulers with Two Wives; The Wives' Settlements Mark the Boundaries; The Pattern of Two Wives; Keturah was Abraham's Second Wife; BIBLICAL ANTHROPOLOGY: Hebrew Names and Titles

Priest-Astronomers of the Ancient World

The Milky Way seen through the pylons of the Temple at Karnak.

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

Temples in the ancient Fertile Cresent were constructed by rulers. These were grand edifices meant to display the wealth and power of the ruler. They were constructed at major water sources such as the Euphrates, the Tigris, or the Nile.

The temples in Egypt and Babylon were aligned with celestial bodies to synchronize religious rituals and agricultural cycles. Temples were observatories where priests recorded the movements of the Sun, Moon, and five "wandering stars" (planets) to determine when to plant and when to hold religious festivals. The astronomer priests took their responsibility to fix the dates for feasts and fasts seriously because they believed that the pattern for right living on earth was found in the God-established pattern found in the heavens.

The Babylonian temples had seven tiers representing the number of visible celestial bodies: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. The architecture was intended to express a celestial reality on earth. The temple became the archetype of the heavens above, a common architectural custom of ancient populations as Mircea Eliade demonstrated in his book The Sacred and the Profane.

In the temple dedicated to the Sun in Upper Egypt, at the ruins of Babian, there were seven urns. These represented the seven visible celestial bodies after which the days of the week are named in many languages (e.g. Monday - moon day in English, lunes - moon day in Spanish.)

The Temple dedicated to the High God (Amun-Re) at Karnak was aligned with the winter solstice sunrise so that on that day, a beam of light traveled through the massive pylons and illuminated the inner sanctuary. In Ancient Egyptian the word Re means "father". 

By 4245 B.C. the priests of the Upper Nile had already established a calendar based on the appearance of the star Sirius that becomes visible to the naked eye once every 1,461 years. Apparently, priests of the Ancient Nile Valley had been tracking this star and connecting it to seasonal changes and agriculture for thousands of years. The priest Manetho reported in his history (241 B.C.) that the Nilotes had been “star-gazing” as early as 40,000 years ago. Plato, who studied for 13 years in Egypt, claimed that the Africans had been tracking the heavens for 10,000 years.

Blessings and Curses from Above

In the ancient world, the celestial bodies were sometimes depicted as bowls from which curses and blessings were poured out on the earth. The worst possible curse involved seven bowls or a seven-fold pouring. Cursing or "incantation bowls" such as the one shown above have been found in Mesopotamia and Egypt. This cursing bowl dates to c.3000 B.C.

Even today, we speak of blessings coming down from heaven. James speaks of every good gift coming down from the Father of lights.

The best possible blessing involved a seven-fold pouring such as happens in the Agharias marriage ceremony (Orissa, India). It begins with the bride’s father delivering to the bride a bracelet (as did Abraham's servant to Rebekah) and seven small earthen bowls. The bride is seated in the open, and seven women hold the bowls over her head one above the other. Water is then poured from one bowl into the other, each being filled in turn and the whole finally falling on the bride's head. Pouring the water from above represents the heavenly blessing. The bride is then bathed and carried in a basket seven times round the marriage-post. Then she is seated and seven women place their heads round her while a male relative winds a thread seven times round the women.

Related reading: Curses in Genesis; BIBLICAL ANTHROPOLOGY: The Seven Bowls of Revelation 16; Shrines, Temples, and Synagogues; Seven Planets, Seven Bowls; STEM Education: Priests of the Ancient World Studied Astronomy

Christ Descended to the Dead

 

Matthew testifies that the Jewish authorities insisted that the tomb be secured, the stone sealed and a guard set (Matthew 27:66). They did this because the Jews feared that Jesus' followers would remove his body and declare that He had risen.

The Roman seal was a cord that stretched across the stone. It was fastened at each end with sealing clay. It was a capital offense for unauthorized persons to break the seal. Very early on the morning of the first day, this seal was broken and the tomb was found empty.

However, even in his repose Jesus Christ was declaring the power of God. On Holy Saturday, Jesus entered the place that only the highest authority could enter. He declared his victory over death in Sheol, the place of repose for the righteous. The word is derived from the ancient Egyptian word Sheut (šwt), meaning shadow. The Egyptians believed that something of the dead person continues as a shadow beyond death. In quietness Christ broke down the bars of death, our ultimate enemy.

While his body was still in the tomb, Christ declared good news to those in the place of the dead. A Horite Hebrew song found at the royal complex at Ugarit, speaks of the Son's descent to the place of the dead "to announce good tidings." The text reads: Hr ešeni timerri duri - "Horus below in the dark netherworld" and has the phrase Šanizzin ḫalukan ḫalzi - "to announce good tidings." (See Note 2 on page 2012.)

In the Apostles' Creed, Christians proclaim this reality: "he descended to the dead/hell". There Christ our God declared glad tidings to the faithful who died before him and confirmed his triumph over death.

Related reading: BIBLICAL ANTHROPOLOGY: Signs Given That We Might Believe; Christ has Risen as Foretold