Here, you just start to speculate and add things to scripture that are not there.
Scripture does not tell us the parentage of Tamar, the mother of Pharez and Zerah.
I shared with Rainee that "I suggest" Tamar was a daughter of Levi, and concluded with "food for thought." But, don't you find it rather unusual that Tamar's parentage was not in Scripture? After all, she is a maternal ancestress in the lineage of Jesus (Matthew 1:3 KJV), mother of Pharez (Luke 3:33 KJV). Tamar would have been the age to have been the daughter of one of Judah's brothers. Judah did send her to her father's house to wait for Shelah to come of age: "... and Tamar
went and dwelt in her father's house" (Genesis 38:11 KJV almost suggests neither Tamar, nor her father lived in the vicinity of Judah's location. Tamar didn't just dwell in her father's house... Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house. Where did she come from, then? Evidently not where Judah's Canaanite wife came from (Genesis 38:1, 2).
By Judah transferring Er's widow Tamar to his next son Onan suggests to me Judah was following the Law of Deuteronomy 25:5 KJV, Deuteronomy 25:6 KJV. Do note the law implies that the deceased's "name be not put out of Israel." Interestingly, Judah's sons by his Canaanite wife were NOT ancestrally intact Hebrew/Israelites as corroborated by Abraham (Genesis 24:3 KJV), Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 27:46 KJV, Genesis 28:1, 2, 3) corroborating the Law of Deuteronomy 7:1, 2, 3, affirmed by Ezra 9:1, 2, 7. Therefore, I can only conclude Tamar was the only Israelite in the unions with Er, and Onan. So, my speculation that Tamar was Israelite it not unfounded.
Furthermore, can you find a single place in Scripture where Leviticus 21:9 KJV was ever effected? I never read about an Israelite Priestess being burned, or threatened with death by fire. Then, what was the point in that Law? The only other place in Scripture where that law came anywhere near into play was Genesis 38:24 KJV. Where did the Law of Leviticus 21:9 come from if not by Judah's decision to burn Tamar? Where did Abraham's infamous quest for a wife for Isaac, and Isaac's and Rebekah's dire concerns for a wife for Jacob come from? Noah sanctioned procreation between the descendants of Japheth and Shem in Genesis 9:27 KJV. Noah drew a line in the sand separating Ham and Canaan, being the land of Canaan, precluding the Canaanites from being co-progenitors with Japheth and Shem. I tend to think Noah, Abraham, and Isaac had God's intention in mind before the Laws of Leviticus 7:1, 2, 3 affirmed by Ezra 9:1, 2, 9 some 1,400 years after Judah hooked up with a Canaanite wife.
So, Judah breached covenant hooking up with a Canaanitess, but it appears as though Judah got the message when God PERSONALLY slew his two elder Canaanite sons (Genesis 38:6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11). How often have you read in Scripture that God personally slew anyone? Do you think Tamar got the message? Judah certainly did (Genesis 38:11 KJV)! And, so did Shelah, btw! God intervened leaving Tamar no viable brothers-in-law (Shelah was too young) to hook-up with. That only left Judah, and Tamar played the harlot and kept JUDAH's name from being snuffed out of Israel (Deuteronomy 25:5, 6). All Judah had was a third and surviving Canaanite son named Shelah.
The tribe of Judah is illustrated in 1Chronicles 4:1 KJV being, "The sons of Judah: Pharez, Hezron (Judah's grandson via Pharez, 1Chronicles 2:5 KJV)"... and so forth. Did you happen to hear Judah's Canaanite son included in 1Chronicles 4:1 KJV? Not at all... please consider now 1Chronicles 4:21, 22. [EDITED OUT: Also, consider Numbers 13:6 KJV... Caleb was the son of Hezron (1Chronicles 2:18 KJV) who was the son of Pharez (1Chronicles 2:5 KJV), who was the son of Judah and Tamar] Had Tamar NOT played the harlot, Judah would not have had a tribe among his brethren. Had Tamar been anyone other than an Israelite (like Judah's Canaanite wife), Pharez and his descendants would NOT have been listed as the tribe of Judah. This further corroborates Tamar was an Israelite.
Being an Israelite, which of Judah's brothers' daughters to you propose Tamar came from? Leviticus 21:9 KJV and Genesis 38:26 leads me to conclude Tamar was a first degree daughter of Levi, and she would be about the age of Judah's Canaanite sons. Sure... that's my best guess. But it's sure more than anyone else has thrown on the table to my knowledge! Do you think Jesus' maternal ancestress (Tamar) via Judah was a Canaanite? If so... then Shelah would both be listed among the tribe of Judah in Chronicles, and Shelah would be listed in the ancestry of Jesus in Matthew 1:1 KJV, Matthew 1:2 KJV, Matthew 1:3 KJV instead of Pharez. Shelah was the elder, btw. So, you may not come to the same conclusions I have; but, you can rest well assured Tamar was NOT a Canaanitess! In fact, I've suggested Ezra saw Tamar as THE remnant to escape Israelite ancestral dilution (Ezra 9:1, 2) in Ezra 9:8 KJV. Wasn't Ezra responsible for Chronicles? Wasn't Moses responsible for Genesis, Deuteronomy, Leviticus, and Numbers?
And because of this made-up assumption of yours, you keep building upon the assumption with more assumption.
Long story short, your assumption has no solid foundation.
And as scripture says, if you don't start out building on a solid foundation, you might as well be building on sinking sand.
I appreciate you sharing your legitimate concerns, Tambora. And, this is a discussion that is quite appropriate considering lineages. Judah was an Israelite, but his son Shelah was not an Israelite. Does this bear more reflection on Romans 9:6, 7, 8? Judah's Canaanitess wife (1Chronicles 2:3 KJV) was the daughter of the Canaanite Shuah (Genesis 38:2 KJV). Judah's father-in-law Shuah was the son of Keturah (v.2), wife of Abraham (Genesis 25:1, 2, 3, 4). Moses did NOT say Shuah was a son of Abraham... Moses said Shuah was one of "the children of Keturah" (Genesis 25:4 KJV.
Shuah, like his grandson Shelah were "Abraham's seed" (John 8:33 KJV, John 8:37 KJV), they just weren't "Abraham's children" (John 8:39 KJV, Genesis 25:4 KJV, Luke 3:2, 7, 8, 9; Romans 9:6, 7, 8; Revelation 2:9, 3:9).
So, Tambora... do indeed check my homework... which is vastly more that what Interplaner throws on the table, besides his unfounded speculation that Isaac was a 'picture' of Jesus. If EVER there was a Bible character who exemplified Jesus, it was Joseph! Well, FWIW...
Thanks for listening, Tambora
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