This verse summarizes Judah’s attempt to pay a pledged debt and signals the unfolding of God’s redemptive plan.
When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand, he did not find her. (v.20) This short verse follows Judah’s agreement with Tamar, although her name is not mentioned here, and highlights the moment Judah fulfills his promise of providing a young goat as payment. Judah, the fourth son of Jacob (c. 2006-1886 BC), is central to the lineage that will eventually lead to King David and to Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:3). His friend, described as “the Adullamite,” comes from Adullam, a city located in the Shephelah region of ancient Israel, about twenty miles southwest of Jerusalem, which would later become a part of the territory assigned to the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:35). This detail in the verse shows Judah depending on another to carry out his vow, perhaps to maintain some anonymity in his dealings.
In the broader narrative, the goat symbolizes the agreed-upon compensation for what Judah believed to be a harlot, not realizing it was his own daughter-in-law, Tamar (Genesis 38:14-18). By sending his friend, Judah attempts to uphold honor toward his word and clear his personal debt. However, the verse tells us he “did not find her,” hinting that God’s sovereign plan is in motion beyond Judah’s awareness (Romans 8:28). From an ancient cultural perspective, the inability to redeem one’s pledge carries weighty consequences, both socially and morally, underscoring how critical it was to find the person who held Judah’s pledge.
Judah’s momentary confusion ultimately serves God’s long-range purpose, demonstrating that the tribe of Judah, from which Jesus would come, is far from perfect and yet is redeemed for a divine purpose (Luke 3:33). The text here begins a chain of events that paint Judah not only as a man who eventually recognizes his own wrongdoings but also as one who is brought low before God through unexpected circumstances.
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Genesis 38:20 meaning
When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand, he did not find her. (v.20) This short verse follows Judah’s agreement with Tamar, although her name is not mentioned here, and highlights the moment Judah fulfills his promise of providing a young goat as payment. Judah, the fourth son of Jacob (c. 2006-1886 BC), is central to the lineage that will eventually lead to King David and to Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:3). His friend, described as “the Adullamite,” comes from Adullam, a city located in the Shephelah region of ancient Israel, about twenty miles southwest of Jerusalem, which would later become a part of the territory assigned to the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:35). This detail in the verse shows Judah depending on another to carry out his vow, perhaps to maintain some anonymity in his dealings.
In the broader narrative, the goat symbolizes the agreed-upon compensation for what Judah believed to be a harlot, not realizing it was his own daughter-in-law, Tamar (Genesis 38:14-18). By sending his friend, Judah attempts to uphold honor toward his word and clear his personal debt. However, the verse tells us he “did not find her,” hinting that God’s sovereign plan is in motion beyond Judah’s awareness (Romans 8:28). From an ancient cultural perspective, the inability to redeem one’s pledge carries weighty consequences, both socially and morally, underscoring how critical it was to find the person who held Judah’s pledge.
Judah’s momentary confusion ultimately serves God’s long-range purpose, demonstrating that the tribe of Judah, from which Jesus would come, is far from perfect and yet is redeemed for a divine purpose (Luke 3:33). The text here begins a chain of events that paint Judah not only as a man who eventually recognizes his own wrongdoings but also as one who is brought low before God through unexpected circumstances.