Genesis 38:28
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.
Genesis 38:28 in other translations
| BSB | And as she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it around his wrist. “This one came out first,” she announced. |
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| WEB | When she travailed, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This came out first.” |
| ASV | And it came to pass, when she travailed, that one put out a hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first. |
| YLT | and it cometh to pass in her bearing, that one giveth out a hand, and the midwife taketh and bindeth on his hand a scarlet thread, saying, ‘This hath come out first.' |
| DARBY | And it came to pass when she brought forth, that one stretched out his hand, and the midwife took it and bound round his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first. |
| BBE | And while she was in the act of giving birth, one of them put out his hand; and the woman who was with her put a red thread round his hand, saying, This one came out first. |
| Webster | 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. |
What does Genesis 38:28 mean?
Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 28 The midwife - bound upon his hand a scarlet thread - The binding of the scarlet thread about the wrist of the child whose arm appeared first in the birth, serves to show us how solicitously the privileges of the birthright were preserved. Had not this caution been taken by the midwife, Pharez would have had the right of primogeniture to the prejudice of his elder brother Zarah. And yet Pharez is usually reckoned in the genealogical tables before Zarah; and from him, not Zarah, does the line of our Lord proceed. See Mat 1:3. Probably the two brothers, as being twins, were conjoined in the privileges belonging to the birthright.
Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain
Genesis 38:28 in the original Hebrew
Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.
Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).
Context
- Genesis 38:27
And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.
- Genesis 38:28
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.
- Genesis 38:29
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.
Genesis 38:28 in other languages
| Spanish Reina-Valera 1909 | Y sucedió, cuando paría, que sacó la mano el uno, y la partera tomó y ató á su mano un hilo de grana, diciendo: Este salió primero. |
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| French Bible J.N. Darby 1885 | et il arriva, comme elle enfantait, que l’un d’eux tendit la main; et la sage-femme la prit, et lia sur sa main un fil écarlate, en disant: Celui-ci sort le premier. |
| German Elberfelder 1871 | Und es geschah, während sie gebar, da streckte einer die Hand heraus, und die Hebamme nahm sie und band einen Karmesinfaden um seine Hand und sprach: Dieser ist zuerst herausgekommen. |
| Latin Clementine Vulgate | Iste egredietur prior. |