Genesis 38:20
וַיִּשְׁלַח יְהוּדָה אֶת־גְּדִי הָֽעִזִּים בְּיַד רֵעֵהוּ הָֽעֲדֻלָּמִי לָקַחַת הָעֵרָבוֹן מִיַּד הָאִשָּׁה וְלֹא מְצָאָֽהּ׃
✦ Hebrew interlinear
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✦ The same verse in five languages
וַיִּשְׁלַ֨ח יְהוּדָ֜ה אֶת־גְּדִ֣י הָֽעִזִּ֗ים בְּיַד֙ רֵעֵ֣הוּ הָֽעֲדֻלָּמִ֔י לָקַ֥חַת הָעֵרָב֖וֹן מִיַּ֣ד הָאִשָּׁ֑ה וְלֹ֖א מְצָאָֽהּ׃
ἀπέστειλεν δὲ Ἰούδας τὸν ἔριφον ἐξ αἰγῶν ἐν ὶ τοῦ ποιμένος αὐτοῦ τοῦ ’oδολλαμείτου, κομίσασθαι τὸν ἀρραβῶνα παρὰ τῆς γυναικός· καὶ οὐχ εὗρεν αὐτήν.
Greek text from Swete's edition, CC BY-SA 4.0
Latin (Vulgate)
Misit autem Judas hædum per pastorem suum Odollamitem, ut reciperet pignus quod dederat mulieri: qui cum non invenisset eam,
Judá envió el cabrito por medio de su amigo el adulamita, para recuperar la prenda que le había dejado a la mujer, pero no la encontró.
Classic Spanish (Reina-Valera 1909)
Y Judá envió el cabrito de las cabras por mano de su amigo el Adullamita, para que tomase la prenda de mano de la mujer; mas no la halló.
Now when Judah sent his friend Hirah the Adullamite with the young goat to collect the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her.
✦ What the text says
Summary
Judah sends the young goat he had promised, through his Adullamite companion, in order to retrieve the pledge he had left with the woman. The messenger cannot find her.
Key words
- va-yishlach ("and he sent", H7971G) — qal narrative verb, marks the next event in the story chain, subject Judah.
- re'ehu ("his friend/companion", H7453) — construct noun with pronominal suffix hu ("his", H9023), identifying the Adullamite as Judah's associate rather than a servant.
- la-qachat ("to take", H3947G) — infinitive construct with prefixed le ("to", H9005), expressing the purpose of sending: "in order to take."
- ha-'eravon ("the pledge", H6162) — definite singular noun, the specific object to be retrieved, matching the pledge mentioned earlier in the narrative.
- lo' metsa'ah ("he did not find her", H3808 + H4672G) — negated qal perfect with pronominal suffix ah ("her", H9034), stating a completed failed action.
What the text says
The verse is built as a single narrative sequence introduced by the vav-consecutive verb va-yishlach ("and he sent", H7971G), with Judah (Yehudah, H3063G) as subject. The object of sending is marked by the direct object particle 'et (H0853) before gedi ha-'izzim ("the kid of the goats", H1423 + H5795), a construct phrase specifying the animal. The means of sending is expressed with be-yad re'ehu ha-'Adullami ("by the hand of his friend, the Adullamite", H3027G + H7453 + H5726), using the common idiom yad ("hand", H3027G) in construct to indicate agency through an intermediary rather than personal delivery.
The purpose clause follows with the infinitive construct la-qachat ha-'eravon ("to take the pledge", H3947G + H6162), explaining why the goat was sent. The source from which the pledge is to be retrieved is given by a second use of yad in construct, mi-yad ha-'ishah ("from the hand of the woman", H3027G + H802G), mirroring the earlier phrase and creating a structural parallel between the two "hands" — the friend's hand delivering, the woman's hand holding what must be reclaimed. The clause closes with ve-lo' metsa'ah ("and he did not find her", H3808 + H4672G), a simple negated perfect verb with the pronominal suffix ah ("her", H9034) attached directly, indicating the outcome of the search.
Differences between versions
The LXX renders re'ehu ("his friend", H7453) as "τοῦ ποιμένος αὐτοῦ" ("his shepherd"), differing from the Hebrew term for "friend/companion." The BSB adds the name "Hirah," which is not present in this verse's Hebrew text but is supplied from context elsewhere in the narrative. The Vulgate's "per pastorem suum" ("through his shepherd") parallels the LXX's reading rather than the Hebrew re'ehu.
This explanation describes the text using linguistic data; it adds no doctrine or confessional interpretation.