Genesis 38:30

Summary

This verse describes the birth of the second twin, referred to as "his brother," who came out after the first twin, identified by the scarlet thread that had been on his hand. He is named Zerach ("Zerah", H2226I).

Key words

• 'a.Char ("after", H0310A) — marks the temporal sequence, indicating this birth follows the previous one described in the prior verse.
• ya.Tza' ("he came out", H3318M) — qal perfect, a completed action denoting the physical emergence of the brother from the womb.
• 'a.Sher ("whom", H0834A) — relative particle introducing a clause that identifies this brother by a distinguishing mark (the thread), rather than by name at this point.
• ya.D ("hand", H3027G) — construct form ("hand of"), linked to the possessive suffix o ("his"), locating the scarlet thread specifically on his hand.
• i.yik.Ra' ("someone called", H7121H) — qal narrative form (vav-consecutive), continuing the story sequence and introducing the act of naming.

What the text says

The verse opens with the sequential marker ve'aChar ("and after") joined to yaTza' ("he came out"), a qal perfect verb form indicating a completed action — establishing that this birth happens after the event already narrated. The subject is 'aChi ("brother", H0251G) in construct form with the suffix -v ("his"), meaning "his brother," referring back to the twin previously mentioned in the narrative.

The relative clause introduced by 'asher ("whom") — 'al-yaDo hashaNi ("on his hand, the scarlet [thread]") — identifies this brother by the physical marker that had been placed on his hand, using the construct noun yad ("hand") with the possessive suffix -o ("his"), followed by the definite noun hashaNi ("the scarlet thread", H8144). The Hebrew syntax delays the naming until after this identifying description, which grammatically ties the identity of the brother to the earlier scene involving the thread.

The verbal transition to vayyiqra' ("and [someone] called") uses the vav-consecutive form, typical of Hebrew narrative sequencing, moving the story from description to action. The subject of yiqra' is grammatically unspecified (third person masculine singular, glossed as "someone called"), and the object is shem-o ("his name") followed by the proper name Zarach ("Zerah").

Differences between versions

The Hebrew 'asher 'al-yado hashani ("whom, on his hand, the scarlet thread") is rendered in the LXX as ἐφ' ᾧ ἦν ἐπὶ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ τὸ κόκκινον ("on whom was upon his hand the scarlet"), adding the verb "was" (ἦν) not present as a separate word in the Hebrew clause, which relies on the relative particle and construct structure alone. The Vulgate's in cujus manu erat coccinum similarly supplies the verb "erat" ("was"). The BSB's "with the scarlet thread around his wrist" interprets 'al-yado ("on his hand") as "around his wrist," a specification not explicit in the Hebrew yad ("hand"). The subject of the naming verb vayyiqra' is left grammatically unspecified in Hebrew ("he/someone called"), while the SBLIBRE renders it as a plural "le pusieron" ("they gave him"), diverging from the singular verb form in the Hebrew text.