Educator Guide
Tamar Bible Study Guide
Tamar
Tamar
Widow of Judah's son; secured Judah's line through a startling act of justice (Genesis 38).
Teaching prompt
Why does Matthew 1:3 deliberately name Tamar in Jesus' genealogy?
Reflection
Where do you most need to know God can write straight with very crooked lines?
Points to Jesus
Matthew 1 quietly puts Tamar (along with Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba) into Jesus' family tree, preparing the reader for a Messiah who is unembarrassed by the broken, the foreign, and the marginalised — He came precisely to redeem them.
Discussion questions
- Genesis 38: What is Tamar's situation, and how does Judah finally name her in v. 26?
- Ruth 4:12: How is Tamar remembered by Bethlehem's elders?
- Matthew 1:3: What does it say that Tamar is one of four women Matthew names before Mary?