Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 65:4 (Dec 2022)
Article: Genesis 38 Through The Lens Of Moral Injury
Author: Elizabeth Mehlman

JETS 65:3 (September 2022) p. 635

Genesis 38 Through The Lens Of Moral Injury

Elizabeth Mehlman*

^* Elizabeth Mehlman is a PhD student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2825 Lexington Rd., Louisville, KY 40280. She may be contacted at [email protected].

Abstract: “Moral injury,” an interdisciplinary interpretive category, is gradually emerging in the literature of biblical studies. While moral injury is variously defined in terms of human experience and moral consciousness, it broadly refers to the harm caused by witnessing or committing violations of deeply held assumptions of ethical and moral behavior. This study illustrates the use of a more specific moral injury lens as it applies to the actions of Judah and Tamar in Genesis 38. I argue that Judah’s and Onan’s actions are morally injurious to Tamar through a form of “slow violence.” Moral injury highlights the increasing personal diminishment and social consequences experienced by a key biblical character that are often overlooked in biblical studies. The ensuing harm, exploitation, and humiliation contribute to Tamar’s actions allowing readers to see her wounds in a more nuanced light with potentially less blame and greater empathy.

Key words: Genesis 38, Judah, Tamar, moral injury, biblical narrative, slow violence

The world behind Old Testament texts contains “a series of snapshots of the moral struggles of Israelite communities in their particularity.”1 Numerous texts reveal human conduct falling short of the justice, steadfast love, and humility modeled in the covenant relationship with God. Consequently, biblical characters face traumatic events, as well as subtle acts, that transgress moral codes. Tamar in Genesis 38 has been considered a victim of various ethical lapses.2 For example, Juliana Claassens examines Genesis 38 in terms of human dignity, human resistance of dehumanization, and “moral complexities.”3 Scholars acknowledge the challenging relationship between Old Testament narrative and Christian ethics, and how Genesis 38 is particularly unresponsive to Old Testament ethical guidelines. Meyers and Pietersen, for example, argue that Genesis 38 “mirror[s] the intricacies of life,” and illustrates how biblical criticism can stimulate ethical debate, rather than resolve moral issues or seek...