Knowing in the Biblical Sense

An alert former student, Stephen Long, corrects my claim that the OT uses “X knew his wife” in only two places. In addition to Genesis 4 and 1 Samuel 1, there’s Genesis 38:26, where Judah “did not know” his daughter-in-law Tamar again.

Long writes, “On the one hand, its existence slightly breaks up the clean appearance of two clusters around the creation of the world and the creation of the Davidic monarchy. On the other hand, it actually fits the larger point you’re making: Judah’s act of ‘knowing’ Tamar is crucial to the preservation of Judah’s line — and the narrative foresees that Judah is destined to rule, i.e. is going to bring forth David. So, this ‘knowing’ is part of the series of knowings that bring forth a new world and/or an elect line. Interestingly, while this act of “knowing” fits the pattern, it’s also stated in such a way as to fit the particular moment in the story: it’s admitted only in passing, since Judah didn’t licitly ‘know’ Tamar — and hence it’s only characterized that way in retrospect when we’re told that Judah didn’t know her again.”