Interesting Facts

• An Adullamite named Hirah is identified as a friend of Judah.
• Judah employed an Adullamite as his shepherd.
• When Judah’s shepherd inquired about a “harlot” in Adullam, the people of the place stated, “There is no harlot here with us”. This could indicate that Tamar was not recognized as such or that the community was protective of her or unaware of her activities as perceived by Judah.

Genealogy

• The provided sources do not offer a genealogy of the Adullamites.
• The references are to individuals identified by their place of origin, Adullam. Hirah is called “a certain Adullamite”, and Judah’s shepherd is referred to as “an Adullamite”, indicating their connection to the region rather than a specific lineage mentioned within the Israelite family records.

Historical Context

The Adullamites appear in the narrative context of Judah’s departure from his brothers. This occurs in the land of Canaan before the major events of Joseph’s sale and the subsequent famine that led the Israelites to Egypt. Judah sought companionship with an Adullamite named Hirah, suggesting a degree of interaction and potentially integration between the early Israelites and the local Canaanite populations. Later, Judah sends his Adullamite shepherd with payment to Tamar, whom he believed to be a harlot in the vicinity. The response of the people of Adullam to the shepherd’s inquiry implies their potential unfamiliarity with Tamar’s disguised activities or perhaps a different social perception within their community regarding such matters.

Narrative

The Adullamites play a minor but revealing role in the narrative surrounding Judah. After Judah separated from his brothers, he “turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah“. This establishes Hirah as a companion and friend to Judah. Later, when Judah engaged with his daughter-in-law Tamar, disguised as a harlot, he promised to send her a kid of the goats by the hand of his shepherd, who was also an Adullamite. This indicates that Judah trusted and utilized the Adullamites in his personal affairs. When the shepherd went to inquire about the “harlot” in Adullam, he was told that no such person was known there. This could suggest that Tamar’s actions were discreet or that the Adullamite community did not identify her in that manner. The narrative snippets involving the Adullamites highlight Judah’s interactions beyond his immediate family and offer a glimpse into the social landscape of Canaan at that time, where Israelites and local populations like the Adullamites co-existed and interacted.