"What a breach you have made for yourself!" : the history of Jewish interpretations of Genesis 38

This thesis traces the history of Jewish Bible interpretations of Genesis 38, a story that is significant for the history of the early Israelites and today's Jews, as it purports to describe the origins of the Davidic line. I have exposed the possible implications of this account throughout history by exploring interpretations from biblical to modern times and have attempted to define the various difficulties that are addressed. This history is presented as a dialogue and, in this way, I have explored the intricate connections between interpreters and their proposed understandings of the narrative