Bible Figure
Shelah
biblical character; third son of Judah
Shelah was Judah's third son and ancestor of the Shelanite clan.
Biography
Genesis 38 says Shelah was Judah's youngest son by the daughter of Shua. After the deaths of Er and Onan, Judah promised the widowed Tamar that she could marry Shelah when he grew up, but Judah failed to give him to her. Tamar's later actions exposed Judah's failure. Shelah himself survived and became ancestor of the Shelanites, listed in Numbers and Chronicles.
Biblical Significance
Shelah is important within Judah's genealogy and the background of the Judah-Tamar narrative, although Scripture attributes few personal actions to him.