Commentators agree that Judah was not acting in good faith. He sent Tamar away under the pretense of waiting for his youngest son, Shelah, to grow up. However, his internal thought reveals his true motive: fear that Shelah would also die. Scholars like Calvin and Gill suggest this was a deceitful excuse to avoid his family duty, trapping Tamar in a state of widowhood while having no intention of fulfilling his promise.