GENESIS 38:21

Q: Was there any aspect of Judah's visit to Tamar, whom he thought to be the "shrine prostitute," indicative of idol worship on his part?

Probably not. The emphasis in this story is strictly on Judah's sin in refusing to offer his son to Tamar according to the Levirate Law, not on his fornication or any idolatrous practice on his part.

Almost all commentators point out the significance of the two different Hebrew words used for prostitute in this story. When Judah sees Tamar by the road in verse 15, he takes her to be a common prostitute (zona) since she is nowhere near any pagan temple at the time. Later, when his friend Hirah the Adullamite goes searching for the woman, he substitutes the much more polite word (qudeshah) usually translated as “cult prostitute” in describing to the people whom he is looking for. It is like referring to a streetwalker as a escort.