בראשית, פרק ל״ח, פסוק כ״ב

Judah’s messenger returns empty-handed, forced to report a complete failure of his mission. He delivers a twofold update. First, he admits his own inability to locate the woman. Then, he shares the testimony of the local residents, who firmly claimed that no prostitute had ever been in that area [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

This update regarding the townspeople is not merely a simple sharing of facts. Their response was actually delivered with mockery. By asking around openly, the messenger turned a private matter into a public spectacle, transforming the search itself into a source of deep shame and disrespect to Judah's honor [ספורנו].