Genesis 38:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan.

NIV: She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan.

NASB: Then she conceived again and gave birth to a son, and she named him Onan.

CSB: She conceived again, gave birth to a son, and named him Onan.

NLT: Then she became pregnant again and gave birth to another son, and she named him Onan.

KJV: And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan.

NKJV: She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan.

Judah was one of the sons of Jacob (Genesis 29:25) who sold their younger brother, Joseph, as a slave (Genesis 37:26–28). Not long after this, Judah moved away from the family into an area called Adullam (Genesis 38:1). There, he took a wife from the Canaanite people (Genesis 38:2), going against God's will for the sons of Israel (Genesis 28:1; Deuteronomy 7:1–4). Though this was not yet an explicit law, marrying into pagan Canaanite culture was something against which God had already spoken. Judah's Canaanite wife has given birth to a son name Er, and now bears a second son.

Onan's name has been attached to a particular practice—sometimes called Onanism—which has been the subject of controversy within the Christian church. Later in this chapter, the reason for his unfortunate reputation will become clear (Genesis 38:8–10).

Genesis 38:1–5 explains the birth of Judah's three sons to a Canaanite woman, known only as the daughter of Shua. Two of these sons, Er and Onan, will die at the hands of God, due to their immoral actions. Tamar, a woman married in sequence to Er, then to Onan, will be abandoned by Judah. Left without support and unable to marry, she will scheme to take matters into her own hands.

Jacob's son Judah marries a Canaanite woman and has three sons. His first son marries a woman called Tamar but is put to death by God for an unnamed sin. Judah follows tradition and marries Er's widow to the next oldest brother. Onan takes advantage of the situation for sex, but deliberately refuses to give her children. God puts him to death as well. When Judah abandons Tamar, she disguises herself as a prostitute and has sex with him. Found to be pregnant, she proves Judah is the father, and he admits his guilt. She then gives birth to twin boys.

Genesis 38 departs from the story of Joseph (Genesis 37:26–28) to describe what happens when Judah moves away from his family at Hebron and marries a Canaanite woman. Two of his three sons are put to death by God, each while married to the same woman. When Judah abandons her, she works a scheme to trick him into having sex with her. Confronted with proof that he is the father in her scandalous pregnancy, she is allowed to live and gives birth to Judah's twin boys. The following chapter returns to a focus on Joseph and his rise within Egyptian society (Genesis 39:1).

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 5/3/2024 2:01:36 AM