Genesis 38:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD put him to death.

NIV: But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death.

NASB: But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord took his life.

CSB: Now Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the Lord's sight, and the Lord put him to death.

NLT: But Er was a wicked man in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord took his life.

KJV: And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.

NKJV: But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord killed him.

Judah (Genesis 38:1–4) has found a wife for his firstborn son Er, a woman named Tamar. While Scripture offers no details, Er's life is marked by sin such that God takes his life. Interestingly, the Hebrew name "Er" is spelled using the same two letters as the term for "evil," but in reverse. We're not told what specific sin Er committed. Most likely, it was his whole manner of life to which God objected. God's response is still startling: He puts Er to death. This might have been a direct, supernatural action. It may have been natural consequences of Er's sin (Proverbs 10:7, 27; 11:5). Regardless of the method, there is no question his death is an act of divine judgement.

Though God often judges people groups for sin throughout the Old Testament, He is not often credited with directly killing an individual, outright, in response to their evil. Some commentors suggest God's intent in being so direct with Er might be to prevent Israel from producing too many heirs out of this intermarriage with the idol-worshipping Canaanite people.

Tradition, later codified into law (Deuteronomy 25:5–6), was for a surviving brother to take the widow on as his own wife. Any children produced would be heirs of the departed brother. Judah will follow this tradition, but the results will be similarly dire (Genesis 38:8–10).

Genesis 38:6–11 explains how Tamar came to be widowed twice. Judah's eldest, Er, marries Tamar but is killed by God for unspecified sins. By tradition, a widow would be given to the next surviving brother, with any resulting children considered successors of the deceased man. Er's brother, Onan, takes Tamar as a wife, including intercourse, but deliberately avoids providing her with children. For taking sexual advantage of Tamar, Onan is also killed by God. Judah apparently blames Tamar for his sons' deaths and tells her to wait before being married to the next brother, Shelah. When it becomes clear that Judah won't care for her, Tamar makes plans of her own.

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.