Genesis 38:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother’s wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother.

NIV: But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother.

NASB: Now Onan knew that the child would not be his; so when he had relations with his brother’s wife, he wasted his seed on the ground so that he would not give a child to his brother.

CSB: But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his, so whenever he slept with his brother's wife, he released his semen on the ground so that he would not produce offspring for his brother.

NLT: But Onan was not willing to have a child who would not be his own heir. So whenever he had intercourse with his brother’s wife, he spilled the semen on the ground. This prevented her from having a child who would belong to his brother.

KJV: And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.

NKJV: But Onan knew that the heir would not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in to his brother’s wife, that he emitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother.

Judah's firstborn son Er has died, killed by God for an unnamed wickedness. Since Er died without leaving children, Judah has told his second oldest son, Onan, to take Er's widow Tamar as his wife. His responsibility is to have children with her, raising those offspring on behalf of his brother. This was a strong custom in the region at the time, and it would be part of God's law for the nation of Israel (Deuteronomy 25:5–6). This would ensure that the departed man's line could continue. It would also provide for the woman's care, giving her children to support her as she aged.

Onan doesn't like the idea. According to this custom, the children will legally be considered heirs of his dead brother. The time and resources Onan must provide caring for them won't be part of his legacy. Some portion of his future earnings and estate will go to children who are legally and culturally considered someone else's sons.

In response, Onan deliberately avoids conceiving children with Tamar. If that meant avoiding intercourse with her, his choice would merely have been callous. The later, formal version of "levirate marriage" would include a way for the surviving brother to avoid taking on the new wife (Deuteronomy 25:7–10). Instead, Onan takes advantage of both the situation and of Tamar. He uses her for sex but interrupts the act at the very end to prevent conception. This is not a single event, but a pattern: it was Onan's choice "whenever" he had sex with Tamar. For that, God will strike Onan dead (Genesis 38:10).

This sin and its dire consequences inspired the term "Onanism." This word is most often applied to what modern people label as "masturbation." A common assumption is that God punished Onan for self-gratification, or for having sex simply for pleasure. Strictly speaking, however, Onan's sin was how he used Tamar for sex while deliberately avoiding taking the responsibilities which came with being married to her. This verse is explicit: Onan's sin was in how he avoided providing an heir for his brother.

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.