Onan

1At that time Judah went down away from his brothers. He went to stay with a man named Hirah, who was from the town of Adullam.

And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

NoteAdullam was a town in Canaan. Judah left his own family to live near people who were not his relatives.

2There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shuah. He married her and slept with her.

And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.

NoteThe Canaanites were the people already living in that land. Judah's family had come there from far away.

3She became pregnant and had a son. Judah named him Er.

And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er.

4She became pregnant again and had a son. She named him Onan.

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

5She became pregnant once more and had a son. She named him Shelah. This son was born at a place called Chezib.

And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him.

6Judah chose a wife for Er, his oldest son. Her name was Tamar.

And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.

NoteBack then parents chose who their children would marry. The oldest son mattered most. He got the biggest share of the family's things when his father died.

7But Er, Judah's oldest son, was wicked in the LORD's sight. And the LORD put him to death.

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

Note"The LORD" in big letters stands for God's own special name. To be wicked "in the LORD's sight" means God saw what the man did.

8Then Judah said to Onan, "Sleep with your brother's wife. Marry her, as a brother should. Have a child who will count as your brother's child."

And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.

NoteThis was a rule families followed long ago. If a man died with no children, his brother married the widow. Their first baby was counted as the dead brother's child. That way the dead man's name and land were not lost.

9Onan knew the child would not be counted as his own. So when he slept with his brother's wife, he spilled his seed on the ground. He did this so his brother would not have a child.

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.

Note"Seed" here means the tiny part from a father that helps start a baby.

10What Onan did displeased the LORD. So the LORD put him to death too.

And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.

11Then Judah spoke to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, the wife of his son. He said, "Go live at your father's house. Stay a widow there until my son Shelah is grown up." Judah thought, "Shelah might die too, the way his brothers did." So Tamar went and lived in her father's house.

Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.

NoteA widow is a woman whose husband has died. A widow with no husband and no children had no one to take care of her. She usually went back to live with her own father.