Add parallel Print Page Options

Then Judah said to Er’s brother, Onan, “You must marry Tamar, as our law requires of a dead man’s brother; so that her sons from you will be your brother’s heirs.”

But Onan was not willing to have a child who would not be counted as his own, and so, although he married her,[a] whenever he went in to sleep with her, he spilled the sperm on the bed to prevent her from having a baby which would be his brother’s. 10 So far as the Lord was concerned, it was very wrong of him to deny a child to his deceased brother, so he killed him, too.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 38:9 although he married her, implied. he spilled the sperm on the bed, literally, “spilled it on the ground.”

Bible Gateway Recommends

The Living Bible, Large Print Red Letter Edition, Green Hardcover
The Living Bible, Large Print Red Letter Edition, Green Hardcover
Retail: $39.99
Our Price: $30.49
Save: $9.50 (24%)
5.0 of 5.0 stars
The One Year Bible TLB - eBook
The One Year Bible TLB - eBook
Retail: $14.99
Our Price: $9.69
Save: $5.30 (35%)
Living Bible: Large-Print, Green Padded Hardcover (indexed)
Living Bible: Large-Print, Green Padded Hardcover (indexed)
Retail: $44.99
Our Price: $36.99
Save: $8.00 (18%)
4.5 of 5.0 stars
Living Bible: Large Print, Green Padded Hardcover
Living Bible: Large Print, Green Padded Hardcover
Retail: $34.99
Our Price: $26.49
Save: $8.50 (24%)
4.5 of 5.0 stars
The Living Bible, TuTone Brown/Tan Imitation Leather
The Living Bible, TuTone Brown/Tan Imitation Leather
Retail: $39.99
Our Price: $32.99
Save: $7.00 (18%)
5.0 of 5.0 stars