Bible Strands
Genesis 38:9
But Onan knew that the offspring would not belong to him; so whenever he would sleep with his brother’s wife, he would spill his seed on the ground so that he would not produce offspring for his brother.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Judah commands Onan to sleep with his deceased brother's widow to fulfill his levirate duty and raise an heir. Onan receives this instruction and immediately acts against it by refusing to produce offspring for his brother.
The words — The text foregrounds וַ/יֵּ֣דַע (va/i.Ye.da'), meaning "and he knew," and כִּ֛י (ki), meaning "that," to establish Onan's full awareness of his actions. This phrasing records his conscious decision to spill his seed on the ground rather than his physical inability to do so.
The thread — The requirement to raise offspring for a dead brother is codified in Deuteronomy 25:6, which mandates the firstborn carry on the dead brother's name. The narrative's declaration that Onan's act was wicked in the sight of the LORD connects to the warning in James 3:16 that selfish ambition produces disorder.
Why it lands — The text first records Onan's deliberate sabotage of his duty and then states that God put him to death for it. It requires the reader to acknowledge that conscious defiance of clear obligations demands accountability.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 25:6 The first son she bears will carry on the name of the dead brother, so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.
- Titus 3:3 For at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures—living in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
- James 3:16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every evil practice.
- James 4:5 Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy?
- Ruth 4:10 Moreover, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, to raise up the name of the deceased through his inheritance, so that his name will not disappear from among his brothers or from the gate of his home. You are witnesses today.”
- Job 5:2 For resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple.
- Proverbs 27:4 Wrath is cruel and anger is like a flood, but who can withstand jealousy?
- James 3:14 But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth.
- Ruth 1:11 But Naomi replied, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb to become your husbands?