And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.
Parallel translations
- WEB The thing which he did was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and he killed him also.
- BSB What he did was wicked in the sight of the LORD, so He put Onan to death as well.
- NKJV And the thing which he did displeased the Lord; therefore He killed him also.
- NASB But what he did was displeasing in the sight of the Lord; so He took his life also.
- NLT But the Lord considered it evil for Onan to deny a child to his dead brother. So the Lord took Onan’s life, too.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Onan's selfish wickedness displeases the LORD, who also puts him to death.
Overview
God judges Onan's persistent, deceitful refusal to honor his brother and his widow. As with Er, divine judgment underscores that the LORD weighs the heart and acts against entrenched sin. Tamar is left doubly bereaved and increasingly vulnerable.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Num 11:1And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.
- Gen 46:12And the sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zarah: but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul.
- 1 Chr 21:7And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel.
- Num 26:19The sons of Judah were Er and Onan: and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.
- Prov 14:32The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.
- Jer 44:4Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.
- Prov 24:18Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.
- Hag 1:13Then spake Haggai the LORD’s messenger in the LORD’s message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD.
- 2 Sam 11:27And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.
- Num 22:34And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 38:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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