And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.
Parallel translations
- WEB Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in Yahweh’s sight. Yahweh killed him.
- BSB But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; so the LORD put him to death.
- NKJV But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord killed him.
- NASB But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord took his life.
- NLT But Er was a wicked man in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord took his life.
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
Er is so wicked that the LORD puts him to death.
Overview
Scripture does not detail Er's sin, only that it was grievous enough for divine judgment. The text affirms that God sees and judges wickedness even within the covenant family. This sober reminder that the LORD will by no means clear the guilty points ahead to the need for a righteous Redeemer.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- 1 Chr 2:3The sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah: which three were born unto him of the daughter of Shua the Canaanitess. And Er, the firstborn of Judah, was evil in the sight of the LORD; and he slew him.
- 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.
- Num 26:19The sons of Judah were Er and Onan: and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.
- Gen 19:13For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.
- Gen 13:13But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
- Ps 55:23But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.
- Gen 6:8But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
- 2 Chr 33:6And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
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 38:7 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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