Genesis 38:10 kjv

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

Genesis 38:10 nkjv

And the thing which he did displeased the LORD; therefore He killed him also.

Genesis 38:10 niv

What he did was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death also.

Genesis 38:10 esv

And what he did was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and he put him to death also.

Genesis 38:10 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.

Genesis 38 verses

Genesis 38 10 Meaning

Genesis 38:10 states that Onan's action, preventing the conception of offspring for his deceased brother through Levirate marriage, was evil in the LORD's sight. Consequently, God took his life, as He had previously done with Onan's brother Er for similar wickedness. The verse underscores God's severe judgment against disobedience and a refusal to fulfill divinely established covenantal responsibilities.

Genesis 38 10 Context

Genesis chapter 38 serves as an interruption to the main narrative of Joseph, detailing the moral failures within Judah's family. It highlights Judah's own moral laxity, particularly his failure to provide a son for his deceased daughter-in-law, Tamar, which led to her taking matters into her own hands. Before Tamar's actions, his sons, Er and Onan, demonstrate significant wickedness. Er is described as wicked and is put to death by God. The focus of verse 10 is Onan's specific sin: his deliberate refusal to fulfill the duty of Levirate marriage. According to custom and later Law (Deut 25:5-10), Onan was obligated to marry his brother Er's widow, Tamar, and father a child who would be considered Er's heir, preserving the deceased brother's lineage. Onan, motivated by selfishness to avoid diluting his own inheritance or having an heir who would not be legally his own, deliberately spilled his seed to prevent conception. This act, rooted in deceit and a rejection of his family and covenantal duty, was met with divine judgment. The chapter reveals the depths of moral depravity within Judah's line, yet paradoxically, it also sets the stage for the significant birth of Perez, an ancestor of King David and eventually Jesus Christ, emphasizing God's sovereign hand working through flawed humanity.

Genesis 38 10 Word analysis

• וַיֵּרַע֙ (vay-yê-raʿ) / "and it was evil": Derived from the Hebrew root רעע (ra'a'), meaning "to be evil, bad, displeasing, painful." It emphasizes that Onan's actions directly offended God's moral standards. This is an objective statement of God's judgment, not a subjective opinion. It highlights a recurring theme where human actions are evaluated by God's standard.
• בְּעֵינֵ֣י (bə-‘ê-nê) / "in the eyes of": A common Hebrew idiom meaning "in the sight of," "in the opinion of," or "in the estimation of." It underscores that God was a direct observer and judge of Onan's deed, and found it fundamentally displeasing.
• יְהוָ֔ה (YHWH) / "the LORD": The sacred covenant name of God, indicating His personal involvement and divine authority. This specific naming implies a covenantal violation and highlights God's justice as the sovereign ruler who establishes and upholds His own order. His judgment is ultimate.
• אֲשֶׁר֙ עָשָׂ֔ה (’ă-šer ‘ā-śāh) / "what he did": Refers specifically to Onan's act of coitus interruptus with Tamar. The act was not merely a physical one but represented a deeper betrayal: his evasion of familial duty, contempt for his deceased brother's lineage, and ultimately, rebellion against what was implicitly or explicitly expected by divine will regarding the perpetuation of the family line, especially as the provider for a vulnerable widow. It was an act of selfish deceit.
• וַיָּמֶת (vay-yā-met) / "and He put to death" / "He caused to die": The verb is a Hiphil form of מוּת (muth), "to die." This causative form unequivocally states that God, the LORD, was the direct agent of Onan's death, just as He was for Er. It signifies a supernatural, immediate judgment, underscoring the severity with which God views such violations of His divine order and expectations.
• אֹתֹו (’ō-ṯōw) / "him": Direct object pronoun referring to Onan. The judgment was specific to his individual transgression.
• גַם־ (gam-) / "also": This particle highlights the parallel with Onan's brother, Er, who was also put to death by the LORD for wickedness (Gen 38:7). It emphasizes the consistent application of God's righteous judgment for similar patterns of grave sin within the same family line, demonstrating that God is impartial in His justice.

Genesis 38 10 Bonus section

The insertion of Genesis 38 within the Joseph narrative (chapters 37 and 39) serves a critical literary and theological purpose. It highlights Judah's moral deterioration concurrent with Joseph's spiritual ascent in Egypt. This juxtaposition subtly demonstrates that the right to rule and carry the messianic line (promised in Gen 49:10 to Judah) does not derive from inherent family purity, but from God's sovereign choice and a willingness to work through flawed human beings, redeeming their failures. Despite Judah's own moral lapses and the wickedness of his first two sons, God orchestrates the birth of Perez through Judah and Tamar, from whom King David and later Jesus Christ descend (Ruth 4:18-22, Matt 1:3). This chapter, including the stark judgment on Onan, underlines that divine purpose triumphs over human failure and sin, showcasing God's sovereignty even amidst personal moral chaos within the chosen lineage.

Genesis 38 10 Commentary

Genesis 38:10 is a pivotal verse in a significant interruption to the Joseph narrative, emphasizing God's strict adherence to His moral order and the severe consequences of defying it. Onan's sin was not solely about the sexual act itself, but the intentional evasion of a solemn covenantal and familial responsibility to raise an heir for his deceased brother. This action was deeply selfish, dishonoring his brother's memory and defrauding Tamar, who, as a childless widow, was in a vulnerable position. His deceitful act, designed to preserve his own full inheritance at the expense of his brother's legacy, revealed a contempt for the family line and a profound disregard for the implicit expectations of his culture and the divine order. The immediate, supernatural death of Onan, paralleling that of his brother Er, serves as a stark warning: God actively intervenes and judges those who act with malicious self-interest against established responsibilities and His will. This divine judgment underscores that righteousness, in God's sight, extends beyond ritual to encompass moral integrity and adherence to family and covenantal obligations. The Lord holds all humanity accountable for their actions, particularly when those actions demonstrate selfishness, deceit, and a deliberate subversion of the intended order of family and procreation within the divine plan.