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Genesis 38:6-26

Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in Yahweh’s sight. So Yahweh killed him. Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” Onan knew that the offspring wouldn’t be his; and when he went in to his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother. The thing which he did was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and he killed him also. Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house, until Shelah, my son, is grown up;” for he said, “Lest he also die, like his brothers.” Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.

After many days, Shua’s daughter, the wife of Judah, died. Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheep shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah, the Adullamite. Tamar was told, “Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” She took off the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gate of Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she wasn’t given to him as a wife. When Judah saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. He turned to her by the way, and said, “Please come, let me come in to you,” for he didn’t know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?”

He said, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” She said, “Will you give me a pledge, until you send it?”

He said, “What pledge will I give you?” She said, “Your signet and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” He gave them to her, and came in to her, and she conceived by him.

She arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood. Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend, the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand, but he didn’t find her. Then he asked the men of her place, saying, “Where is the prostitute, that was at Enaim by the road?” They said, “There has been no prostitute here.”

He returned to Judah, and said, “I haven’t found her; and also the men of the place said, ‘There has been no prostitute here.’ ” Judah said, “Let her keep it, lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this young goat, and you haven’t found her.”

About three months later, Judah was told, “Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has played the prostitute. Moreover, behold, she is with child by prostitution.” Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.”

When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “I am with child by the man who owns these.” She also said, “Please discern whose these are—the signet, and the cords, and the staff.”

Judah acknowledged them, and said, “She is more righteous than I, because I didn’t give her to Shelah, my son.” He knew her again no more.

World English Bible · Public Domain
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Genesis 38:6-26 sits inside this longer paragraph.

At that time, Judah went down from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. There, Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite man named Shua. He took her, and went in to her. She conceived, and bore a son; and he named him Er. She conceived again, and bore a son; and she named him Onan. She yet again bore a son, and named him Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him. Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in Yahweh’s sight. So Yahweh killed him. Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” Onan knew that the offspring wouldn’t be his; and when he went in to his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother. The thing which he did was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and he killed him also. Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house, until Shelah, my son, is grown up;” for he said, “Lest he also die, like his brothers.” Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.

After many days, Shua’s daughter, the wife of Judah, died. Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheep shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah, the Adullamite. Tamar was told, “Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” She took off the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gate of Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she wasn’t given to him as a wife. When Judah saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. He turned to her by the way, and said, “Please come, let me come in to you,” for he didn’t know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?”

He said, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” She said, “Will you give me a pledge, until you send it?”

He said, “What pledge will I give you?” She said, “Your signet and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” He gave them to her, and came in to her, and she conceived by him.

She arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood. Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend, the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand, but he didn’t find her. Then he asked the men of her place, saying, “Where is the prostitute, that was at Enaim by the road?” They said, “There has been no prostitute here.”

He returned to Judah, and said, “I haven’t found her; and also the men of the place said, ‘There has been no prostitute here.’ ” Judah said, “Let her keep it, lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this young goat, and you haven’t found her.”

About three months later, Judah was told, “Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has played the prostitute. Moreover, behold, she is with child by prostitution.” Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.”

When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “I am with child by the man who owns these.” She also said, “Please discern whose these are—the signet, and the cords, and the staff.”

Judah acknowledged them, and said, “She is more righteous than I, because I didn’t give her to Shelah, my son.” He knew her again no more.

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Parallel Translations

  • WEB World English Bible

    Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

    Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in Yahweh’s sight. So Yahweh killed him.

    Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.”

    Onan knew that the offspring wouldn’t be his; and when he went in to his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother.

    The thing which he did was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and he killed him also.

    Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house, until Shelah, my son, is grown up;” for he said, “Lest he also die, like his brothers.” Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.

    After many days, Shua’s daughter, the wife of Judah, died. Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheep shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah, the Adullamite.

    Tamar was told, “Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”

    She took off the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gate of Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she wasn’t given to him as a wife.

    When Judah saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.

    He turned to her by the way, and said, “Please come, let me come in to you,” for he didn’t know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?”

    He said, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” She said, “Will you give me a pledge, until you send it?”

    He said, “What pledge will I give you?” She said, “Your signet and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” He gave them to her, and came in to her, and she conceived by him.

    She arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

    Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend, the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand, but he didn’t find her.

    Then he asked the men of her place, saying, “Where is the prostitute, that was at Enaim by the road?” They said, “There has been no prostitute here.”

    He returned to Judah, and said, “I haven’t found her; and also the men of the place said, ‘There has been no prostitute here.’ ”

    Judah said, “Let her keep it, lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this young goat, and you haven’t found her.”

    About three months later, Judah was told, “Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has played the prostitute. Moreover, behold, she is with child by prostitution.” Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.”

    When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “I am with child by the man who owns these.” She also said, “Please discern whose these are—the signet, and the cords, and the staff.”

    Judah acknowledged them, and said, “She is more righteous than I, because I didn’t give her to Shelah, my son.” He knew her again no more.

  • KJV King James Version

    And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.

    And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.

    And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.

    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.

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

    Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.

    And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah’s wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

    And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.

    And she put her widow’s garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.

    When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.

    And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?

    And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?

    And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.

    And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

    And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand: but he found her not.

    Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this place.

    And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this place.

    And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.

    And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.

    When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff.

    And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.

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  • JPS JPS Tanakh (1917)

    And Judah took a wife for Er his first-born, and her name was Tamar.

    And Er, Judah's first-born, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.

    And Judah said unto Onan: 'Go in unto thy brother's wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her, and raise up seed to thy brother.'

    And Onan knew that the seed would 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 he should give seed to his brother.

    And the thing which he did was evil in the sight of the LORD; and He slew him also.

    Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter-in-law: 'Remain a widow in thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown up'; for he said: 'Lest he also die, like his brethren.' And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.

    And in process of time Shua's daughter, the wife of Judah, died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheep-shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

    And it was told Tamar, saying: 'Behold, thy father-in-law goeth up to Timnah to shear his sheep.'

    And she put off from her the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the entrance of Enaim, which is by the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she was not given unto him to wife.

    When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot; for she had covered her face.

    And he turned unto her by the way, and said: 'Come, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee'; for he knew not that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said: 'What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?'

    And he said: 'I will send thee a kid of the goats from the flock.' And she said: 'Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?'

    And he said: 'What pledge shall I give thee?' And she said: 'Thy signet and thy cord, and thy staff that is in thy hand.' And he gave them to her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.

    And she arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

    And Judah sent the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman's hand; but he found her not.

    Then he asked the men of her place, saying: 'Where is the harlot, that was at Enaim by the wayside?' And they said: 'There hath been no harlot here.'

    And he returned to Judah, and said: 'I have not found her; and also the men of the place said: There hath been no harlot here.'

    And Judah said: 'Let her take it, lest we be put to shame; behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.'

    And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying: 'Tamar thy daughter-in-law hath played the harlot; and moreover, behold, she is with child by harlotry.' And Judah said: 'Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.'

    When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying: 'By the man, whose these are, am I with child'; and she said: 'Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and the cords, and the staff.'

    And Judah acknowledged them, and said: 'She is more righteous than I; forasmuch as I gave her not to Shelah my son.' And he knew her again no more.

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Cross-references (136)

  • Deuteronomy 25:5-10 (v8) If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead shall not be married outside to a stranger. Her…
  • 1 Chronicles 2:3 (v7) The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, and Shelah; which three were born to him of Shua’s daughter the Canaanitess. Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked…
  • Genesis 46:12 (vv7, 10) The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
  • Leviticus 21:9 (v24) “ ‘The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the prostitute, she profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire.
  • 1 Samuel 24:17 (v26) He said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for you have done good to me, whereas I have done evil to you.
Show all 100 cross-references
  • Matthew 22:23-27 (v8) On that day Sadducees (those who say that there is no resurrection) came to him. They asked him, saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man…
  • Numbers 26:19 (vv7, 10) The sons of Judah: Er and Onan. Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.
  • Leviticus 22:13 (v11) But if a priest’s daughter is a widow, or divorced, and has no child, and has returned to her father’s house as in her youth, she may eat…
  • Genesis 38:14 (vv19, 26) She took off the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gate of Enaim, which is…
  • Ruth 1:11 (vv8–9) Naomi said, “Go back, my daughters. Why do you want to go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
  • Genesis 37:32 (v25) They took the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father, and said, “We have found this. Examine it, now, and see if it is…
  • Genesis 38:18 (v25) He said, “What pledge will I give you?” She said, “Your signet and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” He gave them to her,…
  • Genesis 38:25-26 (v18) When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “I am with child by the man who owns these.” She also said, “Please…
  • Genesis 38:26 (v14) Judah acknowledged them, and said, “She is more righteous than I, because I didn’t give her to Shelah, my son.” He knew her again no more.
  • Numbers 11:1 (v10) The people were complaining in the ears of Yahweh. When Yahweh heard it, his anger burned; and Yahweh’s fire burned among them, and…
  • Joshua 15:10 (v12) and the border turned about from Baalah westward to Mount Seir, and passed along to the side of Mount Jearim (also called Chesalon) on the…
  • Ruth 4:5-11 (v8) Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must buy it also from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead,…
  • Ezekiel 16:33 (vv16–17) People give gifts to all prostitutes; but you give your gifts to all your lovers, and bribe them, that they may come to you on every side…
  • Genesis 13:13 (v7) Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinners against Yahweh.
  • Genesis 19:13 (v7) for we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown so great before Yahweh that Yahweh has sent us to destroy it.”
  • Genesis 24:67 (v12) Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife. He loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his…
  • Genesis 38:20 (v17) Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend, the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand, but he didn’t find her.
  • Leviticus 18:16 (v8) “ ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife. It is your brother’s nakedness.
  • Deuteronomy 25:6 (v9) It shall be that the firstborn whom she bears shall succeed in the name of his brother who is dead, that his name not be blotted out of…
  • Judges 14:1 (v12) Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines.
  • Judges 19:2 (v24) His concubine played the prostitute against him, and went away from him to her father’s house to Bethlehem Judah, and was there for four…
  • 2 Samuel 13:39 (v12) King David longed to go out to Absalom; for he was comforted concerning Amnon, since he was dead.
  • 1 Chronicles 21:7 (v10) God was displeased with this thing; therefore he struck Israel.
  • Psalms 50:21 (v25) You have done these things, and I kept silent. You thought that I was just like you. I will rebuke you, and accuse you in front of your…
  • Proverbs 14:32 (v10) The wicked is brought down in his calamity, but in death, the righteous has a refuge.
  • Ezekiel 23:5 (v24) “Oholah played the prostitute when she was mine. She doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbors,
  • Ezekiel 23:19 (v24) Yet she multiplied her prostitution, remembering the days of her youth, in which she had played the prostitute in the land of Egypt.
  • Ezekiel 23:44 (v24) They went in to her, as they go in to a prostitute. So they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, the lewd women.
  • Hosea 2:5 (v24) For their mother has played the prostitute. She who conceived them has done shamefully; for she said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give…
  • John 8:9 (v26) They, when they heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning from the oldest, even to the last. Jesus was…
  • Titus 2:11-12 (v26) For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,…
  • Titus 3:3 (v9) For we were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating…
  • James 3:16 (v9) For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed.
  • James 4:5 (v9) Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously”?
  • 1 Peter 4:2-3 (v26) that you no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For we have spent enough…
  • Genesis 20:9 (vv20, 24) Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and…
  • Genesis 4:1 (v26) The man knew Eve his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Cain, and said, “I have gotten a man with Yahweh’s help.”
  • Genesis 20:3 (v24) But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man, because of the woman whom you have taken;…
  • Genesis 20:7 (v24) Now therefore, restore the man’s wife. For he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. If you don’t restore her, know for…
  • Genesis 21:21 (v6) He lived in the wilderness of Paran. His mother got a wife for him out of the land of Egypt.
  • Genesis 24:3 (v6) I will make you swear by Yahweh, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son of the daughters of…
  • Genesis 24:65 (v14) She said to the servant, “Who is the man who is walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” She took her veil,…
  • Genesis 31:19 (v12) Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep; and Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father’s.
  • Genesis 34:31 (v24) They said, “Should he deal with our sister as with a prostitute?”
  • Genesis 37:33 (v26) He recognized it, and said, “It is my son’s tunic. An evil animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.”
  • Genesis 38:1 (v12) At that time, Judah went down from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.
  • Genesis 38:11-13 (v14) Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house, until Shelah, my son, is grown up;” for he said,…
  • Genesis 38:24-25 (v17) About three months later, Judah was told, “Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has played the prostitute. Moreover, behold, she is with child by…
  • Leviticus 19:17 (v20) “ ‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.
  • Leviticus 20:10 (v24) “ ‘The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, even he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the…
  • Numbers 36:8-9 (v8) Every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel shall be wife to one of the family of the tribe of her…
  • Deuteronomy 22:21-27 (v24) then they shall bring out the young lady to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones,…
  • Deuteronomy 24:16 (v24) The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers. Every man shall be put…
  • Joshua 15:35 (v12) Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,
  • Joshua 15:37 (v12) Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad,
  • Joshua 15:57 (v12) Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages.
  • Joshua 19:43 (v12) Elon, Timnah, Ekron,
  • Judges 14:20 (v20) But Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his friend.
  • Ruth 1:11-13 (v11) Naomi said, “Go back, my daughters. Why do you want to go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? Go…
  • Ruth 4:10 (v9) Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, I have purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance, that…
  • 1 Samuel 25:4-8 (v12) David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. David sent ten young men, and David said to the young men, “Go up to…
  • 1 Samuel 25:36 (v12) Abigail came to Nabal; and behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was…
  • 2 Samuel 11:27 (v10) When the mourning was past, David sent and took her home to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son. But the thing that…
  • 2 Samuel 12:5 (v24) David’s anger burned hot against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As Yahweh lives, the man who has done this deserves to die!
  • 2 Samuel 12:7 (v24) Nathan said to David, “You are the man. This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you…
  • 2 Samuel 12:9 (v23) Why have you despised Yahweh’s word, to do that which is evil in his sight? You have struck Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have…
  • 2 Samuel 13:3 (v20) But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother; and Jonadab was a very subtle man.
  • 2 Samuel 13:11 (v16) When she had brought them near to him to eat, he took hold of her, and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister!”
  • 2 Samuel 13:23-29 (v12) After two full years, Absalom had sheep shearers in Baal Hazor, which is beside Ephraim: and Absalom invited all the king’s sons. Absalom…
  • 2 Samuel 14:2 (v19) Joab sent to Tekoa, and brought a wise woman from there, and said to her, “Please act like a mourner, and put on mourning clothing, please,…
  • 2 Samuel 14:5 (v19) The king said to her, “What ails you?” She answered, “Truly I am a widow, and my husband is dead.
  • 2 Samuel 16:22 (v26) So they spread a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.
  • 2 Samuel 20:3 (v26) David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in…
  • 2 Samuel 24:17 (v26) David spoke to Yahweh when he saw the angel who struck the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done perversely; but these…
  • Job 4:5 (v26) But now it has come to you, and you faint. It touches you, and you are troubled.
  • Job 5:2 (v9) For resentment kills the foolish man, and jealousy kills the simple.
  • Job 34:31-32 (v26) “For has any said to God, ‘I am guilty, but I will not offend any more. Teach me that which I don’t see. If I have done iniquity, I will do…
  • Job 40:5 (v26) I have spoken once, and I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.”
  • Proverbs 6:33 (v23) He will get wounds and dishonor. His reproach will not be wiped away.
  • Proverbs 7:12 (v14) Now she is in the streets, now in the squares, and lurking at every corner.
  • Proverbs 20:16 (v17) Take the garment of one who puts up collateral for a stranger; and hold him in pledge for a wayward woman.
  • Proverbs 24:18 (v10) lest Yahweh see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.
  • Proverbs 27:4 (v9) Wrath is cruel, and anger is overwhelming; but who is able to stand before jealousy?
  • Ecclesiastes 7:26 (v24) I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and traps, whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God shall escape from her;…
  • Jeremiah 2:20 (v24) “For long ago I broke off your yoke, and burst your bonds. You said, ‘I will not serve;’ for on every high hill and under every green tree…
  • Jeremiah 2:26 (v25) As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so the house of Israel is ashamed: they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their…
  • Jeremiah 3:1 (v24) “They say, ‘If a man puts away his wife, and she goes from him, and becomes another man’s, should he return to her again?’ Wouldn’t that…
  • Jeremiah 3:2 (v14) “Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see! Where have you not been lain with? You have sat waiting for them by the road, as an…
  • Jeremiah 3:6 (v24) Moreover, Yahweh said to me in the days of Josiah the king, “Have you seen that which backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every…
  • Jeremiah 3:8 (v24) I saw when, for this very cause, that backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce,…
  • Jeremiah 22:24 (v18) “As I live,” says Yahweh, “though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet on my right hand, I would still pluck you from…
  • Jeremiah 29:22-23 (v24) A curse will be taken up about them by all the captives of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, ‘Yahweh make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab,…
  • Jeremiah 44:4 (v10) However I sent to you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, “Oh, don’t do this abominable thing that I…
  • Ezekiel 16:15 (v24) “ ‘ “But you trusted in your beauty, and played the prostitute because of your renown, and poured out your prostitution on everyone who…
  • Ezekiel 16:28 (v24) You have played the prostitute also with the Assyrians, because you were insatiable; yes, you have played the prostitute with them, and yet…

100 distinct cross-references across this passage (136 total citations).

Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)

Explain this passage (19 sources)

Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.

John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 24, 26 7. And the Lord slew him. We know that…

7. And the Lord slew him. We know that long life is reckoned among the gifts of God; and justly: for since it is by no means a despicable honor that we are created after the image of God, the longer any one lives in the world, and daily experiences God’s care over him, it is certain that he is the more bountifully dealt with by the Lord. Even amidst the many miseries with which life is filled, this divine goodness still shines forth, that God invites us to himself, and exercises us in the knowledge of himself; while at the same time he adorns us with such dignity, that he subjects to our authority whatever is in the world. Wherefore it is no wonder that God, as an act of kindness, prolongs the life of man. Whence it follows, that when the wicked are taken away by a premature death, a punishment for their wickedness is inflicted upon them: for it is as if the Lord should pronounce judgment from heaven, that they are unworthy to be sustained by the earth, unworthy to enjoy the common light of heaven. Let us therefore learn, as long as God keeps us in the world, to meditate on his benefits, to the end that every one may the more cheerfully endeavor to give praise to God for the life received from him. And although, at the present day also, sudden death is to be reckoned among the scourges of God; since that doctrine is always true,

“Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days,” (Psalm 55:23;)

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yet God executed this judgment more fully under the law, when the knowledge of a future life was comparatively obscure; for now, since the resurrection is clearly manifested to us in Christ, it is not right that death should be so greatly dreaded. And this difference between us and the ancient people of God is elsewhere noted. Nevertheless, it can never be laid down as a general rule, that they who had a long life were thereby proved to be pleasing and acceptable to the Lord, whereas God has sometimes lengthened the life of reprobates, in aggravation of their punishment. We know that Cain survived his brother Abel many centuries. But as God does not always, and to all persons, cause his temporal benefits manifestly to flow in a perpetual and equable course; so neither, on the other hand, does he always execute temporal punishments by the same rule. It is enough that, as far as the present life is concerned, certain examples of punishments and rewards are set before us. Moreover, as the miseries of the present life, which spring from the corruption of nature, do not extinguish the first and special grace of God; so, on the other hand, death, which is in itself the curse of God, is so far from doing any injury, that it tends, by a supernatural remedy, to the salvation of the elect. Especially now, from the time that the first-fruits of the resurrection in Christ have been offered, the condition of those who are quickly taken out of life is in no way deteriorated; because Christ himself is gain both for life and death. But the vengeance of God was so clear and remarkable in the death of Er, that the earth might plainly appear to have been purged as from its filthiness.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv8, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 23, 24, 26 This order was for the preservation of the stock,…
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 Gen 38:6 And Judah took a wife for Er…
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 23, 24, 26 Wicked in the sight of the Lord, i.e. notoriously…
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On vv12, 24 It is a very ill-favoured story that is here…
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv6–26 And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight…
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv7, 11, 14, 17, 23 And Er was wicked in the sight of the…
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv7, 9, 10, 12, 15, 17, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26 Verse 7. Er-was wicked in the sight of the…
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv7, 11, 14, 17, 23, 24, 26 Gen 38:7-8. Er was wicked in the sight of…
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv7, 8, 10, 11, 14, 18, 21, 23, 25, 26 Wicked; without shame or remorse, sinning against nature, in…
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv8, 12, 18, 24 Judah said unto Onan . . . marry her,…
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 21, 23, 24, 26 7. Er… was wicked — In what particular forms…
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv6, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 21, 23, 24, 26 6. Tamar] = “a date palm.” A female name,…
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 21, 23, 24, 25 (8) Go in unto thy brother’s wife.—We learn from…
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 And Judah took a wife (cf. Gen_21:21 Gen_24:4) for…
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv8, 11 The sin of Onan
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On vv12, 24 Judah Becomes Guilty of Incest
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv6, 8, 11, 12, 15, 17, 19, 21, 24 This is the name of one of Judah's sons.…
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 17, 18, 20, 24, 26 38:7-10 In this story, the Lord is mentioned as…
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