King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.
Complete Jewish Bible:
Y'hudah said to Onan, "Go and sleep with your brother's wife - perform the duty of a husband's brother to her, and preserve your brother's line of descent."
Berean Standard Bible:
Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife. Perform your duty as her brother-in-law and raise up offspring for your brother.”
American Standard Version:
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.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
And Judah{H3063} said{H559} unto Onan{H209}, Go in{H935} unto thy brother's{H251} wife{H802}, and marry{H2992} her, and raise up{H6965} seed{H2233} to thy brother{H251}.
Cross-References (KJV):
Matthew 22:23
- ¶ The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,
Matthew 22:27
- And last of all the woman died also.
Deuteronomy 25:5
- ¶ If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her.
Deuteronomy 25:10
- And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.
Ruth 4:5
- Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy [it] also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.
Ruth 4:11
- And all the people that [were] in the gate, and the elders, said, [We are] witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem:
Leviticus 18:16
- Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it [is] thy brother's nakedness.
Explore This Verse Across Other Resources:
Commentary for Genesis 38:8
1. **Themes:**
- Levirate Marriage: The practice of a man marrying his brother's widow to produce offspring for the deceased brother, which was a common custom in the ancient Near East and was later codified in the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 25:5-10).
- Responsibility to Family: Emphasizes the importance of familial duty and continuity, as well as the societal expectation to ensure the continuation of the family line.
- Moral and Ethical Choices: The narrative touches on the tension between cultural norms and personal morality, as seen in Onan's subsequent actions.
2. **Historical Context:**
- The verse is set within the larger narrative of Judah and his sons, which is part of the Joseph story cycle in the Book of Genesis.
- Judah, one of the sons of Jacob (Israel), is the patriarch of the tribe of Judah, which will later become the most prominent tribe in Israel, from which King David and eventually Jesus Christ will descend.
- The time period is during the patriarchal age, before the establishment of the Israelite nation and its legal codes.
- The practice of levirate marriage was not unique to the Israelites and was a means of providing for widows and ensuring the inheritance rights of the deceased.
In Genesis 38:8, Judah is invoking a cultural tradition by instructing his son Onan to fulfill his duty to his deceased brother Er by marrying Er's widow, Tamar, and fathering a child who would be considered the heir of Er. This command sets the stage for the subsequent narrative involving Onan's refusal to fulfill this duty properly, leading to further consequences and the continuation of the complex story of Judah and Tamar.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H3063
There are 754 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יְהוּדָה
Transliteration: Yᵉhûwdâh
Pronunciation: yeh-hoo-daw'
Description: from יָדָה; celebrated; Jehudah (or Judah), the name of five Israelites; also of the tribe descended from the first, and of its territory; Judah. - Strong's Number: H559
There are 4434 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אָמַר
Transliteration: ʼâmar
Pronunciation: aw-mar'
Description: a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude); answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [idiom] plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), [idiom] still, [idiom] suppose, talk, tell, term, [idiom] that is, [idiom] think, use (speech), utter, [idiom] verily, [idiom] yet. - Strong's Number: H209
There are 395 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אוֹנָן
Transliteration: ʼÔwnân
Pronunciation: o-nawn'
Description: a variation of אוֹנוֹ; strong; Onan, a son of Judah; Onan. - Strong's Number: H935
There are 2307 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בּוֹא
Transliteration: bôwʼ
Pronunciation: bo
Description: a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications); abide, apply, attain, [idiom] be, befall, [phrase] besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, [idiom] certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, [idiom] doubtless again, [phrase] eat, [phrase] employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, [phrase] follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, [phrase] have, [idiom] indeed, (in-) vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, [idiom] (well) stricken (in age), [idiom] surely, take (in), way. - Strong's Number: H251
There are 636 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אָח
Transliteration: ʼâch
Pronunciation: awkh
Description: a primitive word; a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father)); another, brother(-ly); kindred, like, other. Compare also the proper names beginning with 'Ah-' or 'Ahi-'. - Strong's Number: H802
There are 729 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אִשָּׁה
Transliteration: ʼishshâh
Pronunciation: ish-shaw'
Description: feminine of אִישׁ or אֱנוֹשׁ; irregular plural, נָשִׁים;(used in the same wide sense as אֱנוֹשׁ); a woman; (adulter) ess, each, every, female, [idiom] many, [phrase] none, one, [phrase] together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English. - Strong's Number: H2992
There are 3 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יָבַם
Transliteration: yâbam
Pronunciation: yaw-bam'
Description: a primitive root of doubtful meaning; used only as a denominative from יָבָם; to marry a (deceased) brother's widow; perform the duty of a husband's brother, marry. - Strong's Number: H6965
There are 596 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: קוּם
Transliteration: qûwm
Pronunciation: koom
Description: a primitive root; to rise (in various applications, literal, figurative, intensive and causative); abide, accomplish, [idiom] be clearer, confirm, continue, decree, [idiom] be dim, endure, [idiom] enemy, enjoin, get up, make good, help, hold, (help to) lift up (again), make, [idiom] but newly, ordain, perform, pitch, raise (up), rear (up), remain, (a-) rise (up) (again, against), rouse up, set (up), (e-) stablish, (make to) stand (up), stir up, strengthen, succeed, (as-, make) sure(-ly), (be) up(-hold, -rising). - Strong's Number: H2233
There are 205 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: זֶרַע
Transliteration: zeraʻ
Pronunciation: zeh'-rah
Description: from זָרַע; seed; figuratively, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity; [idiom] carnally, child, fruitful, seed(-time), sowing-time.