Genesis 38:7

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
`Er, Yehudah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD. The LORD killed him.

King James Version
And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord ; and the Lord slew him.

Lexham English Bible
And Er, the firstborn of Judah, was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and Yahweh killed him.

New Century Version
But Er, Judah's oldest son, did what the Lord said was evil, so the Lord killed him.

New English Translation
But Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the Lord 's sight, so the Lord killed him.

Amplified Bible
But Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD killed him [in judgment].

New American Standard Bible
But Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the sight of the LORD, so the LORD took his life.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Now Er the first borne of Iudah was wicked in the sight of the Lord: therefore the Lord slewe him.

Legacy Standard Bible
But Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the sight of Yahweh, so Yahweh put him to death.

Contemporary English Version
But Er was very evil, and the Lord took his life.

Complete Jewish Bible
But ‘Er, Y'hudah's firstborn, was evil from Adonai 's perspective, so Adonai killed him.

Darby Translation
And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of Jehovah, and Jehovah slew him.

Easy-to-Read Version
But Er did many bad things. The Lord was not happy with him, so the Lord killed him.

English Standard Version
But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord , and the Lord put him to death.

George Lamsa Translation
And Er, Judahs first-born, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.

Good News Translation
Er's conduct was evil, and it displeased the Lord , so the Lord killed him.

Christian Standard Bible®
Now Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the Lord’s sight, and the Lord put him to death.

Literal Translation
And Er, Judah's first-born, was evil in the eyes of Jehovah. And Jehovah killed him.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But he was wicked before the LORDE, therfore the LORDE slew him.

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

Bible in Basic English
Now Er, Judah's first son, did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so that he put him to death.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Er Iudas first borne sonne was wicked in the syght of the Lorde, and the Lorde slewe hym.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Er, Judah's first-born, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.

King James Version (1611)
And Er, Iudahs first borne was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD slew him.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Er, the first-born of Judas, was wicked before the Lord; and God killed him.

English Revised Version
And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Her, the firste gendrid sone of Judas, was weiward in the siyt of the Lord, and therfor he was slayn of the Lord.

Young's Literal Translation
and Er, Judah's first-born, is evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and Jehovah doth put him to death.

Update Bible Version
And Er, Judah's first-born, was wicked in the sight of Yahweh. And Yahweh slew him.

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

World English Bible
Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of Yahweh. Yahweh killed him.

New King James Version
But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD killed him.

New Living Translation
But Er was a wicked man in the Lord 's sight, so the Lord took his life.

New Life Bible
But Er, Judah's first-born, was sinful in the eyes of the Lord. So the Lord took his life.

New Revised Standard
But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord , and the Lord put him to death.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it came to pass that Er, Judah's firstborn was displeasing in the eyes of Yahweh, - so Yahweh put him to death,

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Her, the first born of Juda, was wicked in the sight of the Lord: and was slain by him.

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

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the sight of the LORD, so the LORD took his life.

Contextual Overview

¹About that time, Judah left his brothers and settled near a man named Hirah, an Adullamite. ²There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua, and he took her as a wife and slept with her. ³So she conceived and gave birth to a son, and Judah named him Er. ⁴Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Onan. ⁵Then she gave birth to another son and named him Shelah; it was at Chezib that she gave birth to him. ⁶Now Judah acquired a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. ⁷But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death.⁸Then 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." ⁹But Onan knew that the offspring would not belong to him; so whenever he would sleep with his brother's wife, he would spill his seed on the ground so that he would not produce offspring for his brother. ¹⁰What he did was evil in the LORD's sight, so He put Onan to death as well.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Er: Genesis 46:12, Numbers 26:19

wicked: Genesis 6:8, Genesis 13:13, Genesis 19:13, 2 Chronicles 33:6

and the: 1 Chronicles 2:3, Psalms 55:23

Reciprocal: Judges 2:11 - did evil 2 Kings 14:24 - in the sight Job 36:14 - They die Psalms 51:4 - evil Ecclesiastes 7:17 - why Romans 5:13 - until

Cross-References

Genesis 6:8
Noah, however, found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

Genesis 13:13
But the men of Sodom were wicked, sinning greatly against the LORD.

Genesis 19:13
because we are about to destroy this place. For the outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that He has sent us to destroy it."

Genesis 46:12
The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.

Numbers 26:19
The sons of Judah were Er and Onan, but they died in the land of Canaan.

1 Chronicles 2:3
The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, and Shelah. These three were born to him by Bath-shua the Canaanite. Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, who put him to death.

2 Chronicles 33:6
He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.

Psalms 55:23
But You, O God, will bring them down to the Pit of destruction; men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord,.... That is, exceedingly wicked, as this phrase signifies,

Genesis 13:13, was guilty of some very heinous sin, but what is not mentioned; according to the Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi, it was the same with his brother Onan's, Genesis 38:9, which it is suggested he committed, lest his wife should prove with child, and lose her beauty; but if it had been the same with his, it would have been expressed as well as his. An Arabic writer p says, that he cohabited with his wife not according to the course of nature, but in the "sodomitical" way:

and the Lord slew him; by his immediate hand, striking him dead at once, as Ananias and Sapphira were stricken, Acts 5:5; or by sending some distemper, which quickly carried him off, as a token of his displeasure at his sin.

p Abulpharag. Hist. Dynast. p. 16.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

- The Family of Judah

1. עדלם ‛ǎdûllâm, ‘Adullam, “righteousness.” חירה chı̂yrâh Chirah, “nobility?”

2. שׁוּע shûa‛, Shua‘, “luck, riches, cry.”

3. ער ‛êr, ‘Er, “watching.”

4. אונן 'ônân, Onan, “strong.”

5. שׁלה shēlâh, Shelah, “request? rest.” כזיב k^ezı̂yb Kezib, “falsehood.”

6. תמר tāmār, Tamar, “palm.”

12. תמנה tı̂mnâh, Timnah, “counted or assigned.”

14. עינים 'êynayı̂m, ‘Enaim, “two fountains.”

29. פרץ perets, Perets, “breach.”

This strange narrative is an episode in the history of Joseph; but an integral part of the “generations” of Jacob. It is loosely dated with the phrase “at that time.” This does not indicate a sequel to the preceding record, the proper phrase for which is “after these things” (האלה חדברים אחר 'achar had^ebārı̂ym hâ'ēleh Genesis 22:1). It implies rather a train of events that commenced at least in the past, some time before the closing incident of the previous narrative Genesis 21:22. But the sale of Joseph, which alone is recorded in the last chapter, only occupied some few weeks or months of a year. Hence, the circumstances contained in this memoir of Judah’s family must have taken their rise before that event. The date “at that time,” is rendered indefinite also by being attached to the phrase, “And it came to pass,” which covers at least all the events in the first eleven verses of the chapter.

All this is in accordance with the customary mode of arranging parallel lines of events in Hebrew narrative. We shall see reason afterward for placing the birth of Er at as early a date as possible in the life of Judah Genesis 46:12. Now Judah, we conceive, was born when his father was eighty-seven, and Joseph when he was ninety-one, and hence, there is a difference about four years in their ages. We suppose Er to have been born in Judah’s fourteenth year, when Joseph and Dinah were in their tenth, and therefore, about three years before the rape of Dinah, and shortly after Jacob arrived at the town of Shekem. The dishonor of Dinah, and the cruel treatment of Joseph, being of essential moment in the process of things, had to be recorded in the main line of events. The commencement of Judah’s family, having no particular influence on the current of the history, is fitly reserved until the whole of the circumstances could be brought together into a connected narrative. And the private history of Judah’s line is given, while that of the others is omitted, simply because from him the promised seed is descended. As soon as Jacob is settled in the promised land, the contact with Hebron and its neighborhood seems to have commenced. A clear proof of this is the presence of Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, in Jacob’s family Genesis 35:8. The great thoroughfare from Damascus to Egypt runs through Shekem and Hebron, and we know that when Jacob was residing at Hebron, his sons fed their flocks at Shekem and Dothan, and the youthful Joseph was sent to inquire after their welfare.

Genesis 38:1-11

Judah marries and has three sons. “Went down from brethren.” This seems to have been an act of willful indiscretion in Judah. His separation from his brethren, however, extends only to the matter of his new connection. In regard to property and employment there seems to have been no long or entire separation until they went down into Egypt. He went down from the high grounds about Shekem to the lowlands in which Adullam was situated Joshua 15:33-35. “A certain Adullamite.” He may have become acquainted with this Hirah, when visiting his grandfather, or in some of the caravans which were constantly passing Shekem, or even in the ordinary wanderings of the pastoral life. Adullam was in the Shephelah or lowland of Judah bordering on Philistia proper. “A certain Kenaanite.” This connection with Shua’s daughter was contrary to the will of God and the example of his fathers. Onan was born, we conceive, in Judah’s fifteenth year, and Shelah in his sixteenth.

At Kezib. - This appears the same as Akzib, which is associated with Keilah and Mareshah Joshua 15:44, and therefore, lay in the south of the lowland of Judah. This note of place indicates a change of residence since her other children were born. In the year after this birth the dishonor of Dinah takes place. “Took a wife for Er.” Judah chose a wife for himself at an early age, and now he chooses for his first-born at the same age. “Was evil in the eyes of the Lord.” The God of covenant is obliged to cut off Er for his wickedness in the prime of life. We are not made acquainted with his crime; but it could scarcely be more vile and unnatural than that for which his brother Onan is also visited with death. “And be a husband to her.” The original word means to act as a husband to the widow of a deceased brother who has left no issue. Onan seems to have been prompted to commit his crime by the low motive of turning the whole inheritance to his own house. At the time of Er’s death Judah must have been in his twenty-seventh year; Joseph was consequently in his twenty-third, and Jacob had for ten years past had his headquarters at Hebron. Hence, the contact with Timnah, Adullam, and Enaim was easy.

Genesis 38:12-23

Judah now comes into criminal, and, though unknown to him, incestuous sexual intercourse with Tamar. “And many were the days,” a year or somewhat more. “To Timnah.” This town is about twenty miles northwest of Hebron. There is another, however, in the hills about seven miles south of Hebron. “Put on a veil;” to conceal her face from Judah, or any other beholder. “The qate of Enaim.” This is supposed to be the same as Enam Joshua 15:34. “And thy lace.” This is the cord by which the signet was suspended round his neck. “Courtesan.” The original word קדשׁה q^edêshâh means one consecrated to the worship of Ashtoreth, in which chastity is sacrificed.

Genesis 38:24-30

Tamar bears Perez and Zerah to Judah. After three months her pregnancy was manifest. “Let her be burnt.” It is manifest Judah had the power to execute this punishment. The life of the widow of his son was in his hands. Stoning was the mode of punishment by the law of Moses Deuteronomy 22:20-24; burning, only in aggravated cases Leviticus 20:14; Leviticus 21:9. He is a severe judge in a case where he is equally criminal. “She hath been more righteous than I. Tamar was less culpable in this matter than Judah. For he was moved by lust to commit fornication, and was the indirect occasion of Tamar’s conduct by withholding Selah. But Tamar, though wronged, was not free from blame in her mode of righting herself. The youthful indiscretion of Judah in forming an intermarriage with a Canaanitish family, without the concurrence of his brothers or his father, has been fruitful of crime. If this immorality goes on, the chosen family will be speedily absorbed in the surrounding paganism. Hence, we begin to see the necessity of an immediate removal to another land, where they may be kept more distinct from the native superstition. By the disclosure of Tamar Judah is brought to acknowledgment of his fault, and, we may infer, to repentance. His abstaining from all further sexual intercourse with her may be accepted as a proof of this. “A scarlet thread.” The right of primogeniture here manifests its importance. “Perez” - a breach. Slight incidents become the foundation of names, and are often the hinges on which great events turn. The minutest circumstances connected with the progenitors of the promised seed have a lasting interest.

Judah was at the close of his twenty-ninth year when Perez and Zerah were born. The dates in his family history may be arranged as underneath, on the supposition that the first child was born when the father was in his fourteenth year. This hypothesis is fairly allowable when we take into consideration not only other cases, but the early willfulness of Judah, and the example he gave to his children. The command also to be fruitful and multiply Genesis 35:11, which was given especially to Jacob, may have had a tendency to encourage early marriages. It is certain that the Jewish rabbis considered a man to have transgressed a divine precept who passed the age of twenty without being married. They also fixed the marriageable age for males at thirteen years and a day. King Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah when he was not more than twelve 2 Kings 16:2; 2 Kings 18:2; and King Josiah the father of Jehoiakim, when fourteen years of age 2 Kings 22:1; 2 Kings 23:36.

Judah 13 years 6 months when Er was born.

Judah 14 years 4 12 months when Onan was born.

Judah 15 years 3 months when Shelah was born.

Judah 28 years 9 months when Perez was born.

Judah 42 years 3 months when Hezron was born to Perez.

Judah 43 years 2 months when Hamul was born.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Genesis 38:7. Er-was wicked in the sight of the Lord — What this wickedness consisted in we are not told; but the phrase sight of the Lord being added, proves that it was some very great evil. It is worthy of remark that the Hebrew word used to express Er's wickedness is his own name, the letters reversed. Er ער wicked, רע ra. As if the inspired writer had said, "Er was altogether wicked, a completely abandoned character."