6. And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.
7. And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.
8. And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.
9. 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.
10. And the thing which he did displeased the Lord.
There was a custom that if a brother die, his widow could conceive a child through his brother. The line of seed would continue. But this remaining brother refused to participate. He went in unto her, but he did not complete the act of impregnating her. He spilled it on the ground. He died, because it displeased God.
This shows us, that in sexual matters, God sees our intentions. The "marriage bed" is undefiled.
Titus 1:15
Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
To simplify it, God was displeased with what Onan DID and slew him, indicating that we are not to defraud God from creating life from sexual relations.
Judah's firstborn son Er has died, killed by God for an unnamed wickedness. Since Er died without leaving children, Judah has told his second oldest son, Onan, to take Er's widow Tamar as his wife. His responsibility is to have children with her, raising those offspring on behalf of his brother. This was a strong custom in the region at the time, and it would be part of God's law for the nation of Israel ( Deuteronomy 25:5-6).This would ensure that the departed man's line could continue. It would also provide for the woman's care, giving her children to support her as she aged.
Onan doesn't like the idea. According to this custom, the children will legally be considered heirs of his dead brother. The time and resources Onan must provide caring for them won't be part of his legacy. Some portion of his future earnings and estate will go to children who are legally and culturally considered someone else's sons.
In response, Onan deliberately avoids conceiving children with Tamar. If that meant avoiding intercourse with her, his choice would merely have been callous. The later, formal version of "levirate marriage" would include a way for the surviving brother to avoid taking on the new wife ( Deuteronomy 25:7-10). Instead, Onan takes advantage of both the situation and of Tamar. He uses her for sex but interrupts the act at the very end to prevent conception. This is not a single event, but a pattern: it was Onan's choice "whenever" he had sex with Tamar. For that, God will strike Onan dead ( Genesis 38:10).
This sin and its dire consequences inspired the term "Onanism." This word is most often applied to what modern people label as "masturbation." A common assumption is that God punished Onan for self-gratification, or for having sex simply for pleasure. Strictly speaking, however, Onan's sin was how he used Tamar for sex while deliberately avoiding taking the responsibilities
It is a sin Miria -- where did you read that it was not sinful? Mishael indicates that in his last two paragraphs.
To understand as well why did God strike him dead aligned with everything already written above? God commissioned the generations of Judah and there was to be a child with Onan. But Onan did this to spite God. Further judgement with Judah as he withheld his youngest son and was to be seduced by Tamar.
Overall too (the bigger picture of this), Judah was there to first suggest Joseph to be sold to the Egyptians. He was not the sole brother responsible but spoke the idea and troubled their father Jacob (Israel). Right after Joseph's abduction, we're not told the judgements of the other brethren. But we're told of Judah's specifically because of the wickedness that was in his heart. So was Judah judged as well as his children.
6. And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.
7. And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.
8. And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.
9. 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.
10. And the thing which he did displeased the Lord.
There was a custom that if a brother die, his widow could conceive a child through his brother. The line of seed would continue. But this remaining brother refused to participate. He went in unto her, but he did not complete the act of impregnating her. He spilled it on the ground. He died, because it displeased God.
This shows us, that in sexual matters, God sees our intentions. The "marriage bed" is undefiled.
Titus 1:15
Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
To simplify it, God was displeased with what Onan DID and slew him, indicating that we are not to defraud God from creating life from sexual relations.
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Judah's firstborn son Er has died, killed by God for an unnamed wickedness. Since Er died without leaving children, Judah has told his second oldest son, Onan, to take Er's widow Tamar as his wife. His responsibility is to have children with her, raising those offspring on behalf of his brother. This was a strong custom in the region at the time, and it would be part of God's law for the nation of Israel ( Deuteronomy 25:5-6).This would ensure that the departed man's line could continue. It would also provide for the woman's care, giving her children to support her as she aged.
Onan doesn't like the idea. According to this custom, the children will legally be considered heirs of his dead brother. The time and resources Onan must provide caring for them won't be part of his legacy. Some portion of his future earnings and estate will go to children who are legally and culturally considered someone else's sons.
In response, Onan deliberately avoids conceiving children with Tamar. If that meant avoiding intercourse with her, his choice would merely have been callous. The later, formal version of "levirate marriage" would include a way for the surviving brother to avoid taking on the new wife ( Deuteronomy 25:7-10). Instead, Onan takes advantage of both the situation and of Tamar. He uses her for sex but interrupts the act at the very end to prevent conception. This is not a single event, but a pattern: it was Onan's choice "whenever" he had sex with Tamar. For that, God will strike Onan dead ( Genesis 38:10).
This sin and its dire consequences inspired the term "Onanism." This word is most often applied to what modern people label as "masturbation." A common assumption is that God punished Onan for self-gratification, or for having sex simply for pleasure. Strictly speaking, however, Onan's sin was how he used Tamar for sex while deliberately avoiding taking the responsibilities
To understand as well why did God strike him dead aligned with everything already written above? God commissioned the generations of Judah and there was to be a child with Onan. But Onan did this to spite God. Further judgement with Judah as he withheld his youngest son and was to be seduced by Tamar.
Overall too (the bigger picture of this), Judah was there to first suggest Joseph to be sold to the Egyptians. He was not the sole brother responsible but spoke the idea and troubled their father Jacob (Israel). Right after Joseph's abduction, we're not told the judgements of the other brethren. But we're told of Judah's specifically because of the wickedness that was in his heart. So was Judah judged as well as his children.
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