Genesis 38:7

Genesis 38:7 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord slew him.
• New International Version (NIV)But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord killed him.

Context of Genesis 38:7

5Then she became pregnant again and gave birth to another son, whom she named Shelah. He was born at Kezib. 6Judah chose a wife for his firstborn son Er. Her name was Tamar. Er angered the Lord. So the Lord took away his life. 8Then Judah said to Onan, “Go sleep with your brother’s widow. Do your duty for her as a brother-in-law, and produce a descendant for your brother.” 9But Onan knew that the descendant wouldn’t belong to him, so whenever he slept with his brother’s widow, he wasted his semen on the ground to avoid giving his brother a descendant.

Genesis 38:7 word by word

וַיְהִ֗י עֵ֚ר בְּכ֣וֹר יְהוּדָ֔ה רַ֖ע בְּעֵינֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה וַיְמִתֵ֖הוּ יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Erעֵר‛êr · ErH6147
• Judah’sיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
• firstbornבְּכוֹרbekôr · firstbornH1060
• was wickedרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: evilH7451
• in the sightעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eye: seeingH5869
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• slewמוּתmûth · to dieH4191

Cross-references for Genesis 38:7

• Genesis 46:12The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah. (Er and Onan had died in Canaan.) The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
• Numbers 26:19Er and Onan were sons of Judah, but they died in Canaan.
• Genesis 6:8But the Lord was pleased with Noah.
• Genesis 13:13(The people who lived in Sodom were very wicked. They committed terrible sins against the Lord.)
• Genesis 19:13because we’re going to destroy this place. The complaints to the Lord against its people are so loud that the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”
• 2 Chronicles 33:6He burned his son as a sacrifice in the valley of Ben Hinnom, consulted fortunetellers, cast evil spells, practiced witchcraft, and appointed ⌞royal⌟ mediums and psychics. He did many things that made the Lord furious.
• 1 Chronicles 2:3Judah’s sons were Er, Onan, and Shelah. These three were born to him by Bathshua, a Canaanite woman. The Lord considered Er, Judah’s firstborn, evil, so the Lord killed Er.
• Psalms 55:23But you, O God, will throw ⌞wicked people⌟ into the deepest pit. Bloodthirsty and deceitful people will not live out half their days. But I will trust you.

Commentaries on Genesis 38:7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7Er - 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."Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-30Verses 1-30 - 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 kezı̂yb 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…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7That Er was a wicked man is not surprising, since his mother was a Canaanite and his father a rebellious Israelite.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-301. at that time--a formula frequently used by the sacred writers, not to describe any precise period, but an interval near about it.Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 38:7

• Adultery
• Er
• Inheritance
• Tamar

In the dictionaries

• Lay
• Onan
• Remain
• Archaeology; Archaeology and Criticism
• Ben-Ammi
• Er
• Genealogy
• Genesis
• Harlot
• Husband's Brother

Commentaries on Genesis 38

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings