What is the meaning of Genesis 38:9? But Onan knew - The previous verse records Judah’s clear instruction: “Go in to your brother’s wife... and raise up offspring for your brother” (Genesis 38:8). - Onan understood this family duty, later codified in the levirate law (Deuteronomy 25:5-6; Matthew 22:24). - Knowledge heightens accountability; Luke 12:47 reminds that the servant who “knew his master’s will” yet disobeyed received a harsher punishment. - God expects obedience that springs from faith (Romans 1:5). Onan’s informed refusal exposes a heart problem long before the physical act. that the offspring would not belong to him - In levirate practice the firstborn son carried the deceased brother’s name and inheritance (Deuteronomy 25:6; Ruth 4:10). - Onan feared loss: • A reduced inheritance share. • Responsibility without personal benefit. - Like the nearer kinsman in Ruth 4:6 who declined redemption lest he “jeopardize” his own estate, Onan valued possessions above covenant loyalty. - Philippians 2:4 calls believers to “look not only to [their] own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Onan chose the opposite. so whenever he would sleep with his brother’s wife - He maintained the appearance of obedience—entering Tamar’s bed—while plotting disobedience. - This divided heart echoes 2 Timothy 3:5, “having a form of godliness but denying its power.” - Sin often hides beneath a veneer of compliance, yet 1 Samuel 16:7 records that the LORD “looks at the heart.” he would spill his seed on the ground - The act was deliberate and repeated (“whenever”). - He exploited sexual privilege while evading covenant responsibility—treating both Tamar and procreation with contempt (Hebrews 13:4). - Malachi 2:15 links godly offspring with marital faithfulness; sabotaging conception showed contempt for God’s creative design. - Galatians 6:7 warns, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked,” a truth Onan would soon encounter (Genesis 38:10). so that he would not produce offspring for his brother - Scripture identifies motive: self-preservation at the cost of brother, widow, future child, and covenant line. - James 4:17 states, “Whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” - By blocking the Messiah-bearing lineage promised to Abraham (Genesis 12:3; 22:18), Onan opposed God’s redemptive plan, echoing Esau’s disregard for birthright (Hebrews 12:16-17). - The Lord’s swift judgment in Genesis 38:10 underscores divine seriousness toward covenant and life. summary Genesis 38:9 exposes a calculated, ongoing rebellion. Onan understood his duty but chose self-interest, masking disobedience with outward compliance. He treated both Tamar and the gift of procreation as tools for personal pleasure, rejecting his role in preserving his brother’s name and God’s covenant line. The verse teaches that God sees motives, expects wholehearted obedience, and will not overlook sin that devalues life, family responsibility, and His redemptive purposes. |
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