Encyclopedia entry
Onan
Strong, the second son of Judah (Gen. 38:4-10; comp. Deut. 25:5; Matt. 22:24). He died before the going down of Jacob and his family into Egypt.
Also from Smith's (1884) +−
(strong), the second son of Judah by the Canaanitess, “the daughter of Shua.” (Genesis 38:4; 1 Chronicles 2:3) “What he did was evil in the eyes of Jehovah and he slew him also, as he had slain his elder brother. (Genesis 38:9) His death took place before the family of Jacob went down into Egypt. (Genesis 46:12; Numbers 26:19) (B.C. 1706.)
In the Bible
7
Verses where Onan is named. Berean Standard Bible (public domain).
- 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. So the LORD put him to death.
- Genesis 38:4
Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Onan.
- Genesis 38:8
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.”
- Genesis 38:9
But 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.
- Genesis 38:10
What he did was wicked in the sight of the LORD, so He put Onan to death as well.
- 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.
+1 more verse naming Onan.
Entries that reference Onan
1
Voices on Onan
3
Surfaced by name match — accuracy varies by title clarity.
Sources · Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897) · Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884)
Public-domain text. Modernized only where archaic spelling impedes reading; original facts preserved. Verify against an authoritative modern reference before quoting.