Er

[Letrell]

I am not looking for a debate....just want to know...does anyone know anything about Er? He is mentioned in Gen. 38:7

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

I was just curious when I read this...what did he possibly do to be so wicked that the Lord would slay him? So I started researching...Nada, nothing, net, just....nothing on this guy.

Does anyone know anything about him? If so, I am looking for references to any information on him.

Thanks so much.

Letrell

[pam]

I'm writing this totally from memory so if the details are incorrect, I'm sure someone will correct me.

Judah had married a Caananite woman who refused to follow and be converted to the worship of the Lord. They had a son named Er who chose to follow his mothers teachings instead of his fathers. This made Er an extremely wicked individual. God was displeased with this and killed him.

[Letrell]

Thank you, Pam. That sounds like it could be right. I know Judah didn't care about marrying in the Covenant so had no issues with any of his sons marrying Canaanites. What brought this question on in my mind is that with all the evil, wicked people we know about...how wicked would one have to be for the Lord to slay him?

This has me just blown away.

His brother, Onan, was commanded to lay with his brother's wife...I am assuming it was Er's widow, and to bear a child. Onan went to her but would not leave his seed in her. This angered the Lord and the Lord slayed him as well. (Am I reading this scripture wrong?)

What could the significance of this be? Why is this included in the scriptures? There is a lesson here and I want to figure it out.

Maybe the lesson is simply to know that the Lord truly does not look upon sin with the least degree of allowance...and Er and Onan crossed the line.

[MarginOfError]

At the same time, he may have fallen off a boulder and hit his head and someone decided to attribute his death to the fact that he didn't say his prayers before climbing the boulder.

[Letrell]

Lol

[mrmarklin]

Thank you, Pam. That sounds like it could be right. I know Judah didn't care about marrying in the Covenant so had no issues with any of his sons marrying Canaanites. What brought this question on in my mind is that with all the evil, wicked people we know about...how wicked would one have to be for the Lord to slay him?

This has me just blown away.

His brother, Onan, was commanded to lay with his brother's wife...I am assuming it was Er's widow, and to bear a child. Onan went to her but would not leave his seed in her. This angered the Lord and the Lord slayed him as well. (Am I reading this scripture wrong?)

What could the significance of this be? Why is this included in the scriptures? There is a lesson here and I want to figure it out.

.

Onanism is a synonym for masturbation.

Remember, multiply and replenish is the first commandment given to man.

[trubludru]

Onanism is a synonym for masturbation.

Remember, multiply and replenish is the first commandment given to man.

Reading the story as it is written in the Bible, it doesn't imply masturbation. Onanism has been made into a euphemism for masturbation but that isn't what the story says happened.

Er dies and Judah commands Onan to take Tamar as his wife to raise up seed in behalf of his deceased brother Er. Onan complies but it says when he went in unto his brother's wife (implying that Onan and Tamar have sexual relations) he spills his seed on the ground, lest he should give his brother (Er) seed. It seems Onan wants to enjoy having sexual relations with Tamar without the responsibility/burden of getting her pregnant and raising offspring that would be considered Er's children instead of his own.

I presume that when the Lord is angered because of this it is because Onan is not fulfilling the responsibility he agreed to by taking Tamar as his wife, but is still trying to enjoy the benefits. Although the details are sparse so it is tough to know exactly what the situation was.

[Just_A_Guy]

The story also lays the groundwork for why Tamar ultimately did what she did--resulting in her giving birth to twins by her father-in-law, Judah; one of whom in turn was an ancestor of King David--and, therefore, of Christ.

In Matthew 1, we see explicit references to five women in Jesus' ancestry--Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. Tamar prostituted herself to her father-in-law, but he later acknowledged she had acted justly under the circumstances. Rahab was a full-fledged prostitute who was instrumental in Israel's conquest of the holy land. Ruth put herself and Boaz in a very compromising position, but her behavior was later upheld. Bathsheba was an adulteress who nevertheless became the mother of Israel's greatest king. Matthew seems to be suggesting that regardless of a woman's public standing or perceived "sins", she can still be in truth completely innocent--or, even if guilty, still capable of rising above past mistakes; and into this context he introduces Mary--who conceived the Lord out of wedlock.

Edited May 30, 2013 by Just_A_Guy

[Letrell]

I don't know how I missed it....I really didn't catch that Tamar was Er's widow! Now it all makes sense.

I went back a few minutes ago and reread all my references. I'm good now. I get it. I can't believe I didn't put it together that Tamar was Er's wife!!! Now you can all see why I try to stay out of scriptural conversation. I would rather remain quiet and appear a fool, than to start typing and remove all doubt!!!! Only one excuse (I know, I know...excuses are like dirty feet..they both stink)....nonetheless... I started this lesson at 2300 and "woke up" at 0115...having fallen asleep reading it. Thought I'd understood it and didn't reread it. That'll teach me.

Here are the references if any are interested...they come from the student manual distributed by the Church - the one I used at BYU :

Genesis 38:1–30. Judah and Tamar

With typical honesty, the Old Testament includes the sordid tale of Judah’s incestuous relationship with his daughter-in-law. There seem to be several reasons for its inclusion here. First, once again are illustrated the effects of the covenant people forgetting the importance of marrying in the covenant. Unlike his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather (Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham), Judah was not concerned about intermarriage with the Canaanites. The negative results of this marriage out of the covenant are clearly shown here. Second, the story shows the lineage of Judah from which the Messiah would eventually come (see Matthew 1:3; Luke 3:33). An additional lesson here shows that ancestry is not the determiner of one’s righteousness. Finally, the truth that failure to honor one’s commitments often leads to greater trouble is clearly shown. Had Judah faithfully kept his promise to Tamar, the seduction would never have taken place. Likewise, had Judah been faithful to the laws of morality, he never would have sinned with Tamar.

Genesis 38:5–11. Why Was Tamar to Marry the Brothers of Her Husband?

Ancient customs of the Middle East provided that a brother of a deceased man should marry his widow. Under Moses this custom became law (see Deuteronomy 25:5–10). The purpose of such a marriage was to produce a male heir for the dead man and thus perpetuate his name and memory. It was regarded as a great calamity to die without a son, for then the man’s lineage did not continue and also the man’s property reverted to someone else’s family (through daughters, if he had any, or through other relatives). It may be that Onan, who by virtue of the death of his older brother would have been next in line for the inheritance of Judah, refused to raise up seed through Tamar because the inheritance would have stayed with the elder son’s family. He went through the outward show of taking Tamar to wife but refused to let her have children. Thus when Judah failed to keep his promise to send the youngest son to her, Tamar resorted to deception in order to bear children.

Genesis 38:24

It is important to note Judah’s twisted sense of values. He had no qualms about sending Tamar home with unfulfilled promises nor of picking up a harlot along the road. But when he heard that Tamar was pregnant he was so incensed that he ordered her put to death.

Thanks, everyone, for your comments! I appreciate the help!!!!

[Letrell]

OH WAIT! But what did Er do that made the Lord slay him!!?

Anyone?