Who was Onan in the Bible?
Lived during the years in Egypt and the wilderness
Onan was the second son of Judah and his Canaanite wife, the daughter of Shua (Gen.38.4; 1Ch.2.3). Onan appears in 6 verses across 3 books of the Bible.
What does the Bible say about Onan?
Onan was the second son of Judah and his Canaanite wife, the daughter of Shua (Gen.38.4; 1Ch.2.3). After the death of his older brother Er, Judah instructed Onan to marry Er's widow, Tamar, and produce an heir for his brother (Gen.38.8). However, Onan, knowing that the child would not be his own, practiced coitus interruptus to avoid providing an heir for his brother (Gen.38.9). This act was displeasing to the Lord, and as a result, God put Onan to death (Gen.38.10). Onan's death left Tamar without an heir and set the stage for the unusual events that followed, which ultimately led to the birth of Perez and Zerah, twin sons of Judah and Tamar (Gen.38.27-30). Onan is also mentioned in the genealogies of Judah (Gen.46.12; Num.26.19; 1Ch.2.3).
Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.
Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.
Where does Onan appear in the Bible?
Onan is referenced in 6 verses across 3 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.
- 1 Chronicles 2:3
- Genesis 38:4
- Genesis 38:8
- Genesis 38:9
- Genesis 46:12
- Numbers 26:19
What else appears in these passages?
These turn up in the same passages as Onan.
Common questions
How many times does the Bible mention Onan?
Onan appears in 6 verses across 3 books, most often in Genesis, which accounts for 4 of them.
Which books of the Bible mention Onan?
Genesis, 1 Chronicles, Numbers.
Where can I read every verse about Onan?
This page lists 6 of them. Protos carries all 6, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.
