Onan

☩His Sin and Judgment

Onan was the second son of Judah by his Canaanite wife, the daughter of Shua.[1] When his elder brother Er died without children, Onan was obligated by the ancient levirate custom to marry Er's widow Tamar and raise offspring in his brother's name.[2] This practice ensured that a deceased brother's name and inheritance would continue through the children of such a union.[1] However, Onan deliberately frustrated this purpose, taking means to avoid producing children who would legally be counted as his brother's heirs rather than his own.[2] This offense, rendered inexcusable by the allowance of polygamy in that era, was punished by God with death.[1] The seriousness of his sin can only be properly understood in the context of the customs and family obligations of his time.[1]