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Scripture · Old Testament

Genesis 38:8

Genesis 38:8 is verse 8 of Genesis chapter 38, shown here in the Berean Standard Bible.

Berean Standard Bible

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.”

BSB source and public domain terms

King James Version

And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.

World English Bible

Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.”

Read in context

Genesis 38:6–10 · Berean Standard Bible

6 Now Judah acquired a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; so the LORD put him to death.

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.”

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.

10 What he did was wicked in the sight of the LORD, so He put Onan to death as well.

Read all of Genesis 38

Hebrew words

Data created by STEPBible.org based on work at Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

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Cross-references

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge lists these related verses. Scripture text comes from the Berean Standard Bible.

Leviticus 18:16

You must not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would shame your brother.

Numbers 36:8

Every daughter who possesses an inheritance from any Israelite tribe must marry within a clan of the tribe of her father, so that every Israelite will possess the inheritance of his fathers.

Numbers 36:9

No inheritance may be transferred from one tribe to another, for each tribe of Israel must retain its inheritance.”

Deuteronomy 25:5

When brothers dwell together and one of them dies without a son, the widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother is to take her as his wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law for her.

Deuteronomy 25:6

The first son she bears will carry on the name of the dead brother, so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.

Deuteronomy 25:7

But if the man does not want to marry his brother’s widow, she is to go to the elders at the city gate and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to preserve his brother’s name in Israel. He is not willing to perform the duty of a brother-in-law for me.”

Deuteronomy 25:8

Then the elders of his city shall summon him and speak with him. If he persists and says, “I do not want to marry her,”

Deuteronomy 25:9

his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, remove his sandal, spit in his face, and declare, “This is what is done to the man who will not maintain his brother’s line.”

Deuteronomy 25:10

And his family name in Israel will be called “The House of the Unsandaled.”

Ruth 1:11

But Naomi replied, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb to become your husbands?

Ruth 4:5

Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi and also from Ruth the Moabitess, you must also acquire the widow of the deceased in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance.”

Ruth 4:6

The kinsman-redeemer replied, “I cannot redeem it myself, or I would jeopardize my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption, because I cannot redeem it.”

Ruth 4:7

Now in former times in Israel, concerning the redemption or exchange of property, to make any matter legally binding a man would remove his sandal and give it to the other party, and this was a confirmation in Israel.

Ruth 4:8

So the kinsman-redeemer removed his sandal and said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.”

Ruth 4:9

At this, Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I am buying from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon.

Ruth 4:10

Moreover, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, to raise up the name of the deceased through his inheritance, so that his name will not disappear from among his brothers or from the gate of his home. You are witnesses today.”

Ruth 4:11

“We are witnesses,” said the elders and all the people at the gate. “May the LORD make the woman entering your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you be prosperous in Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem.

Matthew 22:23

That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him.

Matthew 22:24

“Teacher,” they said, “Moses declared that if a man dies without having children, his brother is to marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.

Matthew 22:25

Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died without having children. So he left his wife to his brother.

Matthew 22:26

The same thing happened to the second and third brothers, down to the seventh.

Matthew 22:27

And last of all, the woman died.

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