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Person · Tribe of Judah

Er

Man living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness

Er, Judah's firstborn son, was killed by God because of his wickedness.

🗺 Places mentioned alongside Er on the map →

Er was the firstborn son of Judah and his Canaanite wife, the daughter of Shua (Gen. 38:3; 1Ch. 2:3). He married Tamar, but the Lord put him to death because of his wickedness (Gen. 38:6-7). The nature of his wickedness is not specified in the text.

After Er's death, Judah instructed his second son, Onan, to marry Tamar and produce offspring for his deceased brother, a practice known as levirate marriage (Gen. 38:8). However, Onan also displeased the Lord and was put to death (Gen. 38:9-10).

Er is mentioned again in the genealogy of Judah (Gen. 46:12; Num. 26:19; 1Ch. 2:3), which highlights the significance of his lineage despite his early death. His inclusion in these genealogies emphasizes the importance of Judah's descendants, particularly in light of the Messianic promise that would ultimately be fulfilled through this tribe (Gen. 49:10).

Family

Father
Judah
Mother
Bath-shua
Siblings
OnanShelahPerezZerah
Spouse or partner
Tamar

Connections

Judah and Tamar: a failed levirate and its consequence

FamilyStated in the text

Tamar married Judah's sons Er and Onan, both died, and Judah withheld Shelah. Tamar disguised herself and conceived twins by Judah himself. Judah admitted "She is more righteous than I," and his later conduct toward Benjamin shows a changed man.

JudahSon of IsraelTamarJudah's daughter-in-law who bore Perez and ZerahErSon of JudahOnanSon of JudahShelahSon of Judah
Where the text shows it: Gen 38:6-10 — Er and Onan dieGen 38:14-19 — Tamar conceives through JudahGen 38:26 — Judah: "She is more righteous than I"Gen 44:33 — Judah offers himself in place of Benjamin

Sources: Gen 38:6-10 · Gen 38:14-19 · Gen 38:26 · Gen 44:33

More background: search Wikipedia ↗

Where Er appears

6 verses in 3 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H6147

Genesis4
Numbers1
1 Chronicles1

Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.