Onan

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

Son of Judah. If the name be derived from Anoh, it signifies trouble. We have this man's short history,  Genesis 38:8-10 and short as it is, it is awful. From this man's sin arose the name of Onanism to that particular offence which he was guilty of, and for which the Lord slew him. Who shall say the numbers which since his days have fallen into it? And who shall calculate the army which by Onanism have hastened the termination of a life of sin, and hurried themselves into eternity! Into how many streams of evil, diffusing themselves into all the parts of our poor fallen nature, hath that one deadly poison the old serpent put into Adam manifested itself through all our passions! Blessed Lord Jesus! what, but for thy gracious recovery of our nature, could have saved the wretched race of Adam from the wrath to come.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

O'nan. (Strong). The second son of Judah, by the Canaanitess, "the daughter of Shua."  Genesis 38:4;  1 Chronicles 2:3. "What he did was evil in the eyes of Jehovah and he slew him also, as he had slain his elder brother."  Genesis 38:9. His death took place before the family of Jacob went down into Egypt.  Genesis 46:12;  Numbers 26:19. (B.C. 1706).

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

ONAN . A son of Judah (  Genesis 38:4;   Genesis 46:12 ,   Numbers 26:19 ,   1 Chronicles 2:3 ). After the decease of his elder brother, Er, he was instructed by his father to contract a levirate marriage with Tamar. The device by which he evaded the object of this marriage ‘was evil in the sight of the Lord, and he slew him’ (  Genesis 38:8-10 ).

Morrish Bible Dictionary

Second son of Judah by a Canaanitess, 'daughter of Shua': he was slain by Jehovah for his sin.  Genesis 38:4-10;  Genesis 46:12;  Numbers 26:19;  1 Chronicles 2:3 .

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

Judah's second son by the Canaanitess, daughter of Shua ( Genesis 38:4). Slain by Jehovah for the unnatural means which he took to have no issue by his brother Er's widow, whom he had married according to the custom, to perpetuate the race ( Genesis 38:4-9).

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Genesis 38:4-10 Deuteronomy 25:5 Matthew 22:24

Holman Bible Dictionary

 Genesis 38:2-8 Genesis 38:8-10

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(Heb. Onanz', אוֹנָן , Strong; Sept. Αὐνάν ) , the second son of Judah by the daughter of Shuah the Canaanite ( Genesis 38:4;  Numbers 26:19;  1 Chronicles 3:3). Being constrained by the obligations of the ancient Levirate law (q.v.) to espouse Tamar, his elder brother's widow, he took means to frustrate the intention of this usage, which was to provide heirs for a brother who had died childless ( Deuteronomy 25:5-10;  Mark 12:1-9). This offense, rendered without excuse by the allowance of polygamy, and the seriousness of which can scarcely be appreciated but in respect to the usages of the times in which it was committed, was punished by premature death ( Genesis 38:8 sq.). B.C. cir. 1870. His act was evidently different from the vice which has been given his name.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

o´nan ( 'onan , "vigorous"; compare Onam : A "son" of Judah ( Genesis 38:4 ,  Genesis 38:8-10;  Genesis 46:12;  Numbers 26:19;  1 Chronicles 2:3 ); "The story of the untimely death of Er and Onan implies that two of the ancient clans of Judah early disappeared" (Curtis, Chron, 84). See Skinner, Gen, 452, where it is pointed out that in  Genesis 38:11 Judah plainly attributes the death of his sons in some way to Tamar herself. The name is allied to Onam.

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

O´nan (strong, stout), second son of Judah, who, being constrained by the obligations of the ancient Levirate law to espouse Tamar, his elder brother's widow, took means to frustrate the intention of this usage, which was to provide heirs for a brother who had died childless. This crime, rendered without excuse by the allowance of polygamy, and the seriousness of which can scarcely be appreciated but in respect to the usages of the times in which it was committed, was punished by premature death (, sq.)