Genesis 38:4

4 She became pregnant again, gave birth to a son, and named him Onan.

Genesis 38:4 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 38:4

And she conceived again, and bare a son
As soon as she well could: and she called his name Onan;
the first son Judah gave the name to, but his wife named this, so called from grief or sorrow; the reason of it, according to the above Targum, was,

``because his father would mourn for him;''

he was a Benoni, see ( Genesis 35:18 ) , whose sin and immature death caused sorrow.

Genesis 38:4 In-Context

2 There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her. After he slept with her,

3 she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, whom she named Er.

4 She became pregnant again, gave birth to a son, and named him Onan.

5 Then she gave birth to one more son and named him Shelah. She was in Chezib when she gave birth to him.

6 Judah married his oldest son Er to a woman named Tamar.