Bible Dictionaries
Onan
Holman Bible Dictionary
(oh' nan) Personal name meaning, “power.” A son of Judah and his Canaanite wife, Shuah (Genesis 38:2-8 ). Following the death of his older brother, Er, Onan was to have married the widow and produced a son who would carry on Er's name. Onan repeatedly failed to complete the responsibilities of the marriage and thus God killed him (Genesis 38:8-10 ). (See Levirate Law; Marriage).
Copyright Statement
These dictionary topics are from the Holman Bible Dictionary, published by Broadman & Holman, 1991. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Broadman & Holman.
Bibliography Information
Butler, Trent C. Editor. Entry for 'Onan'. Holman Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hbd/o/onan.html. 1991.