Genesis 38:3
in Genesis 38So she conceived and gave birth to a son, and Judah named him Er.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er.
KJV
And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er.
⋯
This verse in Genesis 38
Commentary
2 notes on this verseAnd she conceived, and bare a son, and he called his name Er. Which signifies a "watchman": but the reason of the name given by the Targum of Jonathan is,"because he should die without children;''as if it was the same with Ariri, "childless".
This site's exposition
she conceived and gave birth to a son
on Genesis 38:3-5
Three sons arrive in three verses, Er, Onan and Shelah, and Judah names the first while their mother names the other two. Jerome reads Chezib as a word carrying the sense of deception, and Clarke ties the name to Achzib, a town that later fell to the tribe of Judah. Two of the three are dead within five verses.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתַּ֖הַר | vatahar | and she conceived | H2029 → | 43 times |
| וַתֵּ֣לֶד | vateled | and she bore | H3205 → | 496 times |
| בֵּ֑ן | ben | a son | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| וַיִּקְרָ֥א | vaiyikra' | and he called | H7121 → | 733 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| שְׁמ֖וֹ | shemo | name his | H8034 → | 864 times |
| עֵֽר׃ | ʾer | Er | H6147 → | 10 times |
וַתַּ֖הַרand she conceived
vataharH2029 →43 times
וַתֵּ֣לֶדand she bore
vateledH3205 →496 times
בֵּ֑ןa son
benH1121 →4930 times
וַיִּקְרָ֥אand he called
vaiyikra'H7121 →733 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
שְׁמ֖וֹname his
shemoH8034 →864 times
עֵֽר׃Er
ʾerH6147 →10 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Numbers 26:19The sons of Judah were Er and Onan, but they died in the land of Canaan.
it leads to
- Genesis 46:12
The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.
- 1 Chronicles 2:3–8
The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, and Shelah. These three were born to him by Bath-shua the Canaanite. Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, who put him to death.
- Genesis 38:1–10
About that time, Judah left his brothers and settled near a man named Hirah, an Adullamite.
- Genesis 46:12
Through
Genesis 46:12The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.
it leads to
- Genesis 38:7
But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; so the LORD put him to death.
- Genesis 29:35
And once more she conceived and gave birth to a son and said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” So she named him Judah. Then Leah stopped having children.
- Genesis 38:10
What he did was wicked in the sight of the LORD, so He put Onan to death as well.
- 1 Chronicles 4:21
The sons of Shelah son of Judah:
- Psalms 78:68
But He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which He loved.
- Genesis 38:7
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Genesis

Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jerome, Hebrew Questions on Genesis and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).
