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A portrait of Onan.

Onan (Hebrew: אוֹנָן, Modern: Onan, Tiberian: ʼÔnān, "Strong") is a minor biblical person in the Book of Genesis Chapter 38, who was the second son of Judah. Like his older brother, Er, Onan died prematurely by Yahweh's will for being wicked.^[1]

After Onan's brother Er died, his father Judah told him to fulfill his duty as a brother-in-law to Tamar, by giving her offspring. Centuries later, in the days of Moses, this practice was formulated into a law of a Levirate marriage, where the brother of the deceased would provide offspring to the childless widow ^[2] to preserve the family line.^[1]

However, when Onan had sex with Tamar, he disregarded this principle when he withdrew before climax^[3] and "spilled his seed (or semen) on the ground", since any child born would not legally be considered his heir.^[4] This he did several times,^[5] disregarding the principle of a Levirate union, and was accordingly sentenced to death by Yahweh for this wickedness. (Genesis 38:8–10) This biblical story does not refer to masturbation in general, but to coitus interruptus.^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10] The Bible does not claim that masturbation would be sinful.^[11]^[12]

Interpretation

Criticism

According to some Bible critics who contextually read this passage, the description of Onan is an eponymous aetiological story concerning fluctuations in the constituency of the tribe of Judah, with the death of Onan reflecting the dying out of a clan;^[13]^[14] Er and Onan are hence viewed as each being representative of a clan, with Onan possibly representing an Edomite clan named Onam,^[14] mentioned by an Edomite genealogy in Genesis.^[15]

Also, it has been suggested that God's anger was directed not at the sexual act, but at Onan's disobedience by refusing to impregnate his brother's widow.^[16]

The text emphasizes the social and legal situation, with Judah explaining what Onan must do and why. A plain reading of the text is that Onan was killed because he refused to follow instructions. Scholars have argued that the secondary purpose of the narrative about Onan and Tamar, of which the description of Onan is a part, was to either assert the institution of levirate marriage, or present an aetiological myth for its origin;^[13] Onan's role in the narrative is, thus, as the brother abusing his obligations by agreeing to sexual intercourse with his dead brother's wife, but refusing to allow her to become pregnant as a result. Emerton regards the evidence for this to be inconclusive, although classical rabbinical writers argued that this narrative describes the origin of levirate marriage.^[17]

Classical views

Early writers have sometimes focused on the spilling seed, and the sexual act being used for non-procreational purposes. One opinion expressed in the Talmud argues that this was where the death penalty's imposition originated.^[18] This interpretation was held by several early Christian apologists. Jerome, for example, argued:

"But I wonder why he the heretic Jovinianus set Judah and Tamar before us for an example, unless perchance even harlots give him pleasure; or Onan, who was slain because he grudged his brother his seed. Does he imagine that we approve of any sexual intercourse except for the procreation of children?"^[19]

Clement of Alexandria, while not making explicit reference to Onan, similarly reflects an early Christian view of the abhorrence of '"spilling seed'":

"Because of its divine institution for the propagation of man, the seed is not to be vainly ejaculated, nor is it to be damaged, nor is it to be wasted"^[20]

"To have coitus other than to procreate children is to do injury to nature"^[21]

Early Jewish views

The view of wasted seed referring to masturbation, was upheld by many early rabbis. However, the Levitical regulations concerning ejaculation, whether as a result of heterosexual intercourse^[22] or not,^[23] merely prescribe a ritual washing, and remaining ritually impure until the next day began on the following evening.

Roman Catholic views

The papal encyclical Casti Connubii (1930) invokes this Biblical text in support of the teaching of the Catholic Church against contracepted sex.

Influences

Timothy Findley uses a phrase "The Rain of Onan" in his novel Not Wanted on the Voyage (1984). "it was now that the rain, having lost its translucence and its mauveness, began to take on an opaque milky look, and Noah said that what had been an "evil" rain was now a 'passionate' rain being poured from the sky-spent and wasted on the dying earth and this he called 'The Rain of Onan.'"^[24]

Robert Jordan, the main character in Ernest Hemingway's book "For Whom the Bell Tolls", also makes reference to Onan, the night before he is due to fight in battle:

He smiled and thought: "I'll keep any oversupply of that for tomorrow. I'll need all of that there is tomorrow. There are no pine needles that need that now as I will need it tomorrow. Who was it cast his seed upon the ground in the Bible? Onan. How did Onan turn out?" he thought. "I don't remember ever hearing any more about Onan". He smiled in the dark.

Christopher Moore references the story of Onan in his book Lamb:

"The sin of Onan. Spilling the old seed on the ground. Cuffing the camel. Dusting the donkey. Flogging the Pharisee. Onanism, a sin that requires hundreds of hours of practice to get right, or at least that's what I told myself."

Italian rock band Verdena has a song titled "Onan" on their album, Solo un Grande Sasso (Only a Large Stone).

Japanese cartoonist Demerin Kaneko makes reference to Onan in her manga Iyan, Ecchi no Suke

Tom Stoppard makes reference to Onan in his play Arcadia in the following exchange in Scene One:

Septimus [...] I am sorry that the seed fell on stony ground.

Thomasina That was the sin of Onan, wasn't it, Septimus?
Septimus Yes. He was giving his brother's wife a Latin lesson and she was hardly the wiser after it than before.^[25]

Though Onan is not named, the idea is referenced in the song "Every Sperm is Sacred" in the Monty Python film The Meaning of Life

ONAN is the acronymical name of the conglomerate North American government in David Foster Wallace's novel Infinite Jest.

Cabaret group Fascinating Aida mention Onan in their song 'Getting It':

It's barbaric, he's like Conan

Wish he'd do it on his Onan

Couldn't he make do with a cup of tea?

The folk band Poxy Boggards sings a tribute to Onan in the song "The Ballad of Onan."

References

^ ^a ^b Dancy, J. The Divine Drama: the Old Testament as Literature, (ISBN 0718829875, ISBN 9780718829872), 2002, p. 92
^ Genesis 25:5–10)
^ Freedman, Myers & Beck. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (ISBN 0802824005, ISBN 9780802824004), 2000, p.1273
^ Dershowitz. The Genesis of Justice, (ISBN 0446524794, ISBN 9780446524797), 2000, ch. 9
^ Eerdmans, 2000, p.988
^ Coogan, Michael (2010). God and Sex. What the Bible Really Says (1st ed.). New York, Boston: Twelve. Hachette Book Group. p. 110. ISBN 978-0-446-54525-9. OCLC 505927356. Retrieved May 5, 2011. Although Onan gives his name to "onanism," usually a synonym for masturbation, Onan was not masturbating but practicing coitus interruptus. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
^ http://www.catholic.com/tracts/birth-control (official Catholic tract declared free from error by a book censor and approved by a bishop.) Quote: "The Bible mentions at least one form of contraception specifically and condemns it. Coitus interruptus, was used by Onan to avoid fulfilling his duty according to the ancient Jewish law of fathering children for one’s dead brother."
^ Ellens, J. Harold (2006). "6. Making Babies: Purposes of Sex". Sex in the Bible: a new consideration. Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers. p. 48. ISBN 0-275-98767-1. OCLC 65429579. He practiced coitus interruptus whenever he made love to Tamar. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
^ Confirmed by The Web Bible Encyclopedia at http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/onan.html quote: "Some have mistakenly assumed that Onan's sin was masturbation. However, it seems clear that this is not the case. Onan was prematurely withdrawing from sexual intercourse with his new wife, Tamar. This is a form of birth control still practiced today (coitus interruptus)."
^ Church Father Epiphanius of Salamis agrees, according to Riddle, John M. (1992). "1. Population and Sex". Contraception and abortion from the ancient world to the Renaissance. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. p. 4. ISBN 0-674-16875-5. OCLC 24428750. Epiphanius (fourth century) construed the sin of Onan as coitus interruptus.¹⁴ {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
^ Patton, Michael S. (1985). "Masturbation from Judaism to Victorianism". Journal of Religion and Health. 24 (2). Springer Netherlands: 133–146. doi:10.1007/BF01532257. ISSN 0022-4197. Retrieved 12 November 2011. Social change in attitudes toward masturbation has occurred at the professional level only since 1960 and at the popular level since 1970. [133] ... onanism and masturbation erroneously became synonymous... [134] ... there is no legislation in the Bible pertaining to masturbation. [135] {{cite journal}}: More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
^ Kwee, Alex W. (2008). "Theologically-Informed Education about Masturbation: A Male Sexual Health Perspective" (PDF). Journal of Psychology and Theology. 36 (4). La Mirada, CA, USA: Rosemead School of Psychology. Biola University: 258–269. ISSN 0091-6471. Retrieved 12 November 2011. The Bible presents no clear theological ethic on masturbation, leaving many young unmarried Christians with confusion and guilt around their sexuality. {{cite journal}}: More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
^ ^a ^b J. A. Emerton, Judah And Tamar
^ ^a ^b Cheyne and Black, Encyclopedia Biblica
^ Genesis 36:23
^ Alan Dershowitz, The Genesis of Justice
^ Genesis Rabbah 85:6
^ Niddah 13a.
^ Jerome, Against Jovinian 1:19, (AD 393)
^ Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor of Children 2:10:91:2 (AD 191)
^ Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor of Children 2:10:95:3
^ Leviticus 15:18
^ Leviticus 15:16–17
^ Findley, 1984, p.124
^ Stoppard, 1993, p.2

[Dancy,_92-1] Dancy, J. The Divine Drama: the Old Testament as Literature, (ISBN 0718829875, ISBN 9780718829872), 2002, p. 92

[2] Genesis 25:5–10)

[3] Freedman, Myers & Beck. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (ISBN 0802824005, ISBN 9780802824004), 2000, p.1273

[4] Dershowitz. The Genesis of Justice, (ISBN 0446524794, ISBN 9780446524797), 2000, ch. 9

[5] Eerdmans, 2000, p.988

[6] Coogan, Michael (2010). God and Sex. What the Bible Really Says (1st ed.). New York, Boston: Twelve. Hachette Book Group. p. 110. ISBN 978-0-446-54525-9. OCLC 505927356. Retrieved May 5, 2011. Although Onan gives his name to "onanism," usually a synonym for masturbation, Onan was not masturbating but practicing coitus interruptus. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

[7] ttp://www.catholic.com/tracts/birth-control (official Catholic tract declared free from error by a book censor and approved by a bishop.) Quote: "The Bible mentions at least one form of contraception specifically and condemns it. Coitus interruptus, was used by Onan to avoid fulfilling his duty according to the ancient Jewish law of fathering children for one’s dead brother."

[8] Ellens, J. Harold (2006). "6. Making Babies: Purposes of Sex". Sex in the Bible: a new consideration. Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers. p. 48. ISBN 0-275-98767-1. OCLC 65429579. He practiced coitus interruptus whenever he made love to Tamar. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)

[9] Confirmed by The Web Bible Encyclopedia at http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/onan.html quote: "Some have mistakenly assumed that Onan's sin was masturbation. However, it seems clear that this is not the case. Onan was prematurely withdrawing from sexual intercourse with his new wife, Tamar. This is a form of birth control still practiced today (coitus interruptus)."

[10] Church Father Epiphanius of Salamis agrees, according to Riddle, John M. (1992). "1. Population and Sex". Contraception and abortion from the ancient world to the Renaissance. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. p. 4. ISBN 0-674-16875-5. OCLC 24428750. Epiphanius (fourth century) construed the sin of Onan as coitus interruptus.¹⁴ {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)

[11] Patton, Michael S. (1985). "Masturbation from Judaism to Victorianism". Journal of Religion and Health. 24 (2). Springer Netherlands: 133–146. doi:10.1007/BF01532257. ISSN 0022-4197. Retrieved 12 November 2011. Social change in attitudes toward masturbation has occurred at the professional level only since 1960 and at the popular level since 1970. [133] ... onanism and masturbation erroneously became synonymous... [134] ... there is no legislation in the Bible pertaining to masturbation. [135] {{cite journal}}: More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

[12] Kwee, Alex W. (2008). "Theologically-Informed Education about Masturbation: A Male Sexual Health Perspective" (PDF). Journal of Psychology and Theology. 36 (4). La Mirada, CA, USA: Rosemead School of Psychology. Biola University: 258–269. ISSN 0091-6471. Retrieved 12 November 2011. The Bible presents no clear theological ethic on masturbation, leaving many young unmarried Christians with confusion and guilt around their sexuality. {{cite journal}}: More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

[J._A._Emerton,_Judah_And_Tamar-13] J. A. Emerton, Judah And Tamar

[ReferenceA-14] Cheyne and Black, Encyclopedia Biblica

[15] Genesis 36:23

[16] Alan Dershowitz, The Genesis of Justice

[17] Genesis Rabbah 85:6

[18] Niddah 13a.

[19] Jerome, Against Jovinian 1:19, (AD 393)

[20] Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor of Children 2:10:91:2 (AD 191)

[21] Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor of Children 2:10:95:3

[22] Leviticus 15:18

[23] Leviticus 15:16–17

[24] Findley, 1984, p.124

[25] Stoppard, 1993, p.2

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@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 However, when Onan had sex with Tamar, he disregarded this principle when he [[coitus interruptus|withdrew]] before climax<ref>Freedman, Myers & Beck. ''Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible'' (ISBN 0802824005, ISBN 9780802824004), 2000, p.1273</ref> and "spilled his seed (or ''[[semen]]'') on the ground", since any child born would not legally be considered his heir.<ref>Dershowitz. ''The Genesis of Justice'', (ISBN 0446524794, ISBN 9780446524797), 2000, ch. 9</ref> This he did several times,<ref>''Eerdmans'', 2000, p.988</ref>
-disregarding the principle of a Levirate union, and was accordingly sentenced to death by Yahweh for this wickedness. ({{bibleverse||Genesis|38:8-10|HE}}) This biblical story does not refer to [[masturbation]], but to [[coitus interruptus]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Coogan|first=Michael|title=God and Sex. What the Bible Really Says|url=http://books.google.nl/books?id=2_gPKQEACAAJ&dq=god+and+sex&hl=nl&ei=4fbCTaPKDpGXOrq88Z0I&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CEcQ6AEwAQ|accessdate=May 5, 2011|edition=1st|year=2010|month=October|publisher=Twelve. Hachette Book Group|location=New York, Boston|isbn=978-0-446-54525-9|oclc=505927356|page=110|quote=Although Onan gives his name to "onanism," usually a synonym for masturbation, Onan was not masturbating but practicing coitus interruptus.}}</ref><ref>http://www.catholic.com/tracts/birth-control (official Catholic tract declared free from error by a book censor and approved by a bishop.) Quote: "The Bible mentions at least one form of contraception specifically and condemns it. Coitus interruptus, was used by Onan to avoid fulfilling his duty according to the ancient Jewish law of fathering children for one’s dead brother."</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Ellens|first1=J. Harold|title=Sex in the Bible: a new consideration|accessdate=2012-01-24|year=2006|publisher=Praeger Publishers|location=Westport, Conn.|isbn=0-275-98767-1|oclc=65429579|page=48|chapter=6. Making Babies: Purposes of Sex|chapterurl=http://books.google.nl/books?id=IXVGBv2eEroC&pg=PA48&lpg=PA48&dq=onan+coitus+interruptus&source=bl&ots=PB27B5N7Kv&sig=76u8S4xgVzLm7wamQu6-D_x3ZP4&hl=nl&ei=frvfTtf_B8OE-wa_yv2wBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CGUQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=onan%20coitus%20interruptus&f=false|quote=He practiced coitus interruptus whenever he made love to Tamar.}}</ref><ref>Confirmed by The Web Bible Encyclopedia at http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/onan.html quote: "Some have mistakenly assumed that Onan's sin was masturbation. However, it seems clear that this is not the case. Onan was prematurely withdrawing from sexual intercourse with his new wife, Tamar. This is a form of birth control still practiced today (''coitus interruptus'')."</ref><ref>Church Father [[Epiphanius of Salamis]] agrees, according to {{cite book|last1=Riddle|first1=John M.|title=Contraception and abortion from the ancient world to the Renaissance|accessdate=2012-01-24|year=1992|publisher=Harvard University Press|location=Cambridge, Mass.|isbn=0-674-16875-5|oclc=24428750|page=4|chapter=1. Population and Sex|chapterurl=http://books.google.nl/books?id=1vS85LtlsnIC&pg=PA4&lpg=PA4&dq=onan+coitus+interruptus&source=bl&ots=fxOCLmgnup&sig=SmGFjLC-NeEzF7XmjYLcbYsxz2w&hl=nl&ei=or3fTpijOoGDOsu-gO0C&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CG8Q6AEwBTgK#v=onepage&q=onan%20coitus%20interruptus&f=false|quote=Epiphanius (fourth century) construed the sin of Onan as coitus interruptus.<sup>14</sup>}}</ref> The Bible does not claim that masturbation would be sinful.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Patton|first=Michael S.|author=Michael S. Patton|month=June|year=1985|title=Masturbation from Judaism to Victorianism|journal=Journal of Religion and Health|volume=24|issue=2|pages=133–146|publisher=Springer Netherlands|issn=0022-4197|doi=10.1007/BF01532257|accessdate=12 November 2011|url=http://www.springerlink.com/content/r407h39183426645/|quote=Social change in attitudes toward masturbation has occurred at the professional level only since 1960 and at the popular level since 1970. [133] ... onanism and masturbation erroneously became synonymous... [134] ... there is no legislation in the Bible pertaining to masturbation. [135]}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Kwee|first=Alex W.|author=Alex W. Kwee|coauthors=David C. Hoover|year=2008|title=Theologically-Informed Education about Masturbation: A Male Sexual Health Perspective|journal=Journal of Psychology and Theology|volume=36|issue=4|pages=258–269|location=La Mirada, CA, USA|publisher=Rosemead School of Psychology. Biola University|issn=0091-6471|accessdate=12 November 2011|url=http://www.alexkwee.com/uploads/kwee_hoover08.pdf|quote=The Bible presents no clear theological ethic on masturbation, leaving many young unmarried Christians with confusion and guilt around their sexuality.}}</ref>
+disregarding the principle of a Levirate union, and was accordingly sentenced to death by Yahweh for this wickedness. ({{bibleverse||Genesis|38:8-10|HE}}) This biblical story does not refer to [[masturbation]] in general, but to [[coitus interruptus]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Coogan|first=Michael|title=God and Sex. What the Bible Really Says|url=http://books.google.nl/books?id=2_gPKQEACAAJ&dq=god+and+sex&hl=nl&ei=4fbCTaPKDpGXOrq88Z0I&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CEcQ6AEwAQ|accessdate=May 5, 2011|edition=1st|year=2010|month=October|publisher=Twelve. Hachette Book Group|location=New York, Boston|isbn=978-0-446-54525-9|oclc=505927356|page=110|quote=Although Onan gives his name to "onanism," usually a synonym for masturbation, Onan was not masturbating but practicing coitus interruptus.}}</ref><ref>http://www.catholic.com/tracts/birth-control (official Catholic tract declared free from error by a book censor and approved by a bishop.) Quote: "The Bible mentions at least one form of contraception specifically and condemns it. Coitus interruptus, was used by Onan to avoid fulfilling his duty according to the ancient Jewish law of fathering children for one’s dead brother."</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Ellens|first1=J. Harold|title=Sex in the Bible: a new consideration|accessdate=2012-01-24|year=2006|publisher=Praeger Publishers|location=Westport, Conn.|isbn=0-275-98767-1|oclc=65429579|page=48|chapter=6. Making Babies: Purposes of Sex|chapterurl=http://books.google.nl/books?id=IXVGBv2eEroC&pg=PA48&lpg=PA48&dq=onan+coitus+interruptus&source=bl&ots=PB27B5N7Kv&sig=76u8S4xgVzLm7wamQu6-D_x3ZP4&hl=nl&ei=frvfTtf_B8OE-wa_yv2wBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CGUQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=onan%20coitus%20interruptus&f=false|quote=He practiced coitus interruptus whenever he made love to Tamar.}}</ref><ref>Confirmed by The Web Bible Encyclopedia at http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/onan.html quote: "Some have mistakenly assumed that Onan's sin was masturbation. However, it seems clear that this is not the case. Onan was prematurely withdrawing from sexual intercourse with his new wife, Tamar. This is a form of birth control still practiced today (''coitus interruptus'')."</ref><ref>Church Father [[Epiphanius of Salamis]] agrees, according to {{cite book|last1=Riddle|first1=John M.|title=Contraception and abortion from the ancient world to the Renaissance|accessdate=2012-01-24|year=1992|publisher=Harvard University Press|location=Cambridge, Mass.|isbn=0-674-16875-5|oclc=24428750|page=4|chapter=1. Population and Sex|chapterurl=http://books.google.nl/books?id=1vS85LtlsnIC&pg=PA4&lpg=PA4&dq=onan+coitus+interruptus&source=bl&ots=fxOCLmgnup&sig=SmGFjLC-NeEzF7XmjYLcbYsxz2w&hl=nl&ei=or3fTpijOoGDOsu-gO0C&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CG8Q6AEwBTgK#v=onepage&q=onan%20coitus%20interruptus&f=false|quote=Epiphanius (fourth century) construed the sin of Onan as coitus interruptus.<sup>14</sup>}}</ref> The Bible does not claim that masturbation would be sinful.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Patton|first=Michael S.|author=Michael S. Patton|month=June|year=1985|title=Masturbation from Judaism to Victorianism|journal=Journal of Religion and Health|volume=24|issue=2|pages=133–146|publisher=Springer Netherlands|issn=0022-4197|doi=10.1007/BF01532257|accessdate=12 November 2011|url=http://www.springerlink.com/content/r407h39183426645/|quote=Social change in attitudes toward masturbation has occurred at the professional level only since 1960 and at the popular level since 1970. [133] ... onanism and masturbation erroneously became synonymous... [134] ... there is no legislation in the Bible pertaining to masturbation. [135]}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Kwee|first=Alex W.|author=Alex W. Kwee|coauthors=David C. Hoover|year=2008|title=Theologically-Informed Education about Masturbation: A Male Sexual Health Perspective|journal=Journal of Psychology and Theology|volume=36|issue=4|pages=258–269|location=La Mirada, CA, USA|publisher=Rosemead School of Psychology. Biola University|issn=0091-6471|accessdate=12 November 2011|url=http://www.alexkwee.com/uploads/kwee_hoover08.pdf|quote=The Bible presents no clear theological ethic on masturbation, leaving many young unmarried Christians with confusion and guilt around their sexuality.}}</ref>
 ==Interpretation==