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There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua.[a] Judah acquired her as a wife[b] and slept with her.[c] She became pregnant[d] and had a son. Judah named[e] him Er. She became pregnant again and had another son, whom she named Onan.

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  1. Genesis 38:2 tn Heb “a man, a Canaanite, and his name was Shua.”
  2. Genesis 38:2 tn Heb “and he took her.” The verb לָקַח (laqakh) “to take” is used idiomatically for getting a wife.
  3. Genesis 38:2 tn Heb “went to her.” The expression בּוֹא אֶל (boʾ ʾel) means “come to” or “approach,” but is also used as a euphemism for sexual relations.
  4. Genesis 38:3 tn Or “she conceived” (also in the following verse).
  5. Genesis 38:3 tc Some mss read this verb as feminine, “she called,” to match the pattern of the next two verses. But the MT, “he called,” should probably be retained as the more difficult Heb “and he called his name.” The referent (Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
New English Translation (NET)


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