Er Summary
STEPBible TIPNR
Er, Judah's firstborn son, was killed by God because of his wickedness.
firstborn son of Judah (GEN 38:3)
Lineage: God › Adam › Seth › Enos › Cainan › Mahalaleel › Jared › Enoch › Methuselah › Lamech › Noah › Shem › Arphaxad › Cainan › Salah › Eber › Peleg › Reu › Serug › Nahor › Terah › Abraham › Isaac › Jacob › Judah › Er
Names
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en
Er
watchman
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en
Er
· Also called · H6147 G2262 · GEN 38:3 watchful, watcher
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he
עֵֽר
er · H6147 · GEN 38:3 watchful, watcher
- he עֵר · H6147G
- el Ηρ Ēr · G2262 · GEN 38:3
- bg Ир
SDA Books (5)
Awaiting permission to publishLinked through an explicitly cited Bible passage
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EGW SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 1 Ellen Gould White · EN · 1 related paragraphs
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SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 1 1SDABC Francis Nichol-GCSDA · EN · 40 bibliographic references from the official index
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SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 2 2SDABC Francis Nichol-GCSDA · EN · 5 bibliographic references from the official index
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SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 3 3SDABC Francis Nichol-GCSDA · EN · 15 bibliographic references from the official index
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SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5 5SDABC Francis Nichol-GCSDA · EN · 7 bibliographic references from the official index
Conditional birth estimate
Conditional birth bounds under generation assumptions; not attested parental ages, biological limits or a lifespan.
The anchors give incompatible conditional intervals. This calculation establishes no birth year.
Below are relatives with a selected birth year, the generations separating them, and the interval allowed by each anchor. Each relative’s page shows available dates and sources. The overall estimate uses the intersection of the allowed intervals.
| Relative / anchor year | Generations | Conditional interval |
|---|---|---|
| Jacob · 1835 BC Ancestor |
2 20–45 years per generation |
c. 1795 BC – 1745 BC |
| Isaac · 1895 BC Ancestor |
3 20–45 years per generation |
c. 1835 BC – 1760 BC |
| Rebekah · 1876 BC Ancestor |
3 20–45 years per generation |
c. 1816 BC – 1741 BC |
| Abraham · 1995 BC Ancestor |
4 20–45 years per generation |
c. 1915 BC – 1815 BC |
| Sarah · 1985 BC Ancestor |
4 20–45 years per generation |
c. 1905 BC – 1805 BC |
| Terah · 2125 BC Ancestor |
5 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2000 BC – 1475 BC |
| Nahor · 2156 BC Ancestor |
6 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2006 BC – 1376 BC |
| Haran · 2056 BC Ancestor |
6 25–130 years per generation |
c. 1906 BC – 1276 BC |
| Serug · 2186 BC Ancestor |
7 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2011 BC – 1276 BC |
| Reu · 2218 BC Ancestor |
8 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2018 BC – 1178 BC |
| Peleg · 2248 BC Ancestor |
9 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2023 BC – 1078 BC |
| Eber · 2282 BC Ancestor |
10 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2032 BC – 982 BC |
| Salah · 2312 BC Ancestor |
11 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2037 BC – 882 BC |
| Arphaxad · 2347 BC Ancestor |
13 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2022 BC – 657 BC |
| Shem · 2447 BC Ancestor |
14 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2097 BC – 627 BC |
| Noah · 2948 BC Ancestor |
15 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2573 BC – 998 BC |
| Lamech · 3130 BC Ancestor |
16 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2730 BC – 1050 BC |
| Methuselah · 3317 BC Ancestor |
17 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2892 BC – 1107 BC |
| Enoch · 3382 BC Ancestor |
18 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2932 BC – 1042 BC |
| Jared · 3544 BC Ancestor |
19 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3069 BC – 1074 BC |
| Mahalaleel · 3609 BC Ancestor |
20 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3109 BC – 1009 BC |
| Cainan · 3679 BC Ancestor |
21 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3154 BC – 949 BC |
| Cain · 4004 BC Ancestor |
21 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3479 BC – 1274 BC |
| Enos · 3769 BC Ancestor |
22 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3219 BC – 909 BC |
| Adam · 4004 BC Ancestor |
22 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3454 BC – 1144 BC |
| Eve · 4005 BC Ancestor |
22 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3455 BC – 1145 BC |
| Seth · 3874 BC Ancestor |
23 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3299 BC – 884 BC |
Belonged to (1)
Was killed by (1)
Er Article
STEPBible TIPNR
Er was the firstborn son of Judah and his Canaanite wife, the daughter of Shua (Gen. 38:3; 1Ch. 2:3). He married Tamar, but the Lord put him to death because of his wickedness (Gen. 38:6-7). The nature of his wickedness is not specified in the text.
After Er's death, Judah instructed his second son, Onan, to marry Tamar and produce offspring for his deceased brother, a practice known as levirate marriage (Gen. 38:8). However, Onan also displeased the Lord and was put to death (Gen. 38:9-10).
Er is mentioned again in the genealogy of Judah (Gen. 46:12; Num. 26:19; 1Ch. 2:3), which highlights the significance of his lineage despite his early death. His inclusion in these genealogies emphasizes the importance of Judah's descendants, particularly in light of the Messianic promise that would ultimately be fulfilled through this tribe (Gen. 49:10).
Sources: BibleData (CC BY 4.0, Er_1) · STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0, Er@Gen.38.3-1Ch) · Theographic Bible Metadata (CC BY-SA 4.0, er_1209)