4828. Verses 6-10 And Judah took a wife (mulier) for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. And Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and Jehovah caused him to die. And Judah said to Onan, Come [in] to your brother's wife (uxor) and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her, and raise up seed for your brother. And Onan knew that the seed would not be his; and so it was, when he came [in] to his brother's wife (uxor), that he spilled it on the ground,a so that he should not provide seed for his brother. And what he had done was evil in the eyes of Jehovah; and He caused him to die also.
'Judah took a wife' means the Church which was for his descendants. 'For Er his firstborn' means falsity of faith. 'And her name was Tamar' means the essential nature of the Church - a Church representative of spiritual and celestial things. 'And Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the eyes of Jehovah' means that it was immersed in falsity springing from evil. 'And Jehovah caused him to die' means that there was no representative of the Church. 'And Judah said to Onan' means so as to preserve a representative of the Church. 'Come [in] to your brother's wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her' means that that representative might be continued. 'And raise up seed for your brother' means so that the Church does not perish. 'And Onan knew that the seed would not be his' means a loathing and hatred. 'And so it was, when he came [in] to his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground' means the reverse of conjugial love. 'So that he should not provide seed for his brother' means that this being so there was no continuation. 'And what he had done was evil in the eyes of Jehovah' means that it was contrary to Divine order. 'And He caused him to die also' means that again there was no representative of the Church.