Person Old Testament
Shua
Also known as Shua =ESV, NIV, KJV; Shuah =KJV
Shua was the father of a Canaanite woman, the wife of Judah, and the mother of Er, Onan, and Shelah. Mentioned in 3 verses across 2 books, first at Genesis 38:2.
Why it matters. Father of Canaanite wife of Judah, mother of Er, Onan, and Shelah.
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Shua
Shua is mentioned in Gen.38.2,12 and 1Ch.2.3 as the father of a Canaanite wife of Judah, one of the twelve sons of Israel (or 'Jacob'). Judah married Bath-shua, the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua, and she bore him three sons: Er, Onan, and Shelah. The narrative in Genesis 38 focuses on the story of Judah and Tamar, with Bath-shua's sons playing a significant role. Er, Judah's firstborn, was killed by God due to his wickedness, and Onan, who was obligated to provide an heir for his deceased brother, also displeased God and died. Bath-shua is not mentioned beyond her role as the mother of Judah's sons, and her Canaanite origin is significant in the context of the Israelites' relationship with the Canaanites in the Promised Land.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
- Children
- Bath-shua
Appears in Scripture
Named in 3 verses across 2 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.