Lexical Summary yabam: husband's brother, perform the duty, duty as a brother-in-law Original Word: יָבַם Strong's Exhaustive Concordance perform the duty of a husband's brother, marry A primitive root of doubtful meaning; used only as a denominative from yabam; to marry a (deceased) brother's widow -- perform the duty of a husband's brother, marry. see HEBREW yabam NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origindenominative verb from yabam Definition to perform the duty of a husband's brother NASB Translation duty as a brother-in-law (1), husband's brother (2), perform the duty (2), perform your duty (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [יָבַם] verb denominative, only Pi`el do the duty of יָבָם to a brother's widow; Perfect וְיִבְּמָהּ consecutive Deuteronomy 25:5 and shall do a brother-in-law's office to her; Imperative יַבֵּם אֹתָהּ Genesis 38:8 (i.e. אֵשֶׁת אָחִיךָ va); Infinitive suffix לֹא אָבָה יַבְּמִי Deuteronomy 25:7 (on nominal suffix as object of infinitive, see Ges§ 115 R. 2 near the end). יַבְנְאֵל, יַבְנֶה, יִבְנְיָה, יִבְנִיָּה see below בנה. יַבֹּק see below בקק above יְבֶרֶכְיָ֫הוּ see below ברך above יִבְשָׂם see below בשׂם above Topical Lexicon Term Overview יָבַם (yabam) denotes the solemn duty of a surviving brother to marry his deceased brother’s widow and raise up offspring in the dead brother’s name. The act is commonly called “levirate marriage” (from the Latin levir, “brother-in-law”). It is not primarily romantic but redemptive, guarding the widow from destitution, preserving the deceased’s lineage, and retaining the inheritance within the family and tribe. Old Testament Occurrences 1. Genesis 38:8 – Judah commanded Onan: “Sleep with your brother’s wife; perform your duty as her brother-in-law and raise up offspring for your brother.” Ancient Near Eastern Context Parallels appear in Hittite, Assyrian, and Middle Babylonian law codes, yet Scripture gives the practice its highest moral and theological grounding. In Israel the motive is covenantal faithfulness, not mere property retention or social convention. Biblical Mandate and Procedure Deuteronomy 25:5-10 outlines: Theological Themes 1. Corporate Solidarity – A brother stands in place of the deceased, illustrating the biblical pattern of representative responsibility. Christological and Redemptive Foreshadowing The brother-redeemer motif anticipates the greater Redeemer. Where earthly brothers often failed (Onan, Deuteronomy’s hypothetical refuser), Jesus Christ, the true Elder Brother, “is not ashamed to call them brothers” (Hebrews 2:11) and secures an eternal inheritance for those dead in trespasses. His resurrection ensures a name and a place among “the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven” (Hebrews 12:23). The genealogy of Jesus passes through two levirate-related events: Judah-Tamar (Genesis 38) and the kinsman-redeemer marriage of Boaz and Ruth (Ruth 4). Both illustrate God’s providential weaving of broken situations into the Messianic line. Practical Ministry Implications • Family Responsibility: Believers are called to honor familial obligations sacrificially, reflecting God’s covenant faithfulness. Related Concepts and Passages • Go’el (kinsman-redeemer) – Ruth 3–4; Isaiah 54:5 Forms and Transliterations וְיִבְּמָֽהּ׃ וְיַבֵּ֣ם ויבם ויבמה׃ יַבְּמִֽי׃ יבמי׃ veyabBem veyibbeMah wə·yab·bêm wə·yib·bə·māh wəyabbêm wəyibbəmāh yab·bə·mî yabbeMi yabbəmîLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 38:8 HEB: אֵ֥שֶׁת אָחִ֖יךָ וְיַבֵּ֣ם אֹתָ֑הּ וְהָקֵ֥ם NAS: wife, and perform your duty as a brother-in-law to her, and raise KJV: wife, and marry her, and raise up INT: wife to your brother's and perform to her and raise offspring Deuteronomy 25:5 Deuteronomy 25:7 3 Occurrences |
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