Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version “’Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would dishonor your brother. New Living Translation “Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife, for this would violate your brother. English Standard Version You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. Berean Standard Bible You must not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would shame your brother. King James Bible Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness. New King James Version You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. New American Standard Bible You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. NASB 1995 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. NASB 1977 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. Legacy Standard Bible You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. Amplified Bible You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. Christian Standard Bible You are not to have sexual intercourse with your brother’s wife; she is your brother’s family. Holman Christian Standard Bible You are not to have sexual intercourse with your brother’s wife; it will shame your brother. American Standard Version Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness. Contemporary English Version or sister-in-law. English Revised Version Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness. GOD'S WORD® Translation Never have sexual intercourse with your sister-in-law. She is your brother's wife. Good News Translation or with your brother's wife. International Standard Version "You are not to have sexual relations with your brother's wife. She's the nakedness of your brother. Majority Standard Bible You must not have sexual relations with your brother?s wife; that would shame your brother. NET Bible You must not have sexual intercourse with your brother's wife; she is your brother's nakedness. New Heart English Bible "'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife: it is your brother's nakedness. Webster's Bible Translation Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness. World English Bible “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife. It is your brother’s nakedness. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionYou do not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it [is] your brother’s nakedness. Young's Literal Translation The nakedness of thy brother's wife thou dost not uncover; it is thy brother's nakedness. Smith's Literal Translation The nakedness of thy brother's wife thou shalt not uncover: it is thy brother's nakedness. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleThou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: because it is the nakedness of thy brother. Catholic Public Domain Version You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; for it is the nakedness of your brother. New American Bible You shall not have intercourse with your brother’s wife; that would be a disgrace to your brother. New Revised Standard Version You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleYou shall not approach your brother's wife; it is your brother's nakedness. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated Do not expose the nakedness of the wife of your brother, for her nakedness is your brother’s. OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness. Brenton Septuagint Translation Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Unlawful Sexual Relations…15You must not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; you are not to have sexual relations with her. 16You must not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would shame your brother. 17You must not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. You are not to marry her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter and have sexual relations with her. They are close relatives; it is depraved.… Cross References Deuteronomy 27:20 ‘Cursed is he who sleeps with his father’s wife, for he has violated his father’s marriage bed.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’ Leviticus 20:21 If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is an act of impurity. He has uncovered the nakedness of his brother; they shall be childless. Matthew 14:3-4 Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, / because John had been telling him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” Mark 6:17-18 For Herod himself had ordered that John be arrested and bound and imprisoned, on account of his brother Philip’s wife Herodias, whom Herod had married. / For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife!” 1 Corinthians 5:1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is intolerable even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. 1 Corinthians 7:2 But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. 1 Corinthians 7:10-11 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. / But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife. 1 Corinthians 7:39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, as long as he belongs to the Lord. Romans 7:2-3 For instance, a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. / So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man. Matthew 5:32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, brings adultery upon her. And he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Matthew 19:9 Now I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.” Mark 10:11-12 So He told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. / And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.” Luke 16:18 Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Genesis 2:24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Genesis 29:21-30 Finally Jacob said to Laban, “Grant me my wife, for my time is complete, and I want to sleep with her.” / So Laban invited all the men of that place and prepared a feast. / But when evening came, Laban took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and he slept with her. ... Treasury of Scripture You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife: it is your brother's nakedness. Leviticus 20:21 And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless. Deuteronomy 25:5 If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her. Matthew 14:3,4 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife… Jump to Previous Brother's Dishonor Nakedness Relations Sex Sexual WifeJump to Next Brother's Dishonor Nakedness Relations Sex Sexual WifeLeviticus 18 1. Unlawful marriages and unlawful lustsYou must not have sexual relations This phrase is a direct command, emphasizing the prohibition of certain sexual behaviors. The Hebrew root here is "גלה ערוה" (galah ervah), which means to uncover nakedness, a euphemism for sexual relations. This command is part of a broader set of laws given to the Israelites to maintain holiness and purity within the community. It underscores the importance of sexual morality as a reflection of one's relationship with God and others. with your brother’s wife that would shame your brother Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesThe author of Leviticus, who received the laws from God to instruct the Israelites. 2. Israelites The chosen people of God, to whom the laws in Leviticus were given as a guide for holy living. 3. Canaan The land where the Israelites were headed, which was inhabited by people with practices that God deemed abominable. 4. Brother In this context, a fellow Israelite or literal sibling, whose marital relationship is to be respected. 5. Brother’s Wife The woman who is married to one's brother, whose relationship is protected by this commandment. Teaching Points Respect for Family BoundariesThis commandment underscores the importance of respecting familial relationships and boundaries. Violating these boundaries leads to shame and dishonor. Holiness in Relationships God calls His people to a standard of holiness that includes sexual purity. This commandment is part of a broader call to live distinctively from the surrounding cultures. The Consequences of Sin Engaging in prohibited relationships can lead to personal and communal consequences, including shame and broken relationships. Understanding Context While this commandment is specific, it is part of a larger biblical ethic that values marriage and family. Understanding the cultural and historical context helps us apply these principles today. Guarding Against Temptation This verse serves as a reminder to guard our hearts and actions against temptations that can lead to sin and dishonor.(16) The nakedness of thy brother's wife.--Though alliance with a brother's wife is here forbidden--the prohibition, according to the administrators of the law during the second Temple, extending to illicit commerce or marriage in case she is divorced from her husband during the lifetime of her husband--and though the offenders are threatened with the curse of childlessness (see Leviticus 20:21), yet the law on this point is by no means absolute. Under certain conditions the law enjoins it as a moral and civil duty for a man to marry his brother's widow. If a brother dies without issue, it is incumbent upon each surviving brother in succession to marry the widow, and if the brother-in-law refused to perform the sacred duty, the widow made him pass through a ceremony in which she heaped upon him the greatest indignity. This clearly shows that the prohibition here could not be based upon the ground of incest, since that which is inherently incestuous the Divine law itself would under no circumstances have set aside. This duty the surviving brother-in-law had to perform to the widows of as many of his brothers as happened to die without issue. A striking illustration of this fact occurred whilst Jehudah the Holy was president of the Sanhedrin. Twelve widows appealed to their brother-in-law to perform the duty of Levir. He refused to marry them because he saw no prospect how to maintain such an additional number of wives, and possibly a large increase of children. The case came before the President of the Sanhedrin, who not only decided that he must marry them all, but promised that if he would do the duty enjoined upon him by the Law of Moses, he himself would maintain the family, and their children in case there should be any, every Sabbatical year, when no produce was got from the land, which was at rest. The offer was accepted by the Levir, and he accordingly married his twelve sisters-in-law. After three years these twelve wives appeared with thirty-six children before Jehudah the Holy, to claim the promised alimony, as it was the Sabbatical year, and they actually obtained it. To this day this law is in force among the orthodox Jews. When a man dies without issue, the widow ipso facto belongs to the surviving brother, and she is not allowed to marry any one else unless her brother-in-law has gone through the ceremony of publicly renouncing her, which is tantamount to a divorce. This will explain the rendering of the clause before us in the ancient Chaldee Version, "thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife in the lifetime of thy brother or after his death if he has children."Verse 16. - The eighth ease of incest is intercourse with a brother's wife. Yet this is commanded under certain circumstances in the Book of Deuteronomy, and was practiced in patriarchal times (Genesis 38:8). The following are the circumstances under which it is commanded. "If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her" (Deuteronomy 25:5). It has been asked, "How can the same thing be forbidden as immoral in Leviticus, and commanded as a duly in Deuteronomy?" Bishop Wordsworth replies, "In a special case, for a special reason applicable only to the Jews, God was pleased to dispense with that law, and in the plenitude of his omnipotence to change the prohibition into a command.... God cannot command anything that is sinful. For sin is 'transgression of the Law' (1 John 3:4), and whatever he commands is right. But it would be presumptuous to say that we may dispense with God's law concerning marriage, because he in one case dispensed with it; as it would be impious to affirm that murder is not immoral, and may be committed by us, bemuse God, who is the sole Arbiter of life and death, commanded Abraham to slay his son Isaac." The levirate marriage was not a concession to the desires of the second brother, but a duty enjoined for a family or tribal purpose, and it was plainly at all times must distasteful. Thus Onan refused to perform his duty to Er's wife (Genesis 38:9); the legislation in Deuteronomy anticipates objection on the part of the brother, and institutes an in-suiting ceremony to be gone through by him if he declines to do his duty to his dead brother (Deuteronomy 25:9, 10), which we see carried out in some of its details in the case of Ruth's kinsman (Ruth 4:7, 10). Indeed, in such a marriage, the second husband seems rather to have been regarded as the continuation of the first husband than as having a substantive existence of his own as a married man. He performed a function in order "that the name of his brother which is dead may not be put out of Israel" (Deuteronomy 25:6), "to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren" (Ruth 3:10). The second husband's position may be compared to that of the concubine presented by Rachel to her husband. "Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her" (Genesis 30:3). The whole object of the rule was that, as the elder brother could not keep up the flintily by begetting an heir, the younger brother should do it for him after his death. Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew You must notלֹ֣א (lō) Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no have sexual relations with עֶרְוַ֥ת (‘er·waṯ) Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 6172: Nakedness your brother’s אָחִ֖יךָ (’ā·ḥî·ḵā) Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular Strong's 251: A brother, ) wife; אֵֽשֶׁת־ (’ê·šeṯ-) Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female that הִֽוא׃ (hî) Pronoun - third person feminine singular Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are would shame עֶרְוַ֥ת (‘er·waṯ) Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 6172: Nakedness your brother. אָחִ֖יךָ (’ā·ḥî·ḵā) Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular Strong's 251: A brother, ) Links Leviticus 18:16 NIVLeviticus 18:16 NLT Leviticus 18:16 ESV Leviticus 18:16 NASB Leviticus 18:16 KJV Leviticus 18:16 BibleApps.com Leviticus 18:16 Biblia Paralela Leviticus 18:16 Chinese Bible Leviticus 18:16 French Bible Leviticus 18:16 Catholic Bible OT Law: Leviticus 18:16 You shall not uncover the nakedness (Le Lv Lev.) |