Leviticus 20:21

Bishop's Bible

If a man take his brothers wyfe, it is an vncleane thyng: he hath vncouered his brothers nakednesse, they shalbe chyldlesse.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
If a man shall take his brother's wife, it is impurity: he has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.

King James Version
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.

Lexham English Bible
As for a man who marries his brother's wife, it is an abomination; he has exposed his brother's nakedness—they shall be childless.

New Century Version
"‘It is unclean for a man to marry his brother's wife. That man has shamed his brother, and they will have no children.

New English Translation
If a man has sexual intercourse with his brother's wife, it is indecency. He has exposed his brother's nakedness; they will be childless.

Amplified Bible
'If a man takes his brother's wife, it is a hated and unclean thing; he has uncovered his brother's nakedness. They will be childless.

New American Standard Bible
'If there is a man who takes his brother's wife, it is detestable; he has uncovered his brother's nakedness. They will be childless.

Geneva Bible (1587)
So the man that taketh his brothers wife, committeth filthines, because he hath vncouered his brothers shame: they shalbe childles.

Legacy Standard Bible
If there is a man who takes his brother's wife, it is an impure act; he has uncovered his brother's nakedness. They will be childless.

Contemporary English Version
And if you marry your sister-in-law, neither of you will ever have any children.

Complete Jewish Bible
If a man takes his brother's wife, it is uncleanness; he has disgraced his brother sexually; they will be childless.

Darby Translation
And if a man take his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness: they shall be childless.

Easy-to-Read Version
"It is wrong for a man to take his brother's wife. It would be like having sexual relations with his brother! They will have no children.

English Standard Version
If a man takes his brother's wife, it is impurity. He has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.

George Lamsa Translation
And if a man shall take his brothers wife, it is an iniquity, for he has uncovered his brothers nakedness; they shall be childless.

Good News Translation
If a man takes his brother's wife, they will die childless. He has done a ritually unclean thing and has disgraced his brother.

Christian Standard Bible®
If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is impurity. He has violated the intimacy that belongs to his brother; they will be childless.

Literal Translation
And if a man takes his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing; he has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yf eny man take his brothers wyfe, yt is an vncleane thinge: they shalbe without children, because he hath vncouered his brothers secretes.

American Standard Version
And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is impurity: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.

Bible in Basic English
And if a man takes his brother's wife, it is an unclean act; he has put shame on his brother; they will have no children.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is impurity: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.

King James Version (1611)
And if a man shall take his brothers wife, it is an vncleane thing: hee hath vncouered his brothers nakednesse, they shall be childlesse.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Whoever shall take his brother’s wife, it is uncleanness; he has uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall die childless.

English Revised Version
And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is impurity: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.

Berean Standard Bible
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.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
He that weddith `the wijf of his brother, doith an vnleueful thing; he schewide `the filthe of his brother, he schal be without fre children.

Young's Literal Translation
`And a man who taketh his brother's wife -- it [is] impurity; the nakedness of his brother he hath uncovered; childless they are.

Update Bible Version
And if a man shall have sex with his brother's wife, it is impurity: he has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

World English Bible
If a man shall take his brother's wife, it is impurity: he has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.

New King James Version
If a man takes his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing. He has uncovered his brother's nakedness. They shall be childless.

New Living Translation
"If a man marries his brother's wife, it is an act of impurity. He has violated his brother, and the guilty couple will remain childless.

New Life Bible
If a man takes his brother's wife, it is sin. He has put his brother to shame. They will have no children.

New Revised Standard
If a man takes his brother's wife, it is impurity; he has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, any man, who taketh his brother's wife, impurity, it is, - the shame of his brother, hath he uncovered - childless, shall they remain.

Douay-Rheims Bible
He that marrieth his brother’s wife, doth an unlawful thing: he hath uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They shall be without children.

Revised Standard Version
If a man takes his brother's wife, it is impurity; he has uncovered his brother's nakedness, they shall be childless.

THE MESSAGE
"If a man marries his brother's wife, it's a defilement. He has shamed his brother. They will be childless.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
'If there is a man who takes his brother's wife, it is abhorrent; he has uncovered his brother's nakedness. They will be childless.

Contextual Overview

¹⁰ And the man that breaketh wedlocke with another mans wyfe, euen he that breaketh wedlocke with his neyghbours wyfe, let be slayne both the adulterer and the adultresse. ¹¹ And the man that lyeth with his fathers wyfe, and vncouereth his fathers nakednes, let them both die, their blood be vpon them. ¹² If a man lye with his daughter in lawe, let them dye both of them: they haue wrought abhomination, their blood be vpon them. ¹³ If a man also lye with mankinde after the maner as with women kynde, they haue both committed an abhomination: let them dye, their blood be vpon them. ¹⁴ And if a man take a wyfe, and her mother also, it is wickednesse: They shall burne with fire both hym & them, that there be no wickednesse among you. ¹⁵ And if a man lye with a beast, let hym dye, and ye shall slea the beast also. ¹⁶ If a woman go vnto any beast, and lye downe thereto, thou shalt kyll the woman and the beast also: let them dye, their blood be vpon them. ¹⁷ If a man take his sister, his fathers daughter, or his mothers daughter, & see her nakednesse, and she his nakednesse, it is a wicked thing, they shalbe cut of in the sight of their people: he hath vncouered his sisters nakednesse, he shall beare his sinne. ¹⁸ If a man lye with a woman hauing her natural disease, and vncouer her nakednesse, and open her fountayne, and she also open the foutayne of her blood, they shall both be cut of from among their people. ¹⁹ Thou shalt not vncouer the nakednesse of thy mothers sister, nor of thy fathers sister: for he that doth so, hath vncouered his next kyn, they shal beare their misdoyng.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

his brother's: Leviticus 18:16, Matthew 14:3, Matthew 14:4

an unclean thing: Heb. a separation

Reciprocal: Mark 6:18 - It is

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And if a man shall take his brother's wife,.... To his wife, whether in his life, as the Targum of Jonathan adds, or whether after his death, unless when there is no issue, then he was obliged to it by another law, Deuteronomy 25:5; which is now ceased, and the law in

Leviticus 18:16; here referred to, stands clear of all exceptions:

it [is] an unclean thing; or a "separation" k from which a man should remove and keep at a distance, as from menstruous women, of whom this word is used; and so denotes that it is by all means to be avoided, as an abominable and detestable thing; and it is observed that of all copulations it is only used of this: and the Jewish writers, as Aben Ezra and others, observe that this case is somewhat like that of a menstruous woman, who in the time of her separation is unlawful, but when out of it lawful; and so, in this case, a brother's wife might not be taken, he being alive; but after his death she might, if she had no son, according to the law before referred to, but that is now abolished:

he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; his wife's, which was his brother's; which through nearness of kin, he ought not to have done; and the same holds good of a wife's sister, the relation being the same:

they shall be childless; they shall have none by such a marriage or copulation, and die without any; and as this supposes the brother's wife to have children by her first husband, or otherwise while the Jewish law lasted, it would not have been unlawful to marry her husband's brother; the meaning may be, that these should die before them, or rather, as some think, those that might be born of such a marriage should not be reckoned legitimate, and so not inherit.

k נדה "separatio", Drusius,