Leviticus 18:16

Geneva Bible

Thou shalt not discouer the shame of thy brothers wife. for it is thy brothers shame.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
"'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife: it is your brother's nakedness.

King James Version
Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness.

Lexham English Bible
You must not expose the nakedness of your brother's wife; she is your brother's nakedness.

New Century Version
"‘You must not have sexual relations with your brother's wife. That would shame your brother.

New English Translation
You must not have sexual intercourse with your brother's wife; she is your brother's nakedness.

Amplified Bible
'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.

Legacy Standard Bible
You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife; it is your brother's nakedness.

Contemporary English Version
or sister-in-law.

Complete Jewish Bible
You are not to have sexual relations with your brother's wife, because this is your brother's prerogative.

Darby Translation
The nakedness of thy brother's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy brother's nakedness.

Easy-to-Read Version
"You must not have sexual relations with your brother's wife. That would be like having sexual relations with your brother.

English Standard Version
You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife; it is your brother's nakedness.

George Lamsa Translation
You shall not approach your brothers wife; it is your brothers nakedness.

Good News Translation
or with your brother's wife.

Christian Standard Bible®
You are not to have sexual intercourse with your brother’s wife; she is your brother’s family.

Literal Translation
You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife; it is your brother's nakedness.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou shalt not vncouer the preuytie of thy brothers wife, for it is thy brothers preuytie.

American Standard Version
Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness.

Bible in Basic English
You may not have sex relations with your brother's wife, for she is your brother's.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thou shalt not vncouer the nakednesse of thy brothers wife, for that is thy brothers nakednesse.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness.

King James Version (1611)
Thou shalt not vncouer the nakednesse of thy brothers wife: it is thy brothers nakednesse.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother’s wife: it is thy brother’s nakedness.

English Revised Version
Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness.

Berean Standard Bible
You must not have sexual relations with your brother's wife; that would shame your brother.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thou schalt not schewe the filthe of `the wijf of thi brother, for it is the filthe of thi brothir.

Young's Literal Translation
`The nakedness of thy brother's wife thou dost not uncover; it [is] thy brother's nakedness.

Update Bible Version
You shall not have sex with your brother's wife.

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.

New King James Version
You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife; it is your brother's nakedness.

New Living Translation
"Do not have sexual relations with your brother's wife, for this would violate your brother.

New Life Bible
Do not take the clothes off your brother's wife. Her body is for your brother.

New Revised Standard
You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife; it is your brother's nakedness.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The shame of thy brother's wife, shalt thou not uncover, - the shame of thy brother, it is.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother’s wife: because it is the nakedness of thy brother.

Revised Standard Version
You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife; she is your brother's nakedness.

THE MESSAGE
"Don't have sex with your brother's wife; that would violate your brother.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife; it is your brother's nakedness.

Contextual Overview

⁶ None shall come neere to any of ye kinred of his flesh to vncouer her shame: I am the Lord. ⁷ Thou shalt not vncouer the shame of thy father, nor the shame of thy mother: for she is thy mother, thou shalt not discouer her shame. ⁸ The shame of thy fathers wife shalt thou not discouer: for it is thy fathers shame. ⁹ Thou shalt not discouer the shame of thy sister the daughter of thy father, or the daughter of thy mother, whether shee bee borne at home, or borne without: thou shalt not discouer their shame. ¹⁰ The shame of thy sonnes daughter, or of thy daughters daughter, thou shalt not, I say, vncouer their shame: for it is thy shame. ¹¹ The shame of thy fathers wiues daughter, begotten of thy father (for she is thy sister) thou shalt not, I say, discouer her shame. ¹² Thou shalt not vncouer the shame of thy fathers sister: for she is thy fathers kinswoman. ¹³ Thou shalt not discouer the shame of thy mothers sister: for she is thy mothers kinsewoman. ¹⁴ Thou shalt not vncouer the shame of thy fathers brother: that is, thou shalt not goe in to his wife, for she is thine aunte. ¹⁵ Thou shalt not discouer the shame of thy daughter in lawe: for she is thy sonnes wife: therefore shalt thou not vncouer her shame.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Leviticus 20:21, Deuteronomy 25:5, Matthew 14:3, Matthew 14:4, Matthew 22:24, Mark 6:17, Mark 12:19, Luke 3:19

Reciprocal: Genesis 38:8 - General Mark 6:18 - It is

Cross-References

Acts 15:3
Thus being brought forth by ye Church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conuersion of the Gentiles, and they brought great ioy vnto all the brethren.

Acts 20:38
Being chiefly sorie for the words which he spake, That they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him vnto the shippe.

Acts 21:5
But when the dayes were ended, we departed & went our way, & they all accompanied vs with their wiues & children, euen out of the citie: and we kneeling downe on the shore, prayed.

Romans 15:24
When I shal take my iourney into Spaine, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my iourney, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you, after that I haue bene somewhat filled with your company.

3 John 1:6
Which bare witnesse of thy loue before the Churches. Whom if thou bringest on their iourney as it beseemeth according to God, thou shalt doe well,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife,.... Neither debauch her nor after the death of the brother marry her, that is, unless he dies without issue; and then, by another law, he was obliged to marry her, Deuteronomy 25:5; hence the Targum of Jonathan adds; by way of explanation.

"in the life of thy brother, or after his death, if he has children,''

but then that law was but an exception from this general rule, and so did not make it void in other respects, but bound it the more strongly; and besides, it was a special and peculiar law to the Jews, until the Messiah came to make it manifest of what tribe and family he came; and the reason of it ceasing, the law itself is ceased, and so neither binding on Jews nor Gentiles: hence John the Baptist boldly told Herod to his face, that it was not lawful for him to have his brother's wife

Matthew 14:3; and even such marriages were condemned by the very Heathens: Dionysius Halicarnassensis n relates, that Lucius Tarquinius, Superbus, his brother being removed by poison, took Tullia to wife, whom his brother Aruntus had before married; but the historian calls it ανοσιον γαμον, "an unholy marriage", and abominable both among Greeks and Barbarians: Plutarch also reports o, that Marcus Crassus married the wife of his deceased brother; but such marriages are condemned by the same writer, as they are by the ancient Christians in their councils and canons p; now by this same law, if it is not lawful for a man to have his brother's wife, then it is not lawful for her to have her sister's husband; or, in other words, if it is not lawful for a woman to marry two brothers, then it is not lawful for a man to marry two sisters: the case of Jacob will not countenance such a marriage, since he was imposed upon and deceived; and such marriages have also been disapproved of by the Heathens and Christians: Honorius the emperor married two daughters of Stilico, one after another, but the unhappy exit of both sisters showed that those marriages were not approved of by God, for they both died premature deaths, leaving no children q;

it [is] thy brother's nakedness; that is, his wife is, being by marriage one flesh with him, and his brother being so to him, the relation is too near to intermarry, and more especially when there is issue by the first, which connects them strongly.

n Hist. l. 4. o In Vita M. Crassi. p Canon Apostol. can. 19. Concil. Neocaesar. can. 2. q Zonaras, l. 3. apud Zanchium de Sponsalibus, l. 4. c. 1. p. 786.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Thy brother’s wife - That is, if she had children. See Deuteronomy 25:5. The law here expressed was broken by Antipas in his connection with Herodias Matthew 14:3-4.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Leviticus 18:16. Thy brother's wife — This was an illegal marriage, unless the brother died childless. In that case it was not only lawful for her to marry her brother-in-law, but he was obliged by the law, Deuteronomy 25:5, to take her to wife.