Leviticus 20:21

New Life Version

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

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.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
If a man take his brothers wyfe, it is an vncleane thyng: he hath vncouered his brothers nakednesse, they shalbe chyldlesse.

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 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 ‘If a man does sex sins with another man's wife, even his friend's wife, both the sinful man and woman must be put to death. ¹¹ If a man lies with his father's wife, he has put his father to shame. Both of the guilty ones must be put to death. They will suffer for their own sin. ¹² If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. They have done a bad sex sin. They will suffer for their own sin. ¹³ If a man lies with a male as if he were a woman, both of them have done a very sinful act. They must be put to death. They will suffer for their own sin. ¹⁴ If a man marries a woman and her mother, it is sin. Both he and they will be burned with fire, so this kind of sin will not be among you. ¹⁵ If a man lies with an animal, he must be put to death. Kill the animal also. ¹⁶ If a woman goes near any animal to have sex with it, you must kill the woman and the animal. They must be put to death. They will suffer for their own sin. ¹⁷ ‘If a man takes his sister, his father's or mother's daughter, and he sees her without clothes on and she sees him, it is a shame. They will be punished in front of their people. He has taken off his sister's clothes. He will suffer for his own sin. ¹⁸ If a man lies with a woman who has a flow of blood, and takes her clothes off, he has made her flow to show. And she has shown the flow of her blood. So both of them will not be numbered among God's people. ¹⁹ Do not take the clothes off your mother's sister or father's sister. For that is putting to shame one of your own family. They will suffer for their own sin.

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,