Leviticus 18:16

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

The shame of thy brother's wife, shalt thou not uncover, - the shame of thy brother, it is.

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.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Thou shalt not discouer the shame of thy brothers wife. for it is thy brothers shame.

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.

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 No person whatsoever, unto any of the near kin of his own flesh, shall approach to uncover the parts of shame, - I, am Yahweh. ⁷ The shame of thy father, even the shame of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover, - thy mother, she is, thou shalt not uncover her shame. ⁸ The shame of thy father's wife, shalt thou not uncover, - thy father's shame, it is. ⁹ The shame of thy sister daughter of thy father or daughter of thy mother, born at home or horn abroad, thou shalt not uncover their shame. ¹⁰ The shame of the daughter of thy son or the daughter of thy daughter, thou shalt not uncover their shame, - for, thine own shame, they are. ¹¹ The shame of the daughter of thy father's wife, born to thy father, she being, thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her shame. ¹² The shame of thy father's sister, shalt thou not uncover, - thy father's near of kin, she is. ¹³ The shame of thy mother's sister, shalt thou not uncover, - for, thy mother's near of kin, she is. ¹⁴ The shame of thy father's brother, shalt thou not uncover unto his wife, shalt thou not approach, thine aunt, she is. ¹⁵ The shame of thy daughter-in-law, shalt thou not uncover, - thy son's wife, she is, thou shalt not uncover 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
They, therefore, being set forward by the Assembly, began passing through Phoenicia and Samaria, fully relating the conversion of them of the nations, and were causing great joy unto all the brethren.

Acts 20:38
being most distressed for the word which he had said, - That, no more, should they, his face, behold. And they accompanied him unto the ship.

Acts 21:5
And, when it came to pass that we had completed the days, we went forth, and continued our journey, all of them accompanying us, with wives and children, as far as outside the city; and, kneeling down on the beach in prayer,

Romans 15:24
As soon as I am journey to Spain, - I am hoping, in fact, when journeying through to get sight of you, and by you to be set forward thither, - if, with your company, I have first in some measure been satisfied.

3 John 1:6
Who have borne witness to thy love before the assembly: whom thou wilt do, nobly, to set forward worthily of God.

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.