Leviticus 18:16

Christian Standard Bible ®

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

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.

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“You are not to come near any close relative for sexual intercourse; I am the Lord. ⁷You are not to violate the intimacy that belongs to your father and mother. She is your mother; you must not have sexual intercourse with her. ⁸You are not to have sex with your father’s wife; she is your father’s family. ⁹You are not to have sexual intercourse with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s, whether born at home or born elsewhere. You are not to have sex with her. ¹⁰You are not to have sexual intercourse with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, for they are your family. ¹¹You are not to have sexual intercourse with your father’s wife’s daughter, who is adopted by your father; she is your sister. ¹²You are not to have sexual intercourse with your father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative. ¹³You are not to have sexual intercourse with your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s close relative. ¹⁴You are not to violate the intimacy that belongs to your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual intercourse; she is your aunt. ¹⁵You are not to have sexual intercourse with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; you are not to have sex with her.

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
When they had been sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they brought great joy to all the brothers and sisters.

Acts 20:38
grieving most of all over his statement that they would never see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.

Acts 21:5
When our time had come to an end, we left to continue our journey, while all of them, with their wives and children, accompanied us out of the city. After kneeling down on the beach to pray,

Romans 15:24
whenever I travel to Spain. For I hope to see you when I pass through and to be assisted by you for my journey there, once I have first enjoyed your company for a while.

3 John 1:6
They have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy 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.