Leviticus 18:16
You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The verse emphasizes that a brother's wife is considered "your brother's nakedness" because of the deep, intimate bond of marriage. This isn't just about avoiding forbidden relationships, but about honoring the sacred union that already exists, recognizing that she is an extension of your brother's own being in the eyes of God.
This verse appears within a lengthy list of sexual prohibitions God gives to the Israelites, intended to set them apart from the surrounding nations and maintain purity. It forbids marrying or having sexual relations with your brother's wife, stating such an act is to "uncover your brother's nakedness." While a later law (Deuteronomy 25:5) commands a brother to marry his childless widow to preserve his name, this passage establishes the general rule against it, emphasizing the intimate familial bond and preventing the blurring of relationships.
Why was this specific relationship so off-limits? It wasn't just about individual desires, but about safeguarding the entire family unit.
This verse prohibits sexual relations with your brother's wife. The core reason is that she is considered 'your brother's nakedness' – an extension of your brother himself. This highlights how ancient Israelite society viewed familial relationships: deeply intertwined and sacred.
Protecting the Core Unit
Think of it like this: You wouldn't harm a part of your own body, right? Similarly, the law protected the integrity of the family by forbidding actions that would violate the trust and honor within it. This prohibition wasn't just about avoiding awkwardness; it was about maintaining the spiritual and social health of the community.
Broader Social Harmony
Beyond the immediate family, these laws aimed to prevent social chaos. By clearly defining sexual boundaries, the community could flourish with stronger, more stable relationships, free from the exploitation and division that incestuous relationships could cause.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Leviticus 18:16 is available in the Sola app.
You might be thinking, 'Wait, didn't God command men to marry their brother's widows sometimes?' Yes, and understanding that exception reveals God's layered wisdom.
While Leviticus 18:16 forbids relations with a brother's wife, there's a crucial exception found in Deuteronomy 25:5. This was the law of levirate marriage.
A Duty, Not a Desire
If a brother died without having children, the surviving brother was obligated to marry the widow. This wasn't about personal preference or romance; it was a vital social and economic duty.
Purposes of Levirate Marriage
This exception demonstrates that God's laws are not always rigid rules applied identically in every situation. His wisdom accounts for specific needs and purposes, showing a dynamic approach to His commands.
Understand the original words
ervah · Hebrew Noun
A euphemism referring to sexual intercourse or the private parts of the body; uncovering it represents an act of illicit sexual relationship or violation of covenantal boundaries.
This passage provides the specific exception to the rule in Leviticus 18:16, outlining the obligation of a brother to marry his deceased brother's childless widow. It highlights how God's laws can have specific contexts and duties within them.
Matthew 14:3-4This New Testament account shows a direct violation of the principle laid out in Leviticus 18:16, as Herod Antipas had married his brother Philip's wife, Herodias. It demonstrates the enduring relevance of these prohibitions even after the Mosaic Law.
Genesis 38:8-10The story of Onan refusing to perform his duty to his brother Er's widow serves as a stark example of the consequences of not following the principles behind these laws, even before they were explicitly codified here. It illustrates the negative outcomes when familial and relational duties are shirked.
Ruth 4:1-10The account of Boaz acting as a kinsman-redeemer for Ruth, the widow of his deceased relative, exemplifies the practice of levirate marriage (though not strictly a brother-in-law in this case) and the public ceremony involved. This shows the practical outworking of the duty to provide for a deceased brother's line.
bensonLeviticus 18:16: "Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness."
Leviticus 18:16 . Thy brother’s wife — Unless he died childless, for in that case God afterward commanded that a man should marry his brother’s widow, Deuteronomy 25:5 . For the prohibiting of marriages in the more remote degrees of consanguinity, where other moral considerations are less obvious, there is this good reason to be assigned, namely, that marriage being one of the firmest b…
gillLeviticus 18:16: "Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness."
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 w…
The verse emphasizes that a brother's wife is considered "your brother's nakedness" because of the deep, intimate bond of marriage. This isn't just about avoiding forbidden relationships, but about honoring the sacred union that already exists, recognizing that she is an extension of your brother's own being in the eyes of God.
This verse appears within a lengthy list of sexual prohibitions God gives to the Israelites, intended to set them apart from the surrounding nations and maintain purity. It forbids marrying or having sexual relations with your brother's wife, stating such an act is to "uncover your brother's nakedness." While a later law (Deuteronomy 25:5) commands a brother to marry his childless widow to preserve his name, this passage establishes the general rule against it, emphasizing the intimate familial bond and preventing the blurring of relationships.
This verse appears within a lengthy list of sexual prohibitions God gives to the Israelites, intended to set them apart from the surrounding nations and maintain purity. It forbids marrying or having sexual relations with your brother's wife, stating such an act is to "uncover your brother's nakedness." While a later law (Deuteronomy 25:5) commands a brother to marry his childless widow to preserve his name, this passage establishes the general rule against it, emphasizing the intimate familial bond and preventing the blurring of relationships.
"You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness." — The verse emphasizes that a brother's wife is considered "your brother's nakedness" because of the deep, intimate bond of marriage. This isn't just about avoiding forbidden relationships, but about h…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
