H2994 H2994
sister-in-law; a brother's wife (widow) in the context of levirate marriage
A kinship term designating a man's brother's wife, used exclusively in the context of levirate marriage law. In Deuteronomy 25:7-9, it refers to the widow whom the surviving brother is obligated to marry, and whose public ceremony of removing the sandal shames the one who refuses. In Ruth 1:15, Naomi uses the term when urging Ruth to follow Orpah -- 'your sister-in-law' -- back to Moab. The term encodes an entire legal and familial obligation in a single word.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A brother's wife or sister-in-law, specifically within the levirate marriage framework where a deceased man's brother is duty-bound to marry the widow and raise offspring in the dead brother's name. In Deuteronomy 25:7-9, the term appears three times in the legal procedure for refusal, including the sandal-removal ceremony. In Ruth 1:15, Naomi applies it to Orpah as Ruth's co-sister-in-law. Spanish 'cuñada,' French 'soeur-dans-loi,' and German 'Schwester-in-Gesetz' all render the kinship relation, though none capture the specific levirate obligation encoded in the Hebrew. 5×
AR["أَخَتَ-زَوْجِهِ", "أَخَتُ-زَوْجِهِ", "سِلْفَتُكِ", "سِلْفَتِكِ"]·ben["তার-ভ্রাতৃবধূ", "তার-ভ্রাতৃবধূকে", "তোমার-ননদ", "তোমার-ননদের"]·DE["Schwager", "sein-Schwester-in-Gesetz"]·EN["his-sister-in-law", "your-sister-in-law"]·FR["son-soeur-dans-loi", "ton-sœur-dans-loi"]·heb["יבימתך", "יבמתו"]·HI["तेरी-देवरानी", "देवरानी-के", "भाभी-उसकी"]·ID["ipar-perempuanmu", "saudara-perempuan-iparnya"]·IT["suo-sorella-in-legge", "tua-cognata"]·jav["ipening-sedhèrèk-lakinipun", "ipenipun"]·KO["그-형수가", "그-형수를", "네-동서가", "네-동서의"]·PT["sua-cunhada", "tua-cunhada"]·RU["золовка-твоя", "золовкой-твоей", "невестка-его", "невестку-свою"]·ES["su-cuñada", "tu-cuñada"]·SW["mjane-wa-ndugu-yake", "shemeji-yako"]·TR["baldızı", "baldızını", "görümcen", "görümcenin"]·urd["اُس-کی-بھابھی", "اپنی-بھابھی", "اپنی-دیورانی-کے", "تیری-دیورانی"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [יְבֵ֫מֶת] n.f. sister-in-law (NH יְבָמָה, 𝔗 יְבַמְתָּא, יְבִימְתָּא; Syriac ܝܺܒܰܡܬܳܐ )—only sf. יְבִמְתּוֹ Dt 25:7(×2), 9 his brother’s wife (widow), (cf. Gn 38:8) in levirate law; יְבִמְתֵּךְ Ru 1:15(×2) thy husband’s brother’s wife.