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frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/leviticus/18-8.htm" title="Leviticus 18:8">◄</a> Leviticus 18:9 <a href="/leviticus/18-10.htm" title="Leviticus 18:10">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Study Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Crossref </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Hebrew </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/leviticus/18.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/leviticus/18.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />&#8220&#8217Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father&#8217s daughter or your mother&#8217s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/leviticus/18.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />“Do not have sexual relations with your sister or half sister, whether she is your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born into your household or someone else’s.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/leviticus/18.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether brought up in the family or in another home.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/leviticus/18.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />You must not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/leviticus/18.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, <i>whether she be</i> born at home, or born abroad, <i>even</i> their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/leviticus/18.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />The nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, <i>whether</i> born at home or elsewhere, their nakedness you shall not uncover.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/leviticus/18.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br /><i>As for</i> the nakedness of your sister, <i>either</i> your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, <i>whether</i> born in the household or born outside <i>the household,</i> you shall not uncover their nakedness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/leviticus/18.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />The nakedness of your sister, either your father&#8217s daughter or your mother&#8217s daughter, whether born at home or born outside, their nakedness you shall not uncover.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/leviticus/18.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />‘The nakedness of your sister, <i>either</i> your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether born at home or born outside, their nakedness you shall not uncover.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/leviticus/18.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />The nakedness of your sister, <i>either</i> your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether born at home or born outside, their nakedness you shall not uncover.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/leviticus/18.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, <i>either</i> the daughter of your father or of your mother, whether born at home or born elsewhere.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/leviticus/18.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />You 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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/leviticus/18.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />You are not to have sexual intercourse with your sister, either your father&#8217s daughter or your mother&#8217s, whether born at home or born elsewhere. You are not to have sex with her. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/leviticus/18.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or the daughter of thy mother, whether born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/leviticus/18.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />Don't have sex with your sister or stepsister, whether you grew up together or not. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/leviticus/18.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or the daughter of thy mother, whether born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/leviticus/18.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Never have sexual intercourse with your stepsister, whether she is your father's daughter or your mother's daughter. It makes no difference whether or not she was born in your house.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/leviticus/18.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Do not have intercourse with your sister or your stepsister, whether or not she was brought up in the same house with you. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/leviticus/18.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />"You are not to have sexual relations with your sister, whether she's your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether she's born in your home or outside your home. You are not to have sexual relations with her.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/leviticus/18.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />You must not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/leviticus/18.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />You must not have sexual intercourse with your sister, whether she is your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether she is born in the same household or born outside it; you must not have sexual intercourse with either of them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/leviticus/18.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />"'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home, or born abroad.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/leviticus/18.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/leviticus/18.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />“‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or born abroad. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/leviticus/18.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />The nakedness of your sister, daughter of your father, or daughter of your mother, born at home or born outside—you do not uncover their nakedness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/leviticus/18.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> 'The nakedness of thy sister, daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, born at home or born without; thou dost not uncover their nakedness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/leviticus/18.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />The nakedness of thy sister, daughter of thy father or daughter of thy mother, born within or born without, thou shalt not uncover their nakedness.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/leviticus/18.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy sister by father or by mother, whether born at home or abroad. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/leviticus/18.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, whether from father or from mother, whether she was born at home or abroad.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/leviticus/18.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />You shall not have intercourse with your sister, your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in your own household or born elsewhere.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/leviticus/18.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether born at home or born abroad.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/leviticus/18.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />You shall not approach your sister, the daughter of your father or the daughter of your mother, whether she is begotten of your father or of another man.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/leviticus/18.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />The nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father or the daughter of your mother who is the child of your father or of another man, do not reveal her nakedness.<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/leviticus/18.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or the daughter of thy mother, whether born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/leviticus/18.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />The nakedness of thy sister by thy father or by thy mother, born at home or abroad, their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/leviticus/18-9.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NWs_V1RyMFo?start=4783" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/leviticus/18.htm">Unlawful Sexual Relations</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">8</span>You must not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; it would dishonor your father. <span class="reftext">9</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: lō (Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles.">You must not</a> <a href="/hebrew/1540.htm" title="1540: ṯə·ḡal·leh (V-Piel-Imperf-2ms) -- To uncover, remove. A primitive root; to denude; by implication, to exile; figuratively, to reveal.">have sexual relations with</a> <a href="/hebrew/6172.htm" title="6172: ‘er·wā·ṯān (N-fsc:: 3fp) -- Nakedness. From arah; nudity, literally or figuratively."></a> <a href="/hebrew/6172.htm" title="6172: ‘er·waṯ (N-fsc) -- Nakedness. From arah; nudity, literally or figuratively."></a> <a href="/hebrew/269.htm" title="269: ’ă·ḥō·wṯ·ḵā (N-fsc:: 2ms) -- Sister. Irregular feminine of 'ach; a sister (like 'Ezrachiy), literally and figuratively).">your sister,</a> <a href="/hebrew/1.htm" title="1: ’ā·ḇî·ḵā (N-msc:: 2ms) -- Father. A primitive word; father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application).">either your father’s</a> <a href="/hebrew/1323.htm" title="1323: ḇaṯ- (N-fsc) -- Daughter. From banah; a daughter.">daughter</a> <a href="/hebrew/176.htm" title="176: ’ōw (Conj) -- Or. Presumed to be the constructive or genitival form of -av; short for 'avvah; desire; hence or, also if.">or</a> <a href="/hebrew/1323.htm" title="1323: ḇaṯ- (N-fsc) -- Daughter. From banah; a daughter."></a> <a href="/hebrew/517.htm" title="517: ’im·me·ḵā (N-fsc:: 2ms) -- A mother. A primitive word; a mother; in a wide sense (like 'ab).">your mother’s daughter,</a> <a href="/hebrew/4138.htm" title="4138: mō·w·le·ḏeṯ (N-fsc) -- Kindred, birth, offspring. From yalad; nativity; by implication, lineage, native country; also offspring, family.">whether she was born</a> <a href="/hebrew/1004.htm" title="1004: ba·yiṯ (N-ms) -- A house. Probably from banah abbreviated; a house.">in the same home</a> <a href="/hebrew/176.htm" title="176: ’ōw (Conj) -- Or. Presumed to be the constructive or genitival form of -av; short for 'avvah; desire; hence or, also if.">or</a> <a href="/hebrew/4138.htm" title="4138: mō·w·le·ḏeṯ (N-fsc) -- Kindred, birth, offspring. From yalad; nativity; by implication, lineage, native country; also offspring, family."></a> <a href="/hebrew/2351.htm" title="2351: ḥūṣ (N-ms) -- The outside, a street. Or chuts; from an unused root meaning to sever; properly, separate by a wall, i.e. Outside, outdoors.">elsewhere.</a> </span><span class="reftext">10</span>You must not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, for that would shame your family.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/deuteronomy/27-22.htm">Deuteronomy 27:22</a></span><br />‘Cursed is he who sleeps with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_samuel/13-11.htm">2 Samuel 13:11-14</a></span><br />And when she had brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said, “Come lie with me, my sister!” / “No, my brother!” she cried. “Do not violate me, for such a thing should never be done in Israel. Do not do this disgraceful thing! / Where could I ever take my shame? And you would be like one of the fools in Israel! Please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/22-11.htm">Ezekiel 22:11</a></span><br />One man commits an abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another wickedly defiles his daughter-in-law; and yet another violates his sister, his own father’s daughter.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/20-12.htm">Genesis 20:12</a></span><br />Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father—though not the daughter of my mother—and she became my wife.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/19-30.htm">Genesis 19:30-36</a></span><br />Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains—for he was afraid to stay in Zoar—where they lived in a cave. / One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man in the land to sleep with us, as is the custom over all the earth. / Come, let us get our father drunk with wine so we can sleep with him and preserve his line.” ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/5-1.htm">1 Corinthians 5:1</a></span><br />It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is intolerable even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/6-18.htm">1 Corinthians 6:18</a></span><br />Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a man can commit is outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_thessalonians/4-3.htm">1 Thessalonians 4:3-5</a></span><br />For it is God’s will that you should be holy: You must abstain from sexual immorality; / each of you must know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, / not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/galatians/5-19.htm">Galatians 5:19</a></span><br />The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/1-26.htm">Romans 1:26-27</a></span><br />For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. / Likewise, the men abandoned natural relations with women and burned with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_timothy/1-9.htm">1 Timothy 1:9-10</a></span><br />We realize that law is not enacted for the righteous, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for killers of father or mother, for murderers, / for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave traders and liars and perjurers, and for anyone else who is averse to sound teaching<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ephesians/5-3.htm">Ephesians 5:3</a></span><br />But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/colossians/3-5.htm">Colossians 3:5</a></span><br />Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/5-27.htm">Matthew 5:27-28</a></span><br />You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ / But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/mark/7-21.htm">Mark 7:21-23</a></span><br />For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, / greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness. / All these evils come from within, and these are what defile a man.”</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">The nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or daughter of your mother, whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness you shall not uncover.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/leviticus/20-17.htm">Leviticus 20:17</a></b></br> And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it <i>is</i> a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister's nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/deuteronomy/27-22.htm">Deuteronomy 27:22</a></b></br> Cursed <i>be</i> he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/2_samuel/13-11.htm">2 Samuel 13:11-14</a></b></br> And when she had brought <i>them</i> unto him to eat, he took hold of her, and said unto her, Come lie with me, my sister… </p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/leviticus/14-8.htm">Abroad</a> <a href="/leviticus/16-29.htm">Birth</a> <a href="/leviticus/12-7.htm">Born</a> <a href="/leviticus/17-15.htm">Country</a> <a href="/leviticus/12-6.htm">Daughter</a> <a href="/leviticus/16-29.htm">Either</a> <a href="/revelation/12-17.htm">Elsewhere</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-8.htm">Father's</a> <a href="/exodus/18-23.htm">Home</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-7.htm">Mother</a> <a href="/exodus/34-26.htm">Mother's</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-8.htm">Nakedness</a> <a href="/leviticus/17-3.htm">Outside</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-8.htm">Relations</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-8.htm">Sexual</a> <a href="/exodus/15-20.htm">Sister</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-6.htm">Uncover</a> <a href="/leviticus/13-12.htm">Wherever</a> <a href="/leviticus/17-15.htm">Whether</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/leviticus/25-9.htm">Abroad</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-26.htm">Birth</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-11.htm">Born</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-27.htm">Country</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-10.htm">Daughter</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-17.htm">Either</a> <a href="/2_chronicles/26-6.htm">Elsewhere</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-11.htm">Father's</a> <a href="/numbers/14-30.htm">Home</a> <a href="/leviticus/19-3.htm">Mother</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-13.htm">Mother's</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-10.htm">Nakedness</a> <a href="/leviticus/22-10.htm">Outside</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-10.htm">Relations</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-10.htm">Sexual</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-11.htm">Sister</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-10.htm">Uncover</a> <a href="/leviticus/23-3.htm">Wherever</a> <a href="/leviticus/22-18.htm">Whether</a><div class="vheading2">Leviticus 18</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/leviticus/18-1.htm">Unlawful marriages and unlawful lusts</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script><br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading"><a href="/study/leviticus/18.htm">Berean Study Bible</a></div><b>You must not have sexual relations</b><br />This phrase is a direct command from God, emphasizing the prohibition of incestuous relationships. The Hebrew root for "sexual relations" is "גָּלָה עֶרְוָה" (galah ervah), which literally means to "uncover nakedness." This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse, highlighting the sacredness and boundaries God places around sexual relations. In the ancient Near Eastern context, such prohibitions were crucial for maintaining family integrity and social order. The command underscores the importance of purity and holiness in the community of Israel, setting them apart from surrounding nations whose practices often included incestuous relationships.<p><b>with your sister</b><br />The term "sister" here is derived from the Hebrew word "אָחוֹת" (achot), which refers to a female sibling. This prohibition extends to both full and half-sisters, emphasizing the sanctity of familial relationships. In the ancient world, family structures were central to societal stability, and this command serves to protect the family unit from internal corruption and moral decay. The family is seen as a microcosm of the larger community, and maintaining its purity is essential for the health of the nation.<p><b>either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter</b><br />This phrase clarifies that the prohibition applies regardless of whether the sister is a full sibling or a half-sibling. The distinction between "father’s daughter" and "mother’s daughter" acknowledges the complex family dynamics that could arise from polygamous marriages, which were common in ancient Israel. By specifying both paternal and maternal connections, the law ensures comprehensive coverage of potential incestuous relationships, leaving no room for ambiguity or loopholes.<p><b>whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere</b><br />This clause further emphasizes the universality of the prohibition, indicating that the location of birth does not affect the moral and legal standing of the relationship. The Hebrew phrase "בֵּית אוֹ בַּחוּץ" (beit o bachutz) translates to "in the house or outside," suggesting that the familial bond transcends physical proximity. This reinforces the idea that God's laws are not bound by human circumstances but are absolute and apply to all situations. It also highlights the importance of understanding family ties beyond immediate living arrangements, recognizing the broader kinship network that defines one's responsibilities and moral obligations.<div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/leviticus/18.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(9) <span class= "bld">The nakedness of thy sister.</span>--The fact that Adam married "bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh," and that his sons married their own sisters, encouraged the ancient Hebrew to imitate their example. Hence we find Abraham, the father of the faithful, married his half-sister (<a href="/genesis/20-12.htm" title="And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.">Genesis 20:12</a>). The same practice obtained amongst other nations of antiquity. Thus the Athenians married their half-sisters by their father's side, and the Spartans married half-sisters by the same mother, whilst the Assyrians and Egyptians married full sisters. Though nothing can be more explicit than the law here laid down, and though the transgression of it is denounced as an accursed and impious crime, to be visited with capital punishment (see <a href="/leviticus/20-17.htm" title="And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he has uncovered his sister's nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.">Leviticus 20:17</a>; <a href="/deuteronomy/27-22.htm" title="Cursed be he that lies with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.">Deuteronomy 27:22</a>), yet from the narrative of Amnon and his sister Tamar, and especially from the touching and melancholy remark of the outraged sister (<a href="/2_samuel/13-13.htm" title="And I, where shall I cause my shame to go? and as for you, you shall be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray you, speak to the king; for he will not withhold me from you.">2Samuel 13:13</a>; <a href="/2_samuel/13-16.htm" title="And she said to him, There is no cause: this evil in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me. But he would not listen to her.">2Samuel 13:16</a>; <a href="/2_samuel/13-20.htm" title="And Absalom her brother said to her, Has Amnon your brother been with you? but hold now your peace, my sister: he is your brother; regard not this thing. So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom's house.">2Samuel 13:20</a>), it is evident that the practice of the primitive parents of the human race and the example of the father of the Hebrew nation, continued to be followed in spite of this law. (Comp. <a href="/ezekiel/22-11.htm" title="And one has committed abomination with his neighbor's wife; and another has lewdly defiled his daughter in law; and another in you has humbled his sister, his father's daughter.">Ezekiel 22:11</a>.) . . . <div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/leviticus/18.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 9.</span> - In the third place, incest with a sister is forbidden, and it is specifically stated that under the term "sister" is meant the half-sister, the <span class="cmt_word">daughter of thy father, or... thy mother,... born at home</span>, as would naturally be the case if she were the father's daughter, or born abroad, that is, the daughter of the mother by a previous marriage, when she belonged to a different household. Tamar's appeal to Amnon, "I pray thee speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from thee," exhibits to us the poor woman grasping at any argument which might save her from her half-brother's brutality, and does not indicate that such marriages were, in the time of David, permissible (<a href="/2_samuel/13-29.htm">2 Samuel 13:29</a>). The exact degree of relationship which existed between Abraham and Sarah is not altogether certain (cf. <a href="/genesis/20-12.htm">Genesis 20:12</a> with Genesis 11:29). Ezekiel reckons this sin in the catalogue of the iniquities of Jerusalem (<a href="/ezekiel/22-11.htm">Ezekiel 22:11</a>). <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/leviticus/18-9.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">You must not</span><br /><span class="heb">לֹ֥א</span> <span class="translit">(lō)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adverb - Negative particle<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3808.htm">Strong's 3808: </a> </span><span class="str2">Not, no</span><br /><br /><span class="word">have sexual relations with</span><br /><span class="heb">תְגַלֶּ֖ה</span> <span class="translit">(ṯə·ḡal·leh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Piel - Imperfect - second person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1540.htm">Strong's 1540: </a> </span><span class="str2">To denude, to exile, to reveal</span><br /><br /><span class="word">your sister,</span><br /><span class="heb">אֲחֽוֹתְךָ֤</span> <span class="translit">(’ă·ḥō·wṯ·ḵā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_269.htm">Strong's 269: </a> </span><span class="str2">Sister -- a sister</span><br /><br /><span class="word">either your father’s</span><br /><span class="heb">אָבִ֙יךָ֙</span> <span class="translit">(’ā·ḇî·ḵā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1.htm">Strong's 1: </a> </span><span class="str2">Father</span><br /><br /><span class="word">daughter</span><br /><span class="heb">בַת־</span> <span class="translit">(ḇaṯ-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1323.htm">Strong's 1323: </a> </span><span class="str2">A daughter</span><br /><br /><span class="word">or</span><br /><span class="heb">א֣וֹ</span> <span class="translit">(’ōw)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunction<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_176.htm">Strong's 176: </a> </span><span class="str2">Desire, if</span><br /><br /><span class="word">your mother’s daughter,</span><br /><span class="heb">אִמֶּ֔ךָ</span> <span class="translit">(’im·me·ḵā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_517.htm">Strong's 517: </a> </span><span class="str2">A mother, )</span><br /><br /><span class="word">whether she was born</span><br /><span class="heb">מוֹלֶ֣דֶת</span> <span class="translit">(mō·w·le·ḏeṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4138.htm">Strong's 4138: </a> </span><span class="str2">Nativity, lineage, native country, offspring, family</span><br /><br /><span class="word">in the same home</span><br /><span class="heb">בַּ֔יִת</span> <span class="translit">(ba·yiṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1004.htm">Strong's 1004: </a> </span><span class="str2">A house</span><br /><br /><span class="word">or</span><br /><span class="heb">א֖וֹ</span> <span class="translit">(’ōw)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunction<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_176.htm">Strong's 176: </a> </span><span class="str2">Desire, if</span><br /><br /><span class="word">elsewhere.</span><br /><span class="heb">ח֑וּץ</span> <span class="translit">(ḥūṣ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2351.htm">Strong's 2351: </a> </span><span class="str2">Separate by a, wall, outside, outdoors</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/leviticus/18-9.htm">Leviticus 18:9 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/leviticus/18-9.htm">Leviticus 18:9 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/leviticus/18-9.htm">Leviticus 18:9 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/leviticus/18-9.htm">Leviticus 18:9 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/leviticus/18-9.htm">Leviticus 18:9 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/leviticus/18-9.htm">Leviticus 18:9 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/leviticus/18-9.htm">Leviticus 18:9 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/leviticus/18-9.htm">Leviticus 18:9 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/leviticus/18-9.htm">Leviticus 18:9 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/leviticus/18-9.htm">Leviticus 18:9 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/leviticus/18-9.htm">OT Law: Leviticus 18:9 You shall not uncover the nakedness (Le Lv Lev.) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/leviticus/18-8.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Leviticus 18:8"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Leviticus 18:8" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/leviticus/18-10.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Leviticus 18:10"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Leviticus 18:10" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>