יְבֵמֶת
a sister-in-law
Definition
The Hebrew noun יְבֵמֶת (yᵉbêmeth) refers specifically to a sister-in-law who is the widow of a deceased brother. This term is used exclusively within the context of the levirate marriage law, a practice where a man was obligated to marry his brother's widow if the brother died without a son. The word describes the woman's legal status in this relationship. In Deuteronomy 25:7, 9, she is the woman whose brother-in-law refuses to perform his duty. In Ruth 1:15, it describes Orpah, who was the widow of Ruth's brother, highlighting their shared family bond through marriage.
Biblical Usage
This word appears only three times in the Old Testament, all within legal and narrative contexts related to the levirate duty. It is used twice in the legal prescription of Deuteronomy 25:7, 9, outlining the procedure for a widow whose brother-in-law refuses to marry her. The third occurrence is in the narrative of Ruth 1:15, where Naomi refers to Orpah as Ruth's 'sister-in-law' (yᵉbêmeth), specifying their relationship as widows of two brothers. Its usage is strictly tied to the institution of levirate marriage.
Etymology
יְבֵמֶת (yᵉbêmeth) is the feminine participle form of the verb יָבַם (yāḇam, H2992), which means 'to perform the duty of a brother-in-law' or 'to marry a deceased brother's wife' (levirate marriage). The noun directly denotes 'a woman related by a levirate bond.' It is a technical, legal term derived from the social and familial duty it describes.
Semantic Range
This word is central to understanding the biblical concept of levirate marriage, a practice designed to preserve a deceased man's name and lineage in Israel (Deuteronomy 25:5-6). This institution reflects God's concern for justice, family continuity, and the protection of widows within the covenant community. It provides crucial background for the Book of Ruth, where the levirate principle is expanded through the kinsman-redeemer (go'el) concept, ultimately pointing to God's redemptive purposes and foreshadowing Christ's role as our Redeemer.
In ancient Israelite culture, a yᵉbêmeth held a specific legal and social position. Upon her husband's death without an heir, she was not merely a widow but was entitled to marriage by her brother-in-law (the yāḇām). This practice, called levirate marriage, aimed to provide an heir for the deceased to inherit his property and continue his family line, which was a paramount concern. It was a form of social security that prevented the widow from destitution and kept the family's land within the clan. This is fundamentally different from a modern understanding of 'sister-in-law,' which is a general familial relationship without legal obligation.
חֲמוֹת (ḥămôṯ, H2545) — mother-in-law; a different in-law relationship. אָחוֹת (ʾāḥôṯ, H269) — sister; a blood relation, not a legal in-law status.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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