Leviticus 18:15

You must not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; you are not to have sexual relations with her.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The directive addresses Israel regarding kinship boundaries within the covenant community, positioned between prohibitions concerning an aunt and a brother’s wife.

The words — The phrase עֶרְוַת ('er.Vat) denotes the nakedness or exposed state of a person, while תְגַלֵּ֑ה (te.ga.Leh) literally means you will uncover. Together they frame the prohibition against sexual intimacy with a daughter-in-law (כַּלָּֽתְ/ךָ֖, ka.la.te./Kha).

The thread — The prohibition reappears in Leviticus 20:12 with a capital punishment penalty, surfaces in Genesis 38:26 through Judah’s acknowledgment of Tamar’s righteousness, and appears in Ezekiel 22:11 as part of a broader indictment of Israel’s sexual violations.

Why it lands — The text demands strict adherence to defined marital boundaries, treating the prohibition as a structural limit for family integrity rather than a matter of personal preference.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

עֶרְוַ֥ת'er.Vat[the] nakedness of כַּלָּֽתְךָ֖ka.la.te./Khadaughter-in-law/ your לֹ֣אlo'not תְגַלֵּ֑הte.ga.Lehyou will uncover אֵ֤שֶׁת'E.shet[is] [the] wife of בִּנְךָ֙bin./Khason/ your הִ֔ואhi'she לֹ֥אlo'not תְגַלֶּ֖הte.ga.Lehyou will uncover עֶרְוָתָֽהּ׃ ס'er.va.Ta/hnakedness/ her

King James Version

Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter in law: she is thy son’s wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.

Cross-references

Leviticus 20:12 If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both must surely be put to death. They have acted perversely; their blood is upon them.
Genesis 38:26 Judah recognized the items and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not have relations with her again.
Ezekiel 22:11 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.
Genesis 38:18 “What pledge should I give you?” he asked. She answered, “Your seal and your cord, and the staff in your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.