יְבֵ֫מֶת (ye.ve.met)
ye.ve.met
sister-in-law
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The noun yeḇemeth refers specifically to a sister-in-law, defined as the wife or widow of one’s brother. In the Hebrew Bible, this term appears in only three verses, making it a rare but legally significant word. Its primary occurrences are found in Deuteronomy 25:5 and Ruth 1:14, where it denotes the kinship bond created through marriage rather than blood.
The word highlights the specific social obligation of levirate marriage, a practice designed to preserve a family line when a man died without children. In Ruth, Naomi’s daughter-in-law Orpah is described using this term, emphasizing her legal status as Mahlon’s widow and the resulting duty for her brother-in-law to provide an heir. This usage underscores the word’s focus on familial continuity and protection within the ancient Israelite community.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word yeḇemeth identifies a sister-in-law, specifically the wife or widow of one’s brother. In ancient Israel, this relationship carried legal weight rather than just affection. It marked a person who was bound to the family by marriage, creating a duty for the living brother to preserve the deceased husband’s lineage.
This concept appears in Ruth 1:15 when Naomi urges Orpah to return to her people. The term highlights the tension between personal choice and familial obligation. For believers today, it reminds us that our connections extend beyond immediate blood ties, inviting us to consider how we support those bound to us by covenant and community.
Understanding this rare word helps us see the seriousness of family duties in Scripture. It points toward a God who cares for widows and ensures that names and legacies are not lost. This provides a foundation for understanding later biblical themes of redemption and preservation.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- brother's wife/ his3×
- sister-in-law/ your2×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- יְבִמְתֵּֽ/ךְ\׃1×
- יְבִמְתֵּ֔/ךְ1×
- יְבִמְתּ֨/וֹ1×
- יְבִמְתּ֣/וֹ1×
- יְבִמְתּ֑/וֹ1×
Key Verses
-
Ruth 1:15
She said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her god. Follow your sister-in-law.”
This verse uses the term to describe Orpah’s legal status as Mahlon’s widow, highlighting the tension between her personal choice to leave and Naomi’s appeal to familial duty.
-
Deuteronomy 25:7
If the man doesn’t want to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate to the elders, and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to raise up to his brother a name in Israel. He will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.”
Here the word appears in the context of levirate marriage law, where a brother-in-law refuses to raise up an heir for his deceased brother, leading to public shame.
-
Deuteronomy 25:9
then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders, and loose his sandal from off his foot, and spit in his face. She shall answer and say, “So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.”
This occurrence describes the ritual response when the duty is refused, emphasizing the cultural importance of building up a brother’s house through this specific kinship bond.