יְבֵ֫מֶת
ye.ve.met
sister-in-law
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Hebrew word יְבֵ֫מֶת (ye.ve.met) translates to "sister-in-law." Its definition is clear and specific, indicating a familial relationship. The semantic domain of the word is "Law & Justice," suggesting that the concept of a sister-in-law may be relevant in a legal or social context. The word occurs five times in the Bible, implying that it holds some significance within the narrative. In a cultural and historical context, the concept of a sister-in-law may have been a complex one, particularly in a patriarchal society where familial relationships were closely tied to legal responsibilities and social obligations. While we cannot determine the exact usage or implications of this word without further context, its translation and appearance in the Biblical text indicate its importance as a term for a particular family relationship.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
5 total occurrences across the text
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.”
Deuteronomy 25:7If 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.”
Deuteronomy 25:9then 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.”
Ruth 1:15She said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her god. Follow your sister-in-law.”
Ruth 1:15She said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her god. Follow your sister-in-law.”