Leviticus 18:14

Leviticus 18:14

Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt.

a. NLT: “Do not violate your uncle, your father’s brother, by having sexual relations with his wife, for she is your aunt.

b. NIV: “ ‘Do not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt.

c. Amplified Bible: You shall not have intercourse with your father’s brother’s wife; you shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt.

d. Septuagint: Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's brother, and thou shalt not go in to his wife; for she is thy relation. 

e. Stone Edition Torah/Writings/Prophets: The nakedness of your father’s brother you shall not uncover; do not approach his wife, she is your aunt.

1. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's brother

a. uncover [1540 * galah][Strong; a primitive root; to denude (especially in a disgraceful sense); by implication, to exile (captives being usually stripped); figuratively, to reveal:--+ advertise, appear, bewray, bring, (carry, lead, go) captive (into captivity), depart, disclose, discover, exile, be gone, open, X plainly, publish, remove, reveal, X shamelessly, shew, X surely, tell, uncover.] .][AMG Complete Word Study Dictionary Old Testament: A verb meaning to reveal, to uncover, to remove, go into exile, to expose, to disclose. It is used with the words ear (1 Samuel 9:15; 20:2, 12, 13) and eyes (Numbers 24:4), meaning to reveal. On occasion, it is used in the expression to uncover the nakedness of, which often implies sexual relations.]

b. nakedness [6172 * ‘ervah][Strong: nudity, literally (especially the pudenda) or figuratively (disgrace, blemish):--nakedness, shame, unclean(-ness).][AMG Complete Word Study Dictionary Old Testament: A feminine noun expressing nakedness. This word scan pertain to physical nakedness of a man or woman (Genesis9:22, 23; Exodus 20:26)…When used with the verb galah (1540), meaning to uncover or remove, and ra’ah (7200), meaning to see, one finds a common euphemism for sexual relations.]

1). The use of the two Hebrew words for “uncover” and “nakedness” is the same as in the previous verses and in these three and of course refers to sexual relations and marriage.

c. father [1 * ‘ab][Strong: a primitive word; father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application):--chief, (fore-)father(-less), X patrimony, principal. Compare names in "Abi-".]

d. brother [251 * ‘ach] [Strong: a primitive word; a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like 1)):--another, brother(-ly); kindred, like, other. Compare also the proper names beginning with "Ah-" or "Ahi-".]

2. “…thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt.”

a. approach [7126 * qarab] [Strong: a primitive root; to approach (causatively, bring near) for whatever purpose:--(cause to) approach, (cause to) bring (forth, near), (cause to) come (near, nigh), (cause to) draw near (nigh), go (near), be at hand, join, be near, offer, present, produce, make ready, stand, take.]

b. wife [802 * ‘ishshah][Strong: irregular plural, nashiym {naw-sheem'}; a woman (used in the same wide sense as 582):--(adulter)ess, each, every, female, X many, + none, one, + together, wife, woman.]

c. aunt [1733 * dowdah] [Strong: feminine of 1730; an aunt:--aunt, father's sister, uncle's wife.]

1). Louis Goldberg, A Study Guide Commentary on Exodus: Near relations also included aunts (both paternal and maternal), uncles and the wives of paternal uncles. Nephews were forbidden to marry their aunts, and vice versa, although nothing is said about uncles married to their nieces.

2). Although it was before the Law one example I found was Nahor marrying his brothers daughter, his neice.

a). Genesis 11:29 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.

3). These commandments concerning aunts are repeated in Leviticus 20.

a). Leviticus 20:19, 20  And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister, nor of thy father's sister: for he uncovereth his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity.

20 And if a man shall lie with his uncle's wife, he hath uncovered his uncle's nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.

4). Louis Goldberg, A Study Guide Commentary on Exodus: Neither is anything said about marriage of cousins.

a). Numbers 36:11  For Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married unto their fathers brothers' sons:

5). Not only must we remember that the nations of the Canaanites practiced these offences. Leviticus 18:3 establishes they legislated these immoralities into their legal system.

a). Leviticus 18:3 After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do, neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.

b). Leviticus 18:24-27 Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:

25 And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.

26 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you:

27 (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;)