יְבִמְתּ֨/וֹ
𐤉𐤁𐤌𐤕/𐤅
Yᵉbêmeth
his brother's wife
A woman who is a brother's wife, specifically the widow of a deceased brother in the context of levirate marriage. The term is used to identify a woman eligible to participate in the practice of yibbum (levirate marriage), wherein a surviving brother has the obligation or right to marry his deceased brother's widow to continue the brother's lineage. Depending on context, can refer simply to a sister-in-law, but in Biblical usage, it especially highlights the levirate relationship.
Deuteronomy 25:7 · Word #9
Lexicon H2994
| Lemma | יְבֵמֶת |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤉𐤁𐤌𐤕 |
| Transliteration | Yᵉbêmeth |
| Strong's | H2994 |
| Definition | A woman who is a brother's wife, specifically the widow of a deceased brother in the context of levirate marriage. The term is used to identify a woman eligible to participate in the practice of yibbum (levirate marriage), wherein a surviving brother has the obligation or right to marry his deceased brother's widow to continue the brother's lineage. Depending on context, can refer simply to a sister-in-law, but in Biblical usage, it especially highlights the levirate relationship. |
Morphology HNcfsc/Sp3ms
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea |
| Subtype | c — Common — Common noun |
| Gender | f — Feminine — Feminine |
| Number | s — Singular — Singular |
| State | c — Construct — The noun is bound to the following word |
Common Translation
| Phrase | his brother's wife |
SIBI-P1 Translation H2994-02
his levirate-widow
| Morphological Notes | Feminine singular common noun in construct state with 3rd masculine singular pronominal suffix. |
| Rendering Rationale | The term derives from יבם, the root associated with performing levirate duty. As a feminine singular construct noun with a 3ms suffix, it denotes the woman bound by levirate obligation in relation to him—thus "his levirate-widow." |
View full lexicon entry for H2994 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
his levirate-widow
| Same as P1 | Yes |
| Rationale | Correctly preserves the legal and familial relationship, matching both context and SILEX definition. |