יְבִמְתֵּ֔/ךְ
𐤉𐤁𐤌𐤕/𐤊
Yᵉbêmeth
your sister-in-law
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.
Ruth 1:15 · Word #4
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/Sp2fs
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 | your sister-in-law |
SIBI-P1 Translation H2994-01
your brother's widow
| Morphological Notes | Feminine singular common noun in construct state with 2nd feminine singular pronominal suffix. |
| Rendering Rationale | The noun יְבֵמֶת denotes a brother’s widow in the specific levirate-marriage relationship. The construct form with 2nd feminine singular suffix yields "your brother’s widow," preserving the singular feminine noun and the possessive addressed to a female. |
View full lexicon entry for H2994 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
your sister-in-law
| Same as P1 | No — adjusted for context |
| Rationale | P1 'your brother's widow' is technically precise but in context, as per the silex_definition and common rendering, 'your sister-in-law' is the appropriate levirate term used in Ruth. Adjusted for contextual usage rather than bare technical definition. |