Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 18:9
The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, [whether she be] born at home, or born abroad, [even] their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.
Thy sister – What was here spoken of was the distinguishing offence of the Egyptians.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Thy sister, by both parents.
The daughter of thy father, or
daughter of thy mother; thy sister by either of thy parents.
Whether she be born at home, to wit, of thy father by another wife, whom he hath taken into his house. Or born abroad; either of thy mother, by another, whether a former or a second husband, in another house and family; or of thy father by some strange woman, for there might be some doubt in these cases.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
The nakedness of thy sister,…. To lie with one in so near a relation is exceeding criminal, and for which the law curses a man,
De 27:22; and to marry her is not lawful; for though it was necessary for the propagation of mankind that a man should marry his sister, for who else could Cain and Abel marry? yet afterwards, when there was an increase of mankind, and there were people enough remote from each other, it became unlawful for persons in such near ties of consanguinity to marry with each other; though the Egyptians did, in imitation of Isis and Osiris e, and so the Persians, following the example of Cambyses f:
the daughter of thy father, or the daughter of thy mother; whether she is a sister both by father and mother’s side, or whether only by the fathers side and not the mother’s, as Sarah was to Abraham, Ge 20:12; or only by the mother’s side and not the father’s:
[whether she be] born at home or born abroad; not whether born and brought up in his and her father’s house, or born and brought up in another place and province; though there were some, as Aben Ezra observes, that so interpreted it, according to the sense of the word in
Ge 50:23; but rather the sense is, as that writer gives it, whether born according to the law of the house of Israel, after espousals and marriage, or without it; that is, whether begotten in lawful marriage or not, whether a legitimate offspring or spurious, born in adultery and whoredom, whether on the father or mother’s side; so the Targum of Jonathan, whom thy father begat of another woman, or of thy mother, or whom thy mother bore or brought forth, of thy father, or of another man; and to the same purpose Onkelos:
[even] their nakedness thou shalt not uncover; neither lie with, or have carnal knowledge of, nor marry one or the other.
e Diodor. Sicul. l. 1. p. 23. f Herodot. Thalia, sive, l. 3. c. 31.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
By the sister, the daughter of father or mother, we are to understand only the step-or half-sister, who had either the same father or the same mother as the brother had. The clause, “ whether born at home or born abroad, ” does not refer to legitimate or illegitimate birth, but is to be taken as a more precise definition of the words, daughter of thy father or of thy mother, and understood, as Lud. de Dieu supposes, as referring to the half-sister “of the first marriage, whether the father’s daughter left by a deceased wife, or the mother’s daughter left by a deceased husband,” so that the person marrying her would be a son by a second marriage. Sexual intercourse with a half-sister is described as in Lev 20:17, and threatened with extermination. This word generally signifies sparing love, favour, grace; but here, as in Pro 14:34, it means dishonour, shame, from the Piel , to dishonour.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(9) The nakedness of thy sister.The fact that Adam married bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, and that his sons married their own sisters, encouraged the ancient Hebrew to imitate their example. Hence we find Abraham, the father of the faithful, married his half-sister (Gen. 20:12). The same practice obtained amongst other nations of antiquity. Thus the Athenians married their half-sisters by their fathers side, and the Spartans married half-sisters by the same mother, whilst the Assyrians and Egyptians married full sisters. Though nothing can be more explicit than the law here laid down, and though the transgression of it is denounced as an accursed and impious crime, to be visited with capital punishment (see Lev. 20:17; Deu. 27:22), yet from the narrative of Amnon and his sister Tamar, and especially from the touching and melancholy remark of the outraged sister (2Sa. 13:13; 2Sa. 13:16; 2Sa. 13:20), it is evident that the practice of the primitive parents of the human race and the example of the father of the Hebrew nation, continued to be followed in spite of this law. (Comp. Eze. 22:11.)
Born at home or born abroad.Literally, the birth, or offspring of the house or the birth, or offspring from abroad. According to the administrators of the law during the second Temple, the import of this precept is to forbid commerce between a brother and a sister, whether the sister is born in wedlock, which is meant by born at home, or whether she is illegitimate, which is meant by birth or offspring from abroad. Hence the ancient Chaldee Version of this clause, whom thy father begot of another woman or of thy mother, or whom thy mother brought forth by thy father or by another man.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
9. Thy sister The half-sister is here described; born at home, or born abroad This has generally been understood as equivalent to “in or out of wedlock,” that is, the daughter of the father’s former wife or concubine; or it may amplify the preceding words, and signify one born to either parent in a former marriage. The Athenians were allowed to marry half-sisters by the father’s side; the Spartans married half-sisters by the same mother.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Lev 18:9 The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, [whether she be] born at home, or born abroad, [even] their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.
Ver. 9. Or born abroad, ] i.e., Base born, which our English laws call natural children. The Hebrews call them brambles, and Mamzerim, spots abroad, and Shatukim, such as must say nothing when others are praising their parents. The Greeks call bastards, , because they are their fathers’ reproach, and are subject to contempt and contumelies of others.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
sister. See Gen 20:12. 2Sa 13:12, 2Sa 16:20.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Lev 20:17, Deu 27:22, 2Sa 13:11-14, Eze 22:11
Reciprocal: 2Sa 13:4 – my brother 2Sa 13:12 – no such thing ought
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lev 18:9. Whether she be born at home, or born abroad Whether she be legitimately born in wedlock, or illegitimately out of wedlock. Others explain it thus: Whether she be thy sister by the same father, or by another marriage.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
18:9 The nakedness of thy {e} sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, [whether she be] born at home, or born abroad, [even] their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.
(e) Either by father or mother, born in marriage or otherwise.