The Meaning of Leviticus 18:18 Explained

Leviticus 18:18

KJV: Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time.

YLT: 'And a woman unto another thou dost not take, to be an adversary, to uncover her nakedness beside her, in her life.

Darby: And thou shalt not take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness beside her, during her life.

ASV: And thou shalt not take a wife to her sister, to be a rival to her , to uncover her nakedness, besides the other in her life-time.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Neither shalt thou take  a wife  to her sister,  to vex  [her], to uncover  her nakedness,  beside the other in her life  [time]. 

What does Leviticus 18:18 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Leviticus 18

1  Unlawful marriages and unlawful lusts

What do the individual words in Leviticus 18:18 mean?

And a woman to her sister nor shall you take as a rival to uncover her nakedness - while the other is alive
וְאִשָּׁ֥ה אֶל־ אֲחֹתָ֖הּ לֹ֣א תִקָּ֑ח לִצְרֹ֗ר לְגַלּ֧וֹת עֶרְוָתָ֛הּ עָלֶ֖יהָ בְּחַיֶּֽיהָ

וְאִשָּׁ֥ה  And  a  woman 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
אֲחֹתָ֖הּ  her  sister 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: אָחֹות  
Sense: sister.
לֹ֣א  nor 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
תִקָּ֑ח  shall  you  take 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
לִצְרֹ֗ר  as  a  rival 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: צָרַר 
Sense: to bind, be narrow, be in distress, make narrow, cause distress, besiege, be straitened, be bound.
לְגַלּ֧וֹת  to  uncover 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct
Root: גָּלָה  
Sense: to uncover, remove.
עֶרְוָתָ֛הּ  her  nakedness 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: עֶרְוָה  
Sense: nakedness, nudity, shame, pudenda.
עָלֶ֖יהָ  - 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
בְּחַיֶּֽיהָ  while  the  other  is  alive 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.