Leviticus 18:16

“Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother’s wife, etc.] Neither debauch her nor after the death of the brother marry her, that is, unless he dies without issue; and then, by another law, he was obliged to marry her, (<052505>Deuteronomy 25:5); hence the Targum of Jonathan adds; by way of explanation. “in the life of thy brother, or after his death, if he has children,” but then that law was but an exception from this general rule, and so did not make it void in other respects, but bound it the more strongly; and besides, it was a special and peculiar law to the Jews, until the Messiah came to make it manifest of what tribe and family he came; and the reason of it ceasing, the law…”

“Thy brother’s wife - That is, if she had children. See Deuteronomy 25:5. The law here expressed was broken by Antipas in his connection with Herodias Matthew 14:3-4. return to 'Top of Page'”

“Thy brother's wife - God afterwards commanded, that in one case, a man should marry his brother's widow. Leviticus 18:18”

“18:16 Sexual relations with your sister-in-law would be adulterous and disgrace your brother. The exception was the law of levirate marriage (see Deut 25:5-10), which called for a man to marry his brother’s widow in order to produce an heir who was considered the dead brother’s son.”

“Lev 20:21; Deu 25:5; Mat 14:3, Mat 14:4, Mat 22:24; Mar 6:17, Mar 12:19; Luk 3:19 Leviticus 18:17”

“Marriage with a brother's wife was a sin against the brother's nakedness, a sexual defilement, which God would punish with barrenness. This prohibition, however, only refers to cases in which the deceased brother had left children; for if he had died childless, the brother not only might, but was required to marry his sister-in-law ( Deu 25:5). Leviticus 18:17”