Leviticus 20:21 (WEB)

Passage

“‘If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is an impurity. He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They shall be childless.

Nearby Context

Leviticus 20:19 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, nor of your father’s sister; for he has made his close relative naked. They shall bear their iniquity.

Leviticus 20:20 If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness. They shall bear their sin. They shall die childless.

Leviticus 20:21 “‘If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is an impurity. He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They shall be childless.

Leviticus 20:22 “‘You shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my ordinances, and do them; that the land, where I am bringing you to dwell, may not vomit you out.

Leviticus 20:23 You shall not walk in the customs of the nation, which I am casting out before you: for they did all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "takes", "brother", "wife", "impurity", "uncovered", "nakedness", and "shall". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "takes" and "brother", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "If a man lies with his uncle..." into verse 22's "You shall therefore keep all my statutes...", so "takes" and "brother" belong inside that flow. In Leviticus context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "takes" and "brother" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.