What does the bible say about marriage to a relative?

Answer 1

In The Bible, a man is forbidden to marry the following:

Daugher

Stepchildren

Aunt

Sister or half-sister

Stepsisters

Daughter-in-law

Sister-in-law

Granddaughter

Step-granddaughter

Cousins were not included in the list. It can be found in Leviticus chapter 18. This does not mean it is legal in the state in which you live. Also, if you are Catholic, the practice was banned by Pope Gregory I.
As far as I know cousins were left out, but many are not allowed to marry.
Leviticus 18:6 says "No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD."

The Old and New Testament did not have any strict prohibitions against marrying non-biological relatives. Leviticus is referring to blood relatives when it mentions "close relatives".

The bad part about marrying a blood/genetically close relative is that you cannot have children because they will be "messed up". They can be born without limbs, have brain damage and other genetic problems or even rare diseases. When you see cases of cousins marrying each other in the past or in the Bible you are not really told they were not blood relatives. But, you can bet they were not blood relatives.

For instance: You can marry a cousin who is one by marriage but not by blood (except in states where it is outlawed completely). If your mother has a brother-in-law with a sister-in-law or cousin you could marry their off spring. They are only related by marriage and not by blood.

You could not marry any of the offspring of your mother or father's biological relatives. Read the story of Ruth in the Bible. It is in the index under "Ruth". She marries her mother-in-law Naomi's cousin Boaz. You can see why she was able to marry him once you read the story.

Answer 2

This is the King Henry the 8th question. He argued, using biblical passages, that his marriage to Catherine was invalid because she was his sister-in-law. That his marriage was invalid by reason of incest.

The pope at the time turned around and forwarded back to the King other biblical passages saying that he HAD to marry his sister-in-law.

So, as is often the case, the bible is contradictory on marrying your sister-in-law.

AnswerHmmm I'm not sure that a pope's judgment means that the Bible is contradictory. That is simply false logic.

To understand the law about marrying the sister-in-law you have to realise the very early Jewish culture and custom. The early Jews of the Bible did not have the concept of everlasting life as we do, but believed that the dead go to 'sheol' - which isn't equivalent to our heaven. Instead, 'everlasting life' came about by living through ones' offspring so that your 'seed' (we would now call it one's genes) lived on through your children.

Therefore, if a woman became a widow before she bore children, her husband's seed would not carry on. If this happened, it was the Law that the dead husband's brother would HAVE to take his sister-in-law as his wife (or second wife) and impregnate her so that his brother's legal line carried on.

There is a story of this happening in scripture in Genesis 38:

At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah. There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and made love to her; she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er. She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan. She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah. It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him.

Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death.

Then Judah said to Onan, "Sleep with your brother's wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother." But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. What he did was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death also.

A pretty gruesome story by modern standards, but it illustrates the point. The Law was clear; a brother of a dead man HAD to fulfil his duty on pain of death.

It wasn't until much later (almost to the time of Jesus) when this Law became disused as by then many people (especially the Pharisees) had begun to believe in resurrection and life after death as revealed by God in the prophets. So the 'marrying your sister-in-law' Law became obsolete.

Answer 3

For the first 2000 years or so of human existence, it was allowed. In Leviticus 18 God gives laws regarding relatives, and other sexual limits.

Answer 4

Interesting question

You will find that answered in:

Leviticus 18:16 and 20:21

And

Deuteronomy 25:5 (with specific conditions)

Answer 5

You dont marry nobody in your family