---
title: יָבַם — do duty of · The Tanakh dictionary
description: יָבַם (2992), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 4 times: do duty of. BDB 1906: vb.denom. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# יָבַם

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«יָבַם» in the Tanakh dictionary: **do duty of** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 4 times · **Key:** 2992 · **BDB:** יָבַם

### Glosses

act.as.a.husband's.brother.for (1); brother (1); he (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

do duty of [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1497/2992/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb.denom. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1497/2992/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** vb.denom., only do the duty of יָבָם to a brother’s widow; Pf. וְיִבְּמָהּ consec. Dt 25:5 and shall do a brother-in-law’s office to her; Imv. יַבֵּם אֹתָהּ Gn 38:8 (i.e. אֵשֶׁת אָחִיךָ v a); Inf. sf. לֹא אָבָה יַבְּמִי Dt 25:7 (on nominal sf. as obj. of inf., v. Ges§ 115 R. 2 ad fin.).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 3 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (3 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (2 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «יָבַם» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1497/2992/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Genesis 38:8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/GEN.38.8/)

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וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוּדָה֙ לְאוֹנָ֔ן בֹּ֛א אֶל־אֵ֥שֶׁת אָחִ֖יךָ וְיַבֵּ֣ם אֹתָ֑הּ וְהָקֵ֥ם זֶ֖רַע לְאָחִֽיךָ׃

*Word for word:* and he.said Judah to Onan go into the.wife your.brother your and act.as.a.husband's.brother.for her and raise.up offspring for brother your

*JPS 1917:* And Judah said unto Onan: 'Go in unto thy brother's wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her, and raise up seed to thy brother.'

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[Deuteronomy 25:7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/DEU.25.7/)

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וְאִם־לֹ֤א יַחְפֹּץ֙ הָאִ֔ישׁ לָקַ֖חַת אֶת־יְבִמְתּ֑וֹ וְעָלְתָה֩ יְבִמְתּ֨וֹ הַשַּׁ֜עְרָה אֶל־הַזְּקֵנִ֗ים וְאָֽמְרָה֙ מֵאֵ֨ין יְבָמִ֜י לְהָקִ֨ים לְאָחִ֥יו שֵׁם֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹ֥א אָבָ֖ה יַבְּמִֽי׃

*Word for word:* and if not he.will.desire the man to take (et) wife his.brother's and she.will.go.up wife his.brother's to the gate to the elders and she.will.say he.has.refused brother my.husband's to establish for brother his a.name in Israel not he.was.willing to act.as.a.husband's.brother.for.me

*JPS 1917:* And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall go up to the gate unto the elders, and say: 'My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother unto me.'

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- ← previous: [יַבֶּלֶת](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/2990.md)
- next →: [יָבָם](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/2993.md)
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