40 Bible Verses about Sisters

Do not rebuke (censure) (criticize) an elder, but appeal to him as a father, the younger men as brothers. Treat the elder women as mothers, the younger as sisters, with much honor.

A priest must not make himself unclean by going near a dead body. But a priest may become unclean if the dead person is his father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or unmarried sister.

Jehovah gave Moses these instructions for Aaron's sons, the priests: Touching a dead body will make you unclean. So do not go near a dead relative, except for your mother, father, son, daughter, brother, or an unmarried sister, who has no husband to take care of her.

While they are dedicated to Jehovah as Nazirites, they must never go near a dead body. Even if their own father, mother, brother, or sister dies, they must not make themselves unclean by going near them. Nazarites show their vow to God with their long hair.

A man named Job lived in Uz. He was a man of integrity! He was decent, he respected God, and he stayed away from evil. He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, one thousand head of cattle, and five hundred donkeys. He also had a large number of servants. In fact he was the greatest (richest) of all the Orientals in the East!read more.
Job's sons used to take turns giving a feast. They invited many others to come, and they always invited their three sisters to join them.

Tamar tore the robe she was wearing. She put ashes on her head. Then she covered her face with her hands. She cried loudly as she walked away. Tamar's brother Absalom said to her: How could Amnon have done such a terrible thing to you! But since he is your brother, do not tell anyone what happened. Just try not to think about it. Tamar soon moved into Absalom's house. She was always sad and lonely.

Besides, she is my sister. She is my father's daughter, but not my mother's. She is also my wife.

Never have sexual intercourse with your stepsister, whether she is your father's daughter or your mother's daughter. It makes no difference whether or not she was born in your house.

Never have sexual intercourse with a daughter of your father and his wife. She is your own sister. Do not have sexual intercourse with your father's sister. She is your paternal aunt. Do not have sexual intercourse with your mother's sister. She is your maternal aunt.

If a man marries his sister or half sister, they must be publicly disgraced and driven out of the community. He has had intercourse with his sister and must suffer the consequences.

Cursed is he who has sexual activities with his sister, the daughter of his father or of his mother. All the people answer: Amen.

Some commit adultery, and others seduce their daughters-in-law or their half sisters.

One day Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit some of the Canaanite women. Shechem, son of Hamor the Hivite, who was chief of that region, saw her. He grabbed her and raped (sexually defiled) her. He found the young woman so attractive that he fell in love with her. So he tried to win her affection.read more.
He told his father: I want you to get Dinah for me as my wife. Jacob learned that his daughter had been disgraced. Since his sons were out in the fields with his livestock, he did nothing until they came back. Shechem's father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob. About that time Jacob's sons were coming in from the fields. When they heard about it, they were shocked and furious that Shechem had done such a thing. He had insulted the people of Israel by raping Jacob's daughter. Hamor said to him: My son Shechem has fallen in love with your daughter. Please let him marry her. Let us make an agreement that there will be intermarriage between our people and yours. Then you may stay here in our country with us. You may live anywhere you wish. You may trade freely and own property. Shechem added: Let me have your favor and I will give you whatever you want. Ask anything as the bride price, no matter how expensive. I will do anything. Just let me marry Dinah. Jacob's sons wanted to get even with Shechem and his father because of what happened to their sister. So they tricked them by saying: You are not circumcised! It would be a disgrace for us to let you marry Dinah now. But we will let you marry her, if you and the other men in your tribe get circumcised. Then we will give our daughters to you. And we will take your daughters for us. We will live with you as one people. But if you will not undergo circumcision as we say, then we will take our daughter and go. Their words pleased Hamor and Hamor's son Shechem. The young man did not delay to do what was required. This was because he had delight in Jacob's daughter. He was the most honored of all his family. Hamor and his son Shechem went to their city gate to speak to the men of their city. They said: These people are friendly toward us. So let them live in our land and move about freely in the area. Look, there is plenty of room in this land for them. We can marry their daughters and let them marry ours. These people will consent to live with us and become one nation on one condition: Every male must be circumcised, as they are. Then all their livestock and everything else they own will be ours. So let us agree that they can live among us. All the citizens of the city agreed with what Hamor and Shechem proposed. Then all the males were circumcised. Three days later the men who had been circumcised were still weak from pain. So Simeon and Levi, two of Dinah's brothers, attacked with their swords and killed every man in town. They also killed Hamor and Shechem. Then they took Dinah and left. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain. They plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled. They took their flocks and their herds, their asses and whatever was in the city and in the field. They captured their wives and all their little ones. They took all the wealth that was in their houses. Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi: You have brought trouble on me by making me loathsome to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Per'izzites. My numbers are few. If they gather themselves against me and attack my household I will be destroyed. They responded: Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?

David had a beautiful daughter named Tamar. She was Absalom's sister. She was also the half sister of Amnon. Amnon fell in love with her. Tamar was a virgin. Amnon could not think of a way to be alone with her. He was so upset about it that he made himself sick. Amnon had a friend named Jonadab. He was the son of David's brother Shimeah. Jonadab usually knew how to get what he wanted.read more.
Jonadab said to Amnon: You are the king's son. Even so day after day I see you looking sad. What is the problem? Amnon answered: I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my half brother Absalom. Jonadab said: Pretend that you are sick and go to bed. When your father comes to see you, say to him: 'Please ask my sister Tamar to come and feed me. I want her to fix the food here where I can see her. Then she can serve it to me.' So Amnon went to bed and pretended that he was sick. King David went to see him. Amnon said: Please have Tamar come and make a few cakes here where I can see her. Then she can serve them to me. David sent word to Tamar at the palace: Go to Amnon's house and fix him some food. She went there and found him in bed. She prepared dough and made some cakes there where he could see her. Then she baked the cakes. Tamar emptied them out of the pan for him to eat. But he refused to eat. He said: Send everyone away. So they all left. He said to her: Bring the cakes here to my bed and serve them to me. She took the cakes and went over to him. She offered them to him. He grabbed her and said: Come to bed with me! She said: No! Do not force me to do this disgraceful thing. It is evil. How could I ever hold up my head in public again? And you, you would be completely disgraced in Israel. Please speak to the king. I am sure he will give me to you. Amnon wouldn't listen to her. He grabbed his sister and raped her. After that Amnon developed an intense hatred for her. His hatred for her was greater than the lust he felt for her. Get out of here, he told her. She said: No, You do a greater wrong by sending me away than the other thing you did to me! He would not listen to her. He called his servant and said: Throw this woman out and lock the door! The servant forced her to leave. He locked the door behind her. The king's unmarried daughters used to wear long robes with sleeves. Tamar tore the robe she was wearing. She put ashes on her head. Then she covered her face with her hands. She cried loudly as she walked away.

Two years later Absalom had sheep sheared at Baal Hazor, near the town of Ephraim. He invited all the king's sons to be there. He went to King David and said: Your Majesty, I am having my sheep sheared. Will you and your officials take part in the festivities? The king answered: No, my son. It would be too much trouble for you if we all went. Absalom insisted, but the king would not give in. So he asked Absalom to leave.read more.
Absalom said: Will you at least let my brother Amnon come? Why should he? The king asked. Absalom insisted until David finally let Amnon and all his other sons go with Absalom. Absalom prepared a banquet fit for a king. Absalom gave an order to his servants: Watch now and when Amnon begins to feel good from drinking too much wine, I will tell you, Attack Amnon. Then kill him. Do not be afraid. I give this order. Be strong and courageous. Absalom's servants did to Amnon as Absalom ordered. Then all the king's sons got up, mounted their mules, and fled. While they were on their way, David heard this rumor: Absalom has killed all the king's sons, and not a single one is left. The king stood up and tore his clothes. Then he lay down on the ground. All his servants stood beside him with their clothes torn to show their grief. Jonadab son of David's brother Shimea, said: Do not think that all the young men are dead. They have not killed all the king's sons. Only Amnon is dead. Absalom decided to do this the day his half brother raped his sister Tamar. You should not burden your heart with the idea that all the king's sons are dead. Your Majesty, only Amnon is dead. Absalom has fled. The servant keeping the watch looked outside. He saw many people coming down the road beside the mountain west of him. Jonadab said: Your Majesty, look! Here come your sons now, just as I told you. As soon as he finished speaking, the king's sons arrived. They cried loudly and the king and all his men also cried very bitterly.

There was a famine in the land. Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while, because the famine was severe. He was about to enter Egypt. He said to his wife Sarai: I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say: 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me, but will let you live.read more.
Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake, and my life will be spared because of you. When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman. Pharaoh's officials saw her. They praised her to Pharaoh. She was taken into his palace. He treated Abram well for her sake. Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels. Jehovah inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram's wife Sarai. So Pharaoh summoned Abram. What have you done to me? he asked. Why did you not tell me she was your wife? Why did you say: 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go! Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.

Abraham moved from Mamre to the southern part of Canaan and lived between Kadesh and Shur. Later, while he was living in Gerar, he said that his wife Sarah was his sister. So King Abimelech of Gerar had Sarah brought to him. God appeared to the king in a dream and said: You are going to die, because you have taken this woman. She is already married.read more.
Abimelech had not come near her. He said: Lord, I am innocent! Would you destroy my people and me? Abraham said that she was his sister. She said the same thing. I did this with a clear conscience. I have done no wrong! God said to him in a dream: Yes, I know that you did this with a clear conscience. In fact, I kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her. Give the man's wife back to him now. He is a prophet. He will pray for you, and you will live. But if you do not give her back, you and all who belong to you are doomed to die.

There was another famine in the land besides the earlier one during the time of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Gerar. Jehovah appeared to Isaac and said: Isaac, stay away from Egypt! I will show you where I want you to go. You will live there as a foreigner. I will be with you and bless you. I will keep my promise to your father Abraham by giving this land to you and your descendants.read more.
I will give you as many descendants as there are stars in the sky. I will give your descendants all of this land. They will be a blessing to every nation on earth. This is because Abraham did everything I told him to do. Isaac moved to Gerar. His wife Rebekah was very beautiful. He was afraid that someone might kill him to get her. So he told everyone that Rebekah was his sister. After Isaac had been there a long time, King Abimelech looked out a window and saw Isaac intimately laughing and caressing Rebekah. Abimelech called him in and said: Rebekah must be your wife! Why did you say she is your sister? I thought someone would kill me, Isaac answered. Do you know what you have done? Abimelech shouted. If someone had slept with her, you would have made our whole nation guilty!

Rachel had not borne Jacob any children. As a result, she became jealous of her sister and said to Jacob: Give me children, or I will die.

Bilhah and Jacob had a second son. Rachel said: I have struggled hard with my sister, and I have won! So she named the boy Naphtali.

Along the way he entered a village. A woman named Martha received him into her house. Her sister Mary sat at the Lord's feet and heard his word. Martha was worried about the housework. She approached Jesus and said: Lord do you not care that my sister does not help me? Tell her to help me.read more.
The Lord answered: Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things. However one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the proper way and it shall not be taken away from her.

Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because he was married to a Cushite woman from Sudan. They asked: Did Jehovah speak only through Moses? Did he not also speak through us? Jehovah heard their complaint. Moses was a very humble (meek) man. He was more humble than anyone else on earth.read more.
Suddenly, Jehovah said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam: All three of you come to the tent of meeting. So all three of them went to the tent. Then Jehovah came down in the column of smoke and stood at the entrance to the tent. He called to Aaron and Miriam. They both came forward. He said: Listen to my words: 'When there are prophets of Jehovah among you, I make myself known to them in visions or speak to them in dreams. But this is not the way I treat my servant Moses. He is the most faithful person in my household. I speak with him face to face. I speak plainly and not in riddles. He even sees the form of Jehovah. Why were you not afraid to criticize my servant Moses?' Jehovah was angry with them, so he left. After the smoke left the tent, Miriam was covered with an infectious skin disease. She was as white as snow. Aaron turned to her and saw she was covered with the disease. He said to Moses: Please, do not make us suffer this punishment for our foolish sin. Do not let her become like something born dead with half its flesh eaten away. Therefore Moses cried out to Jehovah: O God, heal her! Jehovah answered: If her father had spit in her face, she would have to bear her disgrace for seven days. So let her be shut out of the camp for a week, and after that she can be brought back in. Miriam was shut out of the camp for seven days. The people did not move on until she was brought back in.

Ahaziah had a half sister, Jehosheba, who was married to a priest named Jehoiada. She secretly rescued one of Ahaziah's sons, Joash, took him away from the other princes who were about to be murdered. She hid him and a nurse in a bedroom at the Temple. By keeping him hidden, she saved him from death at the hands of Athaliah.

Only Ahaziah's son Jehoash escaped. He was about to be killed with the others, but was rescued by his aunt Jehosheba, who was King Jehoram's daughter and Ahaziah's half sister. She hid him and his nurse in a bedroom in the Temple.

A man from Levi's family married a Levite woman. The woman became pregnant and bore a son. She saw how beautiful he was and hid him for three months. When she could not hide him any longer, she took a basket made of papyrus reeds and coated it with tar and pitch. She put the baby in it and set it among the papyrus reeds near the bank of the Nile River.read more.
The baby's sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. The king's daughter came to the river to bathe. Her servants walked along the bank. Suddenly she noticed the basket in the papyrus reeds and sent a slave woman to get it. She opened it and saw a baby boy. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. This is one of the Hebrew babies, she said. His sister asked her: Shall I go and call a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for you? Please do, she answered. So the girl went and brought the baby's own mother.

All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble Jehovah allowed to come upon him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.

A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived at Bethany where his sisters Mary and Martha lived. This is the same Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair. It was her brother Lazarus who was sick. The sisters therefore sent for the Lord, They said: The one for whom you have great affection is sick.

For his first son Er, Judah got a wife whose name was Tamar. Er was an evil man. It displeased Jehovah. So Jehovah killed him. Then Judah said to Er's brother Onan: Go sleep with your brother's widow. Fulfill your obligation to her as her husband's brother. That way your brother may have descendants.read more.
Onan knew that the children would not belong to him. So when he had intercourse with his brother's widow, he let the semen spill on the ground, assuring that there would be no children for his brother. What he did displeased Jehovah. So Jehovah killed him also. Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar: Return to your father's house and remain a widow until my son Shelah grows up. He said this because he was afraid that Shelah would be killed, as his brothers had been. So Tamar went back home.

I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a minister of the congregation at Cenchrea.

If a brother or sister is without clothes and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them: Go in peace, be warmed and filled; and yet you do not give them food and clothing, what good is it? Even so, faith without works is dead. It is alone and by itself!

Should I look for the grave as my home and make my bed in the darkness? If I say to the pit: You are my father! And to the worm: You are my mother and sister! Where is my hope? Can you see any hope left in me?read more.
Will hope go down with me to the gates of the grave? Will my hope rest with me in the dust?

My son, pay attention to my words, and preserve my commandments within you. Obey my commandments and live, and my teaching like the pupil of your eye. Bind them upon your fingers. Write them upon the table of your heart.read more.
Say to wisdom: You are my sister! Call understanding your friend. That they may keep you from the adulteress, from the stranger with seductive words.

During the reign of King Josiah, Jehovah asked me: Did you see what unfaithful Israel did? She went up every high mountain and under every large tree, and she acted like a prostitute there. I thought that after she had done all this she would come back to me. But she did not come back, and her treacherous (unstable) (unreliable) (false) sister Judah saw her. Judah saw that I sent unfaithful Israel away because of her adultery and that I gave Israel her divorce papers. But treacherous Judah, her sister, was not afraid. She also acted like a prostitute.read more.
Because she was not concerned about her prostitution. She polluted the land and committed adultery with stone and wood. Even after all this, Israel's treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart. She was deceitful, says Jehovah.

Everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb concerning you: Like mother, like daughter. You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and children. You are also the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. Now your older sister is Samaria, who lives north of you with her daughters. Your younger sister, who lives south of you, is Sodom with her daughters.read more.
Yet you have not merely walked in their ways or done according to their abominations; but, as if that were too little, you acted more corruptly in all your conduct than they. As I am alive,' declares the Lord Jehovah, 'Sodom, your sister and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. This was the guilt of your sister Sodom. She and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. They were arrogant and did disgusting things in front of me. So I did away with them when I saw this. Samaria did not commit half the sins you did. You have done many more disgusting things than they ever did. Because of all the disgusting things that you have done, you make your sisters look innocent. You will have to suffer disgrace because you accused your sisters. Yet, your sins are more disgusting than theirs. They look like they are innocent compared to you. Be ashamed of yourself and suffer disgrace, because you have made your sisters look like they are innocent.' I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and Samaria and her daughters. I will also restore your fortune along with theirs. You will have to suffer disgrace and be ashamed of everything you have done, including comforting them. When Sodom and her daughters and Samaria and her daughters return to what they once were, you and your daughters will return to what you once were. You did not mention your sister Sodom when you were arrogant. You did not mention her before your wickedness was revealed. Now the daughters of Aram and their neighbors despise you. The daughters of the Philistines also despise you. Those around you hate you. You must suffer because of all the crude and disgusting things you have done,' declares Jehovah. The Lord Jehovah says: 'I will treat you the way you deserve, because you ignored your promises and broke the covenant. I will honor the covenant I made with you when you were young. I will make a covenant with you that will last forever. You will remember how you have acted, and be ashamed of it when you get your older sister and your younger sister back. I will let them be like daughters to you, even though this was not part of my covenant with you.' I will renew my covenant with you, and you will know that I am Jehovah. I will forgive all the wrongs you have done, but you will remember them and be too ashamed to open your mouth.' The Lord Jehovah has spoken.

While Jesus was yet speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers stood nearby. They wanted to speak to him. Someone told Jesus: Look, your mother and your brothers stand nearby seeking to speak to you. But he answered: Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?read more.
He stretched out his hand towards his disciples, and said: Behold, my mother and my brothers! For everyone who does the will of my Father who is in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother.

His mother and his brother were standing nearby. They sent for him. A crowd was sitting around him. They said to him: Look your mother and you brother are outside looking for you. He answered them: Who is my mother and who is my brother?read more.
Looking at the people who sat around him he said: Behold, my mother and my brother! For whoever does the will of God, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

You who come to me may not be my disciple unless you love me more than you love your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters and yourself.

Everyone who has given up houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or child, or land, for my name, will receive many times as much, and have everlasting life.

Jesus said: Truly I tell you, a man that has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or lands, for my sake, and for the sake of the good news, will receive a hundred times as much now in this time, and in the age to come everlasting life.