Deuteronomy 25:5-6
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This law, known as the Levirate law, wasn't just about ensuring a name lived on; it was about preserving family inheritances. By requiring a brother to marry his deceased brother's childless widow, it kept property within the same family line, preventing it from being absorbed by an unrelated household.
“If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage introduces the concept of levirate marriage, a practice where a man is obligated to marry his deceased brother's childless widow to preserve the brother's name and lineage. The law addresses a specific scenario: if brothers live together and one dies without an heir, his widow cannot marry outside the family. Instead, the surviving brother must marry her and have children who will be considered heirs to the deceased.
Imagine a world where your name and legacy could simply vanish if you died without children. This ancient law speaks to that profound fear.
This passage introduces the concept of Levirate marriage, a practice rooted in the deep desire to preserve the name and lineage of a man who died childless.
The Heart of the Law
What happens when this sacred duty is refused? This law provides a surprising, and quite public, consequence.
The refusal of a brother to perform this duty wasn't a minor issue. It carried a formal, public consequence designed to uphold the integrity of family and inheritance.
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The Process of Refusal
Understand the original words
ach · Hebrew Noun
A male member of a family or clan; frequently used to denote close covenantal relationships that transcend mere biology to encompass mutual support, inheritance, and protection.
yabam · Hebrew Noun
A formal marital obligation (levirate marriage) meant to preserve a deceased man’s name, property, and lineage within the family inheritance structure.
shem · Hebrew Noun
A personal identifier representing a person's character, reputation, legacy, and inheritance. In the ancient Near East, having one's name "blotted out" meant total erasure of one's memory and line.
machah · Hebrew Verb
A phrase used in the OT to describe total destruction or the cessation of a lineage. It conveys the idea of a legacy being completely wiped from history and memory.
Yisra'el · Hebrew Proper Noun
The foundational covenant community of God, chosen to be a light to the nations. It refers to the people of God descendents of Jacob, and signifies their set-apart status.
This passage shows the Levirate law in action with Boaz and Ruth, demonstrating how a kinsman redeemer would marry a widow to perpetuate her deceased husband's name and inheritance.
Matthew 22:24-28Jesus uses this law when confronting the Sadducees, highlighting the underlying assumption of resurrection and God's concern for the continuation of families, even beyond death.
Genesis 38:6-11This narrative predates the Law and shows Judah's sons, Er and Onan, failing in their duty to Tamar, illustrating the importance and consequences of this familial obligation before it was explicitly legislated.
Numbers 27:1-11This passage provides context by showing how inheritance rights were typically passed through sons, making the Levirate marriage law a specific exception designed to ensure a deceased man's name and lineage continued when he had no direct male heir.
gillDeuteronomy 25:5: "If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her."
If brethren dwell together,.... Not only in the same country, province, town, or city, but in the same house; such who had been from their youth brought up together in their father's house, and now one of them being marri…
pooleDeuteronomy 25:5: "If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her."
Brethren; strictly so called, as is evident from Deu 25:7 Genesis 38:8 Ruth 1:13 Matthew 22:24,25 . Dwell together; either, 1. Strictly, in the same house or family; which is not probable, because the married brother may…
This law, known as the Levirate law, wasn't just about ensuring a name lived on; it was about preserving family inheritances. By requiring a brother to marry his deceased brother's childless widow, it kept property within the same family line, preventing it from being absorbed by an unrelated household.
This passage introduces the concept of levirate marriage, a practice where a man is obligated to marry his deceased brother's childless widow to preserve the brother's name and lineage. The law addresses a specific scenario: if brothers live together and one dies without an heir, his widow cannot marry outside the family. Instead, the surviving brother must marry her and have children who will be considered heirs to the deceased.
This passage introduces the concept of levirate marriage, a practice where a man is obligated to marry his deceased brother's childless widow to preserve the brother's name and lineage. The law addresses a specific scenario: if brothers live together and one dies without an heir, his widow cannot marry outside the family. Instead, the surviving brother must marry her and have children who will be considered heirs to the deceased.
"“If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a h…" — This law, known as the Levirate law, wasn't just about ensuring a name lived on; it was about preserving family inheritances. By requiring a brother to marry his deceased brother's childless widow, i…
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Last reviewed October 2026
