Deuteronomy 25:5-6
“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 page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
This isn't just about remarriage; it's about preserving a family line and name. The law is designed to prevent a family from disappearing entirely by ensuring a deceased brother's legacy continues through his brother's offspring. This highlights the profound importance ancient Israelites placed on lineage and remembrance.
This passage is part of a collection of laws given to Israel as they are about to enter the Promised Land, specifically addressing how families should function within the community. It lays out the practice of "levirate marriage," an ancient custom where a deceased man's brother was obligated to marry the widow if she had no children, ensuring the continuation of the deceased's name and inheritance within the family line. The verses following this one detail the process and consequences if the brother refuses this duty.
When a man died without children, his family name risked disappearing from Israel. This law wasn't just about property; it was about ensuring a legacy.
The Weight of a Name
In ancient Israel, a person's name was deeply tied to their identity and their place in the community and in history. When a man died without a son to carry on his name, it was seen as a profound loss, almost as if he had ceased to exist in the records of his people. This law of the 'levirate marriage' (from the Latin word for 'brother-in-law') was a divine solution to this problem.
The primary goal wasn't merely to transfer property, though that was a factor. It was to ensure that the deceased man's name continued to be spoken and remembered within Israel. The first son born to the widow and her new husband would be legally considered the son of the deceased brother. This ensured that the deceased man's lineage, and by extension his name, would not be 'put out of Israel.'
Think of it as an ancient form of legacy planning, ensuring that one's existence wasn't completely erased by a lack of direct heirs.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Deuteronomy 25:5-6 is available in the Sola app.
This wasn't just a cold legal requirement; it was a way to show deep care for the memory of the deceased and provide for his widow.
The Heart Behind the Law
While Deuteronomy 25:5 lays out a clear obligation, the commentaries reveal it was understood as more than just a rigid rule. It was rooted in affection and a sense of responsibility.
Ultimately, this law balanced legal obligation with relational responsibility, aiming to strengthen the family unit and honor its past.
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 practice of levirate marriage existed even before the Mosaic law, with Judah being obligated to marry Tamar after his brother Er's death.
Ruth 4:5Boaz references the principle of raising up the name of the dead to his inheritance, highlighting the purpose behind the levirate marriage law to continue a family line.
Matthew 22:24-25The Sadducees question Jesus about the resurrection using a hypothetical scenario based on this law, showing its continued relevance and theological implications centuries later.
Leviticus 18:16This verse presents a prohibition against marrying a brother's wife, which this law in Deuteronomy carves out a specific, limited exception to, emphasizing the importance of family continuity.
Numbers 27:8-11This passage demonstrates God's concern for ensuring property and name continuity, even allowing daughters to inherit when there are no sons, which parallels the intent of the levirate marriage law.
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 isn't just about remarriage; it's about preserving a family line and name. The law is designed to prevent a family from disappearing entirely by ensuring a deceased brother's legacy continues through his brother's offspring. This highlights the profound importance ancient Israelites placed on lineage and remembrance.
This passage is part of a collection of laws given to Israel as they are about to enter the Promised Land, specifically addressing how families should function within the community. It lays out the practice of "levirate marriage," an ancient custom where a deceased man's brother was obligated to marry the widow if she had no children, ensuring the continuation of the deceased's name and inheritance within the family line. The verses following this one detail the process and consequences if the brother refuses this duty.
This passage is part of a collection of laws given to Israel as they are about to enter the Promised Land, specifically addressing how families should function within the community. It lays out the practice of "levirate marriage," an ancient custom where a deceased man's brother was obligated to marry the widow if she had no children, ensuring the continuation of the deceased's name and inheritance within the family line. The verses following this one detail the process and consequences if the brother refuses this duty.
"“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 isn't just about remarriage; it's about preserving a family line and name. The law is designed to prevent a family from disappearing entirely by ensuring a deceased brother's legacy continues th…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
