Deuteronomy 25 describes a duty in which the brother of a man who died childless was expected to marry the widow so that the deceased man's family line would not disappear from Israel.
Customs & Culture
Levirate Marriage
Levirate marriage provided for a widow whose husband died without a son by assigning a family duty intended to preserve the deceased man's name and inheritance.
Primary Scripture
Historical and Cultural Background
Biblical Examples
The institution stands behind the law in Deuteronomy 25 and contributes to the family obligations encountered in Ruth. An earlier family-duty setting also appears in the story of Tamar in Genesis 38.
Biblical Significance
The custom reflects the importance of family continuity, inheritance, and protection of a vulnerable widow in an agrarian kinship society. It helps modern readers understand why producing an heir for a deceased relative could be treated as a family obligation.
Common Misconceptions
Levirate marriage should not be treated as identical in every detail to the redemption procedure in Ruth 4.
Historical Setting and Evidence
Culture: Ancient Near Eastern, Israelite
Period: Patriarchal Period, Exodus and Wilderness, Conquest and Judges, United Monarchy, Divided Monarchy, Kingdom of Judah, Babylonian Exile, Persian Period
Evidence: Well Attested
Interpretive Importance: Major
Directly prescribed in Deuteronomy 25:5-10, with related family practices appearing elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Scripture References
Related Information
Sources
Genesis 38; Deuteronomy 25:5-10; Ruth 4.