If
brothers dwell together, and one of them dies, and has no son, the wife of the dead shall not be married outside 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. It shall be that the firstborn whom she bears shall succeed in the name of his brother who is dead, that his name not be blotted out of Israel.
Deuteronomy 25:5-6
Deuteronomy 25 [4.] You shall not muzzle the ox when he treads out the grain.
Deuteronomy 25 [5.] If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies, and has no son, the wife of the dead shall not be married outside 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. It shall be that the firstborn whom she bears shall succeed in the name of his brother who is dead, that his name not be blotted out of Israel.
Deuteronomy 25 [7.] If the man doesn’t want to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate to the elders, and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to raise up to his brother a name in Israel. He will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.” Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak to him: and if he stands and says, “I don’t want to take her”; then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face. She shall answer and say, “So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.” His name shall be called in Israel, “The house of him who had his shoe removed.”
Meaning:
Deuteronomy records Moses’ final instructions to Israel. Just before this passage comes the command, “You shall not muzzle the ox when he treads out the grain” (Deuteronomy 25:4), a law of kindness even to animals. These verses describe what is often called levirate marriage, from the Latin word for a husband’s brother.
- “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies, and has no son”
In ancient Israel land was held by families and inherited by sons. A widow without a son had no inheritance and no one to support her, and her husband’s line would die out. The law applied to brothers living together on the family land.
- “Her husband’s brother shall go in to her, and take her as his wife”
The brother was to marry the widow and keep her within the family, giving her protection and a home. God repeatedly shows his care for such women. He “does execute justice for the fatherless and widow” (Deuteronomy 10:18), and he calls his people to “Plead for the widow” (Isaiah 1:17).
The duty could be refused, but the following verses show that refusal brought public shame before the elders of the city (see the Context above).
- “That his name not be blotted out of Israel”
The first son of the new marriage counted as the heir of the brother who had died. In this way his name and his share in the land God had given Israel continued. A similar family duty lies behind the story of Ruth, who asked Boaz to marry her, saying, “for you are a near kinsman” (Ruth 3:9). From that marriage came Obed, the grandfather of King David (Matthew 1:5-6).
- The Sadducees’ question
Centuries later the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection, used this law to mock Jesus. They described seven brothers who married the same widow in turn and asked whose wife she would be in the resurrection (Mark 12:18-23). Jesus answered that “when they will rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven” (Mark 12:25). The law of Deuteronomy belonged to this age, where death cuts lives short. In the age to come death itself will be gone.
The Significance of Deuteronomy 25:5-6
- God cares for the vulnerable
This law shows God’s concern for widows. His people are still called to provide for those left alone.
- Our future is secure in God
Israel worked hard to keep a dead man’s name alive. In Christ, those who belong to God have a future that death cannot erase.
Cross-References:
Mark 12:19: "Teacher, Moses wrote to us, ‘If a man’s brother dies, and leaves a wife behind him, and leaves no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up offspring for his brother.’" The Sadducees quote this law.
Ruth 3:9: "She answered, “I am Ruth your servant. Therefore spread the corner of your garment over your servant; for you are a near kinsman.”" A kinsman’s duty in practice.
Deuteronomy 10:18: "He does execute justice for the fatherless and widow, and loves the foreigner, in giving him food and clothing." God’s care for widows.
Conclusion: Deuteronomy 25:5-6 required a man to marry his brother’s childless widow so that she would be cared for and the first son would carry on the dead brother’s name and inheritance in Israel. The law reflects God’s compassion for widows and his concern for families. The Sadducees later used it to ridicule the resurrection, but Jesus showed that the life to come is not bound by the arrangements of this age.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible