A brother was commanded to marry his deceased brother’s widow if she had no sons in order to preserve the family line and inheritance. This practice, called levirate marriage, protected the name and property of the deceased within Israel.
“If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall not be married to a stranger outside the family; her husband’s brother shall go in to her, take her as his wife… And it shall be that the firstborn son… shall be named after his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel.” (Deuteronomy 25:5–6)
This law upheld the importance of family continuity and land inheritance. It also protected widows from abandonment and provided them with security and standing in the community.
If the brother refused, there was a public ceremony of shame:
“Then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders, remove his sandal from his foot, spit in his face… And his name shall be called… ‘The house of him who had his sandal removed.'” (Deuteronomy 25:9–10)
This symbolized his refusal to honor his brother’s legacy and help preserve the family. The law reinforced that family responsibility was not optional but part of covenant faithfulness.
Though the requirement no longer applies under the New Covenant, the principle of familial duty, compassion, and protecting the vulnerable continues to be central in biblical ethics.
