The Meaning of Deuteronomy 25:5 Explained

Deuteronomy 25:5

KJV: 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.

YLT: 'When brethren dwell together, and one of them hath died, and hath no son, the wife of the dead is not without to a strange man; her husband's brother doth go in unto her, and hath taken her to him for a wife, and doth perform the duty of her husband's brother;

Darby: If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no son, the wife of the dead shall not marry a stranger abroad: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him as wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her.

ASV: If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no son, the wife of the dead shall not be married 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 a husband's brother unto her.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Deuteronomy 25:5 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Deuteronomy 25

1  Punishment must not exceed forty lashes
4  The ox is not to be muzzled
5  Of raising seed unto a brother
11  Of the immodest woman
13  Of unjust weights and measures
17  The memory of Amalek is to be blotted out

What do the individual words in Deuteronomy 25:5 mean?

If dwell brothers together and dies one of them and son has no to not shall be [married] the widow of the dead man outside [the family] to a stranger Her husband's brother shall go in to her and take her his as wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her
כִּֽי־ יֵשְׁב֨וּ אַחִ֜ים יַחְדָּ֗ו וּמֵ֨ת אַחַ֤ד מֵהֶם֙ וּבֵ֣ן אֵֽין־ ל֔וֹ לֹֽא־ תִהְיֶ֧ה אֵֽשֶׁת־ הַמֵּ֛ת הַח֖וּצָה לְאִ֣ישׁ זָ֑ר יְבָמָהּ֙ יָבֹ֣א עָלֶ֔יהָ וּלְקָחָ֥הּ ל֛וֹ לְאִשָּׁ֖ה וְיִבְּמָֽהּ

יֵשְׁב֨וּ  dwell 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
אַחִ֜ים  brothers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אָח  
Sense: brother.
יַחְדָּ֗ו  together 
Parse: Adverb
Root: יַחַד 
Sense: union, unitedness adv.
וּמֵ֨ת  and  dies 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
אַחַ֤ד  one  of 
Parse: Number, masculine singular
Root: אֶחָד  
Sense: one (number).
וּבֵ֣ן  and  son 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
אֵֽין־  has  no 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
תִהְיֶ֧ה  shall  be  [married] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
אֵֽשֶׁת־  the  widow 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
הַמֵּ֛ת  of  the  dead  man 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
הַח֖וּצָה  outside  [the  family] 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: חוּץ  
Sense: outside, outward, street, the outside.
זָ֑ר  a  stranger 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: זוּר 
Sense: to be strange, be a stranger.
יְבָמָהּ֙  Her  husband's  brother 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: יָבָם  
Sense: brother-in-law, husband’s brother.
יָבֹ֣א  shall  go  in 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
עָלֶ֔יהָ  to  her 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
וּלְקָחָ֥הּ  and  take  her 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
ל֛וֹ  his 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
לְאִשָּׁ֖ה  as  wife 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
וְיִבְּמָֽהּ  and  perform  the  duty  of  a  brother-in-law  to  her 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: יָבַם  
Sense: (Piel) to perform levirate marriage, perform the duty of a brother-in-law.