Deuteronomy 25:5-10

Deuteronomy 25:5-10

[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. [6] And it shall be, that the firstborn  which she beareth  shall succeed  in the name  of his brother  which is dead,  that his name  be not put out  of Israel.  [7] And if the man  like  not to take  his brother's wife,  go up  to the gate  unto the elders,  and say,  My husband's brother  refuseth  to raise up  unto his brother  a name  in Israel,  he will  not perform the duty of my husband's brother.  [8] Then the elders  of his city  shall call  him, and speak  unto him: and if he stand  to it, and say,  I like  not to take  her; [9] Then shall his brother's wife  come  unto him in the presence  of the elders,  and loose  his shoe  from off his foot,  and spit  in his face,  and shall answer  and say,  So shall it be done  unto that man  that will not build up  his brother's  house.  [10] And his name  shall be called  in Israel,  The house  of him that hath his shoe  loosed. 

What does Deuteronomy 25:5-10 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The purpose of the levirate marriage ordinance was to enable a man who died before fathering an heir to obtain one and so perpetuate his name and estate. "Levirate" comes from the Latin word levir meaning husband"s brother.
"The practice was common in the patriarchal period [1]. ... Presumably the prohibition of sexual union with a brother"s wife in Leviticus 18:16; Leviticus 20:21 refers to such an act while the brother is still living." [2]
"The taking off of the shoe was an ancient custom in Israel, adopted, according to Ruth iv7 , in cases of redemption and exchange, for the purpose of confirming commercial transactions. The usage arose from the fact, that when any one took possession of landed property he did so by treading upon the soil, and asserting his right of possession by standing upon it in his shoes [3]. In this way the taking off of the shoe and handing it to another became a symbol of the renunciation of a man"s position and property. ... But the custom was an ignominious one in such a case as this, when the shoe was publicly taken off the foot of the brother-in-law by the widow whom he refused to marry. He was thus deprived of the position which he ought to have occupied in relation to her and to his deceased brother, or to his paternal house; and the disgrace involved in this was still further heightened by the fact that his sister-in-law spat in his face." [4]
The Israelites were to practice levirate marriage only in cases where the brothers had lived together ( Deuteronomy 25:5) and the remaining brother was not already married. Living together meant living in the same area, not necessarily residing under the same roof. [3]1 When another kinsman voluntarily assumed the responsibility of the surviving brother, that brother was apparently under no obligation to marry his sister-in-law (cf. Ruth 4).
There were several reasons for this provision. These reasons were the importance of descendants in God"s purposes for Israel, the welfare of the widow, and the demonstration of love for one"s brother (cf. Genesis 38). [6]