SPECIAL TOPIC: LEVIRATE MARRIAGE

SPECIAL TOPIC: LEVIRATE MARRIAGE

“Levirate marriage” (cf. Deut. 25:5-6; Ruth 4:1-2) comes from the Latin term for “brother-in-law.”
In ancient Israel the land was a major theological emphasis (cf. Gen. 12:1-3). God had divided the land by lot
under Joshua into tribal allocations. When a male descendant died without an heir the question arose about the
fate of his land. The Jews developed a way for the widow to have a child, if possible, by a near relative so that
the deceased man’s property would go to an heir. This child would be considered the child of the deceased
brother (cf. Numbers 27 and Ruth 4).