Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical terms, the concept of a "brother's wife" is closely associated with the practice of levirate marriage, a custom deeply rooted in the cultural and legal traditions of ancient Israel. This practice is primarily outlined in the Old Testament and serves as a means to preserve family lineage and inheritance rights.
Levirate MarriageThe term "levirate" is derived from the Latin word "levir," meaning "brother-in-law." The practice is explicitly commanded in
Deuteronomy 25:5-10. According to the Mosaic Law, if a man died without having a son, his brother was obligated to marry the widow. The firstborn son from this union would carry on the deceased brother's name, ensuring the continuation of his family line and the retention of his property within the tribe. The Berean Standard Bible states:
"If brothers dwell together and one of them dies without having a son, the widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband's brother is to take her as his wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her. The first son she bears will carry on the name of the dead brother, so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel." (
Deuteronomy 25:5-6)
This law underscores the importance of family and tribal continuity in Israelite society. It also reflects the communal responsibility to care for widows, who were often vulnerable in ancient times.
Ruth and BoazA notable example of levirate marriage, though not a direct application of the law, is found in the Book of Ruth. After the death of her husband, Ruth, a Moabite widow, remains loyal to her Israelite mother-in-law, Naomi. Ruth's eventual marriage to Boaz, a relative of her deceased husband, illustrates the spirit of the levirate law. Boaz acts as a "kinsman-redeemer," preserving the family line and property.
Ruth 4:10 records Boaz's declaration:
"Moreover, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon's widow, as my wife, to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance, so that his name will not disappear from among his brothers or from the gate of his hometown."
New Testament ContextIn the New Testament, the concept of a brother's wife is addressed in a different context. The Sadducees, who denied the resurrection, posed a hypothetical question to Jesus about levirate marriage to challenge the idea of resurrection. They asked whose wife a woman would be in the resurrection if she had been married to seven brothers in succession. Jesus responded by emphasizing the transformative nature of the resurrection life, where earthly marital relationships do not apply (
Matthew 22:23-30).
Moral and Ethical ConsiderationsThe practice of levirate marriage, while culturally specific, highlights broader biblical themes of family loyalty, social responsibility, and care for the vulnerable. It reflects the high value placed on family and community in biblical ethics. The law also serves as a reminder of God's provision for the continuation of His people and the protection of those who might otherwise be marginalized.
In summary, the role of a brother's wife in biblical tradition is intricately linked to the preservation of family and community, demonstrating the enduring principles of care, responsibility, and faithfulness that are central to the biblical narrative.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Brother's WifeBROTHER'S WIFE
(yebhemeth = "a sister-in-law," "brother's wife" (Deuteronomy 25:7, 9); 'ishshah = "a woman," "wife"; `esheth 'ach = "brother's wife" (Genesis 38:8, 9Leviticus 18:16;Leviticus 20:21); he gune tou adelphou = "the brother's wife" (Mark 6:18)): A brother's wife occupies a unique position in Hebrew custom and law, by virtue of the institution of the Levirate. The widow had no hereditary rights in her husband's property, but was considered a part of the estate, and the surviving brother of the deceased was considered the natural heir. The right to inherit the widow soon became a duty to marry her if the deceased had left no sons, and in case there was no brother-in-law, the duty of marriage devolved on the father-in-law or the agnate who inherited, whoever this might be. The first son of the Levirate marriage was regarded as the son of the deceased. This institution is found chiefly among people who hold to ancestral worship (Indians, Persians, Afghans, etc.), from which circumstances Benzinger (New Sch-Herz, IV, 276) derives the explanation of this institution in Israel. The Levirate marriage undoubtedly existed as a custom before the Israelite settlement in Canaan, but after this received special significance because of the succession to the property of the first son of the marriage, since he was reckoned to the deceased, inherited from his putative, not from his real father, thus preventing the disintegration of property and its acquirement by strangers, at the same time perpetuating the family to which it belonged. While the law limited the matrimonial duty to the brother and permitted him to decline to marry the widow, such a course was attended by public disgrace (Deuteronomy 25:5). By the law ofNumbers 27:8, daughters were given the right to inherit, in order that the family estate might be preserved, and the Levirate became limited to cases where the deceased had left no children at all.
Frank E. Hirsch
Greek
1918. epigambreuo -- to marry... Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: epigambreuo Phonetic Spelling: (ep-ee-gam-
bryoo'-o) Short Definition: I marry a deceased
brother's wife Definition: I
...Strong's Hebrew
2994. yebemeth -- sister-in-law... Word Origin from the same as yabam Definition sister-in-law NASB Word Usage
brother'swife (2), sister-in-law (2),
wife (1).
brother's wife, sister in law.
...Library
The Martyrdom of John
... Philip'swife: for he had married her.18. For John had said unto Herod,
It is not lawful for thee to have thybrother's wife.19....
Herod
... hisbrother Philip'swife: for he had married her. For John said unto Herod,
It is not lawful for thee to have thybrother's wife....
Herod and the Baptist.
... Some, then, suppose that, when Philip died leaving a daughter, Herodias, Herod married
hisbrother's wife, though the law permitted marriage only when there...
Whether the Degrees of Affinity Extend in the Same Way as the...
... law certain degrees of consanguinity were forbidden, in which degrees affinity was
not an impediment to marriage: as instanced in abrother's wife whom a man...
The King's Courts
... men were speaking secretly everywhere, and uttered the memorable sentence which
could not be forgiven: "It is not lawful for thee to have thybrother's wife."....
Thou Shalt not Covet Thy Neighbor's House. Thou Shalt not Covet...
... That sort of thing undoubtedly prevailed much under the Law, as also we read in
the (Gospel of King Herod that he took hisbrother's wife while he was yet...
From Patriarchal, Tertullian Comes to Legal, Precedents.
... Since, moreover, even in Leviticus there is a caution, "Whoever shall have taken
(his)brother's wife, (it) is uncleanness"turpitude; without children shall...
Herod Antipas Supposes Jesus to be John.
... the hospitality which he received by carrying off thewife of his host.] 18 For
John said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thybrother's wife....
Moses, Allowing Divorce, and Christ Prohibiting It, Explained John...
... This he said in order the more severely to load Herod with guilt, who had taken
hisbrother's wife, after she had been loosed from her husband not less by...
How Archelaus Upon a Second Accusation, was Banished to vienna.
... been thewife of hisbrother Alexander, which Alexander had three children by her,
while it was a thing detestable among the Jews to marry thebrother's wife....
Resources
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