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.

DEUTERONOMY 25:5KJV
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Deuteronomy 25:5 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 25:5 mean?

Deuteronomy 25:5 gives a law for Israelite families: if brothers live together and one dies without a child, the dead man’s wife should not marry someone outside the family. Instead, the brother of the deceased should marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law. This practice was meant to keep the family line and inheritance going.

In this verse, Moses is speaking to the Israelites, giving them instructions from God about family responsibility and inheritance. The situation described is when brothers share a household, and one dies childless. The law ensures that the widow stays within the family, and the brother-in-law steps in to provide for her and preserve the name and property of his deceased brother.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 25:5

  • "Brethren" (אַחִים, ʾāḥîm): This word refers to male siblings, emphasizing the close family relationship required for this law to apply.
  • "Dwell" (יָשַׁב, yāshav): This means to live together, suggesting that the brothers share a household or estate, not just a blood relationship.
  • "Stranger" (אִישׁ, ʾîsh and זָר, zār): The word for "stranger" here can mean someone outside the family or clan, highlighting that the widow should not marry outside the family line.
  • "Brother" (יָבָם, yābam): This is a special term for a brother-in-law who has the duty to marry his deceased brother’s widow, showing this is a specific family responsibility, not a general one.

Why Deuteronomy 25:5 matters

  • This verse explains the background for the practice known as "levirate marriage," which appears in other Bible stories, such as the story of Ruth and Boaz.
  • The law protects widows from being left without support and keeps family inheritance within the tribe, which was very important in ancient Israel.
  • Understanding this law helps clarify why certain family responsibilities and marriage customs were so significant in Israelite society, and why breaking them was seen as a serious matter.

Where else these words appear

“brother” Hebrew H2993 · used in 2 verses

  • Deuteronomy 25:7 And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then let 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.

“brother” Hebrew H2992 · used in 3 verses

  • Genesis 38:8 And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.
  • Deuteronomy 25:7 And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then let 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.

“stranger” Hebrew H2114 · used in 76 verses

  • Exodus 29:33 And they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy.
  • Psalms 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.
  • Isaiah 29:5 Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.

“together” Hebrew H3162 · used in 139 verses

  • Genesis 13:6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.
  • Job 24:17 For the morning is to them even as the shadow of death: if one know them, they are in the terrors of the shadow of death.
  • Isaiah 41:1 Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.