SPECIAL TOPIC: LEVIRATE MARRIAGE

SPECIAL TOPIC: LEVIRATE MARRIAGE

The name "Levirate marriage" (cf. Genesis 38; 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

Canaan was YHWH's gift to Abraham (cf. Gen. 12:1-3).
God divided Canaan by lot under Joshua (Joshua 12-19) 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 remain in the tribe. This child would be considered the child of the deceased brother (cf. Numbers 27 and Ruth 4).

This whole setup proved to be difficult because

it seemed to contradict Lev. 18:16; 20:21
often a child was not conceived
later rabbis disagreed on how this process should work

It needs to be stated that "Levirate Marriage," like "the certificate of divorce," was Israel's way to deal with the place of a single woman in Israelite society.

SPECIAL TOPIC: CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE