Positive Commandment #129 of 613
A man must free the widow of his childless brother from the obligation to marry him if he is unwilling to marry her
Commandment #129 — a positive obligation from Deuteronomy 25:9, classified under Marriage and Family in the 613 commandments of the Torah.
Scripture
“then his brother's wife shall come to him in the sight of the elders, and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face; and she shall declare, 'Thus it is done to the man who does not build up his brother's house.'”
— Deuteronomy 25:9
Hebrew
ט וְנִגְּשָׁה יְבִמְתּוֹ אֵלָיו, לְעֵינֵי הַזְּקֵנִים, וְחָלְצָה נַעֲלוֹ מֵעַל רַגְלוֹ, וְיָרְקָה בְּפָנָיו; וְעָנְתָה, וְאָמְרָה, כָּכָה יֵעָשֶׂה לָאִישׁ, אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יִבְנֶה אֶת-בֵּית אָחִיו.
Greek (Septuagint)
9 καὶ προσελθοῦσα ἡ γυνὴ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ ἔναντι τῆς γερουσίας καὶ ὑπολύσει τὸ ὑπόδημα αὐτοῦ τὸ ἓν ἀπὸ τοῦ ποδὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐμπτύσεται εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀποκριθεῖσα ἐρεῖ Οὕτως ποιήσουσιν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, ὃς οὐκ οἰκοδομήσει τὸν οἶκον τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ·
Classification
- Type
- Positive (Thou Shalt)
- Category
- Marriage and Family
- Book
- deuteronomy
- Chapter
- 25
Scholarly References
- Parashah
- Ki Tetze
- Mishneh Torah
- WomenLevirate Marriage and Release
Related Commandments in “Marriage and Family”
#122: Marry a wife by means of a marriage agreement and sanctification
Deuteronomy 22:13
#123: Do not have sexual relations with women not married by means of a marriage agreement and sanctification
Deuteronomy 23:18
#124: Do not withhold food, clothing, and sexual relations from your wife
Exodus 21:10
#125: Have children with one's wife
Genesis 1:28
#126: Issue a divorce by means of a "get" document
Deuteronomy 24:1
#127: A man must not remarry his ex-wife after she has married someone else
Deuteronomy 24:4
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