Deuteronomy 25:6

“And the firstborn whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, so that his name is not blotted out from Israel.”
Deuteronomy 25:6 · direct translation from the Hebrew

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And the firstbornוְהָיָה הַבְּכוֹרwhomאֲשֶׁרshe bearsתֵּלֵדshall succeedיָקוּםtoעַלthe nameשֵׁםof his deadהַמֵּתbrother,אָחִיוso thatוְhis nameשְׁמוֹis notלֹאblotted outיִמָּחֶהfrom Israel.מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל

Allusion · Ruth 4:10

Go to Ruth 4:10

Both texts speak of “raising up the name of the dead man” so that it does not disappear. The law of Deuteronomy 25 refers to the brother of the deceased; Boaz is not his brother.

They share words that are rare in the original, without a quotation.

יָקוּםyakumH6965הָקִיםhakimH6965“rise; establish”
שֵׁםshemH8034שֵׁםshemH8034“name”
מֵּתmetH4191מֵּתmetH4191“die”

Deuteronomy 25:6, word by word

And the firstbornהָיָהhaya

To be: "I will be their Elohim".

Where else “haya” appears

And the firstbornבְּכוֹרbechor

firstborn

The son who came into the world before his brothers, with a special place in the family.

Where else “bechor” appears

she bearsתֵּלֵדteled

bear

To bring a child into the world, giving birth after pregnancy.

Where else “teled” appears

shall succeedיָקוּםyakum

rise

To go from sitting or lying to standing, or to set out.

Where else “yakum” appears

the nameשֵׁםshem

name

The word by which a person, place or thing is called and recognized.

Where else “shem” appears

of his deadמֵּתmet

die

To cease living; also, one who has ceased living.

Where else “met” appears

brotherאָחִיachi

brother

A son of the same father or the same mother.

Where else “achi” appears

blotted outיִמָּחֶהyimache

blot out

To erase completely, or destroy someone.

Where else “yimache” appears

from Israelיִּשְׂרָאֵלyisrael

Israel

Israel, the new name Jacob received from God, explained as "you have striven with God" (Genesis 32:28); then the name of the people that came from him and, after the division, of the northern kingdom.

Where else “yisrael” appears

The context

5If brothers live together and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not belong, outside the family, to a strange man. Her brother-in-law shall go in to her and take her for himself as a wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her.

6 · This verse (above)

7But if the man does not want to take his sister-in-law, then his sister-in-law shall go up to the gate, to the elders, and say, “My brother-in-law refuses to raise up a name for his brother in Israel; he is not willing to perform the duty of a brother-in-law to me.”

Read all of Deuteronomy 25

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