Deuteronomy 25:8

Easy-to-Read Version

Then the leaders of the city must call the man and talk to him. If the man is stubborn and says, ‘I don't want to take her,'

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The elders of his city will summon him and speak with him. If he persists and says, ‘I don’t want to marry her,’

Hebrew Names Version
Then the Zakenim of his city shall call him, and speak to him: and if he stand, and say, I don't want to take her;

King James Version
Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her;

Lexham English Bible
Then the elders of his town shall summon him and speak to him, and if he persists and says, ‘I do not desire to marry her'

English Standard Version
Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and if he persists, saying, ‘I do not wish to take her,'

New Century Version
Then the elders of the town must call for the man and talk to him. But if he is stubborn and says, "I don't want to marry her,"

New English Translation
Then the elders of his city must summon him and speak to him. If he persists, saying, "I don't want to marry her,"

Amplified Bible
"Then the elders of his city will summon him and speak to him. And if he stands firm and says, 'I do not want to marry her,'

New American Standard Bible
"Then the elders of his city shall summon him and speak to him. And if he persists and says, 'I do not desire to take her,'

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then the Elders of his citie shall call him, and commune with him: if he stand and say, I wil not take her,

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the elders of his city shall summon him and speak to him. And if he stands and says, ‘I do not desire to take her,'

Contemporary English Version
The leaders will call the living brother to the town gate and try to persuade him to marry the widow. But if he doesn't change his mind and marry her,

Complete Jewish Bible
The leaders of his town are to summon him and speak to him. If, on appearing before them, he continues to say, ‘I don't want to marry her,'

Darby Translation
Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak unto him; and if he stand to it and say, I like not to take her;

George Lamsa Translation
Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak to him; and if he should rise up and say, I will not take her;

Good News Translation
Then the town leaders are to summon him and speak to him. If he still refuses to marry her,

Literal Translation
And the elders of his city shall call for him and shall speak to him. And he shall stand and say, I have no desire to take her.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then shal the Elders of the cite call him, and comen with him. Yf he stonde then and saye: I wyl not take her,

American Standard Version
Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand, and say, I like not to take her;

Bible in Basic English
Then the responsible men of the town will send for the man, and have talk with him: and if he still says, I will not take her;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then the elders of his citie shall call hym, and commune with hym: and if he stande and say, I wyll not take her:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him; and if he stand, and say: 'I like not to take her';

King James Version (1611)
Then the Elders of his citie shall call him and speake vnto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the elders of his city shall call him, and speak to him; and if he stand and say, I will not take her:

English Revised Version
Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand, and say, I like not to take her;

Berean Standard Bible
Then the elders of his city shall summon him and speak with him. If he persists and says, "I do not want to marry her,"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And anoon thei schulen make hym to be clepid, and thei schulen axe. If he answerith, Y nyle take hir to wijf;

Young's Literal Translation
and the elders of his city have called for him, and spoken unto him, and he hath stood and said, I have no desire to take her;

Update Bible Version
Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak to him: and if he stands, and says, I don't want to take her;

Webster's Bible Translation
Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak to him: and [if] he shall stand [to it], and say, I like not to take her,

World English Bible
Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak to him: and if he stand, and say, I don't want to take her;

New King James Version
Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him. But if he stands firm and says, "I do not want to take her,'

New Living Translation
The elders of the town will then summon him and talk with him. If he still refuses and says, ‘I don't want to marry her,'

New Life Bible
Then the leaders of his city will call him and speak to him. If he still says, ‘I do not want to take her,'

New Revised Standard
Then the elders of his town shall summon him and speak to him. If he persists, saying, "I have no desire to marry her,"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then shall the elders of his city call him and speak unto him, - and he shall stand and say, I like not to take her.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And they shall cause him to be sent for forthwith, and shall ask him. If he answer: I will not take her to wife:

Revised Standard Version
Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak to him: and if he persists, saying, 'I do not wish to take her,'

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Then the elders of his city shall summon him and speak to him. And if he persists and says, 'I do not desire to take her,'

Contextual Overview

⁵ "If two brothers live together, and one of them dies without a son, the wife of the dead man must not marry a stranger outside the family. Her husband's brother must take her as his wife and have sexual relations with her. He must do the duty of a husband's brother for her. ⁶ Then the first son she has will be considered the dead man's son in order to keep the dead man's name alive in Israel. ⁷ If the man does not want to take his brother's wife, she must go to the town meeting place and tell the leaders, ‘My husband's brother refuses to keep his brother's name alive in Israel. He will not do the duty of a husband's brother to me.' ⁸ Then the leaders of the city must call the man and talk to him. If the man is stubborn and says, ‘I don't want to take her,' ⁹ then his brother's wife must come to him in front of the leaders. She must take his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. She must say, ‘This is being done to the man who will not give his brother a son!' ¹⁰ From then on, the brother's family will be known in Israel as, ‘the family of the man whose sandal was removed.' ¹¹ "Two men might be fighting against each other. One man's wife might come to help her husband, but she must not grab the other man's private parts. ¹² If she does that, cut off her hand. Don't feel sorry for her.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I like not: Ruth 4:6

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 7:21 - a mighty God

Cross-References

Genesis 15:15
"You yourself will live to be very old. You will die in peace and will be buried with your family.

Genesis 25:7
Abraham lived to be 175 years old.

Genesis 25:8
Then he grew weak and died. He had lived a long and satisfying life. He died and went to be with his people.

Genesis 25:9
His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah. This cave is in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar. It was east of Mamre.

Genesis 25:17
Ishmael lived to be 137 years old. Then he died and went to be with his people.

Genesis 25:28
Isaac loved Esau. He liked to eat the animals Esau killed. But Rebekah loved Jacob.

Genesis 25:29
One day Esau came back from hunting. He was tired and weak from hunger. Jacob was boiling a pot of beans.

Genesis 35:18
Rachel died while giving birth to the son. Before dying, she named the boy Benoni. But Jacob called him Benjamin.

Genesis 49:29
Then Israel gave them a command. He said, "When I die, I want to be with my people. I want to be buried with my ancestors in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite.

Numbers 20:24
"It is time for Aaron to die and go to be with his ancestors. Aaron will not enter the land that I promised to the Israelites. Moses, I say this to you because both you and Aaron did not fully obey the command I gave you at the waters of Meribah.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then the elders of his city shall call him,.... Require him to come, before them, and declare his resolution, and the reasons for it; recite this law to him, and explain the nature of it, and exhort him to comply with it, or show reason why he does not, at least to have his final resolution upon it:

and speak unto him; talk with him upon this subject, and give him their best advice; and what that was Maimonides o more particularly informs us; if it is good and advisable to marry, they advise him to marry; but if it is better advice to pluck off the shoe, they give it; as when she is young and he is old, or she is old and he young, they advise him to allow the shoe to be plucked off:

and [if] he stand [to it]: and say, I like not to take her; if, after all the conversation, debate, and counsel between them, he is resolute, and abides by his first determination, that he will not marry her, then the following method was to be taken.

o Yebum Vechalitzab, c. 4. sect. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The law of levirate marriage. The law on this subject is not unique to the Jews, but is found (see Genesis 38:8) in all essential respects the same among various Oriental nations, ancient and modern. The rules in these verses, like those upon divorce, do but incorporate existing immemorial usages, and introduce various wise and politic limitations and mitigations of them. The root of the obligation here imposed upon the brother of the deceased husband lies in the primitive idea of childlessness being a great calamity (compare Genesis 16:4; and note), and extinction of name and family one of the greatest that could happen (compare Deuteronomy 9:14; Psalms 109:12-15). To avert this the ordinary rules as to intermarriage are in the case in question (compare Leviticus 18:16) set aside. The obligation was onerous (compare Ruth 4:6), and might be repugnant; and it is accordingly considerably reduced and restricted by Moses. The duty is recognized as one of affection for the memory of the deceased; it is not one which could be enforced at law. That it continued down to the Christian era is apparent from the question on this point put to Jesus by the Sadducees (see the marginal references).

Deuteronomy 25:5

No child - literally, “no son.” The existence of a daughter would clearly suffice. The daughter would inherit the name and property of the father; compare Numbers 27:1-11.

Deuteronomy 25:9

Loose his shoe from off his foot - In token of taking from the unwilling brother all right over the wife and property of the deceased. Planting the foot on a thing was an usual symbol of lordship and of taking possession (compare Genesis 13:17; Joshua 10:24), and loosing the shoe and handing it to another in like manner signified a renunciation and transfer of right and title (compare Ruth 4:7-8; Psalms 60:8, and Psalms 108:9). The widow here is directed herself, as the party slighted and injured, to deprive her brother-law of his shoe, and spit in his face (compare Numbers 12:14). The action was intended to aggravate the disgrace conceived to attach to the conduct of the man.

Deuteronomy 25:10

The house ... - Equivalent to “the house of the barefooted one.” To go barefoot was a sign of the most abject condition; compare 2 Samuel 15:30.