See Deuteronomy ch.25. When a Levirate divorce is performed, part of the ceremony is that the woman removes the man's shoe. A Levirate divorce is the ceremony releasing the woman from the need to enter a Levirate marriage. A Levirate marriage is a traditional practice by which a woman would marry her brother-in-law if her husband had died without having had children.
These letters can be unscrambled to spell two words. They are levirate and relative.
Why would that matter? Multiple wives were not a problem for them.
Donald A. Leggett has written: 'The Levirate and Goel Institutions in the Old Testament with special attention to the Book of Ruth'
Levirate marriage is a type of marriage in which the brother of a deceased man is obligated to marry his brother's widow, and the widow is obligated to marry her deceased husband's brother
Taking on thy brother's wife typically refers to the act of marrying the widow of one's deceased brother, a practice known as levirate marriage. This custom is rooted in various cultural and religious traditions where the surviving brother is expected to marry his deceased brother's widow to continue the family lineage and provide for her.
In the Bible, marrying your brother's widow is known as levirate marriage. It is mentioned in the book of Deuteronomy, where it is considered a duty for a man to marry his brother's widow if his brother dies without children. This practice was meant to ensure that the deceased brother's name and lineage would continue.
Judah's first two sons, Er and Onan, died early. Er was married to Tamar when he died, so Onan was supposed to perform the duty of levirate marriage, where the brother of the dead husband marries his sister-in-law in order to produce an heir to his dead brother's estate. Onan intentionally refused to impregnate his new wife (his ex-sister-in-law) and God struck him down for his failure to perform his required duty. Tamar demanded Judah's youngest son Shelah to perform the duty of levirate marriage and Judah delayed this. During this period, Judah's first wife, bat Shua, died. Tamar eventually seduced Judah and conceived twins by him.The story is in Genesis chapter 38.
In the Bible, marrying your ex brother-in-law is addressed in the context of levirate marriage, where a man is expected to marry his deceased brother's widow to provide for her. This practice is mentioned in the book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament. However, the Bible does not specifically address the situation of marrying your ex brother-in-law in other circumstances.
Boaz wanted to marry Ruth in a form of levirate marriage, which serves as a memorial for the deceased relatives. He was aware that another living relative had precedence, so instead of immediately marrying Ruth, he publicly consulted with the other relative first (Ruth ch.4). See also:More about Ruth
Ruth chapter 4 was written to conclude the story of Ruth and Boaz by showing how their marriage fulfilled the biblical law of levirate marriage, redeeming both Ruth and Naomi from their difficult circumstances and continuing the family line of Elimelech. The chapter also highlights God's faithfulness in providing for His people and demonstrates themes of redemption and restoration.
According to SOWPODS (the combination of Scrabble dictionaries used around the world) there are 1 words with the pattern LE-IR---. That is, eight letter words with 1st letter L and 2nd letter E and 4th letter I and 5th letter R. In alphabetical order, they are: levirate