{"id": "card_n_31c4df0ae514", "kind": "note", "title": "Easton: Levirate Law", "body": "From Latin levir, “a husband’s brother,” the name of an ancient custom ordained by Moses, by which, when an Israelite died without issue, his surviving brother was required to marry the widow, so as to continue his brother’s family through the son that might be born of that marriage (Gen. 38:8; Deut. 25:5-10; comp. Ruth 3; 4:10). Its object was “to raise up seed to the departed brother.”", "source": {"label": "Matthew Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary (1897)", "url": "/characters.html?search=Levirate_Law", "ref": "Levirate Law", "authority_tier": "external_aligned"}, "shelf": "dictionary", "box": "easton_person_i_l", "bands": ["easton", "bible_dictionary", "person"], "connections": [{"to_card_id": "card_n_3518360ca86c", "relationship": "same_section", "origin": "nesting_2026_06_12"}, {"to_card_id": "card_n_2fb88ae06e59", "relationship": "same_section", "origin": "nesting_2026_06_12"}, {"to_card_id": "card_spine_words", "relationship": "member_of", "evidence": "a member of the dictionary shelf in the keeping"}], "author": "engine", "created_at": "2026-05-19T13:11:11.006903+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-05-19T19:50:35.597892+00:00", "visibility": "public", "lifecycle_stage": "public", "volatility": "permanent", "metrics": {"paperclips_count": 0, "helpful_count": 0, "not_helpful_count": 0, "cite_count": 0, "walks_through_count": 0, "flagged_count": 0}, "source_hash": "aeeab9777b40b8e28d055542df758287bc61659799f34788e4bafbafdc4e1b71", "witnesses": [{"class": "manuscript_tradition", "label": "Original 1897 publication — Thomas Nelson, London", "ref": "Easton-1897"}, {"class": "republication", "label": "Project Gutenberg — Easton's Bible Dictionary", "url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45696", "ref": "PG-45696"}, {"class": "republication", "label": "Internet Archive — multiple scans", "url": "https://archive.org/details/eastonsillustra00east", "ref": "IA-Easton"}, {"class": "republication", "label": "CCEL — Easton's Bible Dictionary", "url": "https://www.ccel.org/e/easton/ebd/", "ref": "CCEL-Easton"}, {"class": "republication", "label": "Blue Letter Bible — searchable Easton's", "url": "https://www.blueletterbible.org/study/easton/", "ref": "BLB-Easton"}], "witness_status": "passed", "witness_status_reason": "5 witnesses across 2 independence classes: ['manuscript_tradition', 'republication']", "surface": "secular", "presentation": {"glyph": "•", "kind_label": "easton person i l", "by": "Matthew Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary (1897)", "authority": "external_aligned", "posted": "", "standing": "", "link": {"url": "/characters.html?search=Levirate_Law", "host": "", "provider": "", "titled": "Easton: Levirate Law", "waybill_line": "", "reach": "", "embed": ""}}, "neighbors": [{"id": "card_n_3518360ca86c", "title": "Easton: James", "relationship": "same section", "why": "", "href": "/card/card_n_3518360ca86c", "resolved": true}, {"id": "card_n_2fb88ae06e59", "title": "Easton: Kir-haraseth", "relationship": "same section", "why": "", "href": "/card/card_n_2fb88ae06e59", "resolved": true}, {"id": "card_spine_words", "title": "The Dictionary & Thesaurus", "relationship": "on the shelf of", "why": "a member of the dictionary shelf in the keeping", "href": "/card/card_spine_words", "resolved": true}]}