Let me clarify: When I say “weird,” I’m certainly not trying to denigrate God’s Word or any of His Laws. I’m behind them. God says them, and I believe in them.
I even see the purpose in them. In this case, Levirate marriage perpetuates the family line of your brother by raising up children “in their name.” Practically speaking, this ensures that his genealogy will live on. Spiritually speaking, it’s a metaphor for the idea that just because you die, that doesn’t mean you cease to exist.
The procedure isn’t even that hard to understand. If your brother dies without leaving an heir, then the other brother is to take the widow as his wife, “go in to her,” and provide an offspring in the name of his brother.
Two issues do arise from this setup, however. First is the fact that Leviticus 18:16 specifically prohibits having relations with your brother’s wife. The Jews remedy this by calling Leviticus 18:16 (and Leviticus 20:21) a general principle, whereby Levirate marriage is the God-granted exception.
Secondly, why does the Text specify two brothers who “live together”? Does that mean under the same roof, which implies that brothers who live separately are exempt?
(As a side note, this is why it’s called “levirate” marriage. “Levir” is the Latin for “husband’s brother.” In Hebrew, that word is rendered “yibbum,” but I don’t think “yibburamite marriage” quite has the same ring to it, which is why nobody really ever uses it. Also, because I just made that term up.)
Traditionally, Levirate marriage was only enforced if the brothers lived within close proximity to each other, which would be very common in a society like Israel, where land was passed down from generation to generation.
This may also explain the issue in Ruth, where Boaz must redeem Ruth before he can marry her. He goes to a “kinsman redeemer” and asks him to fulfill his duty; when he declines, he gives Boaz his shoe, which is most likely taken from Deuteronomy 25:9-10.
So that’s levirate marriage. It’s not “weird” in the sense that God’s law isn’t great or that the practice isn’t useful; it’s weird because it involves family relationships mixed with grief at losing your brother.
At the very least, it would make for an uncomfortable Holiday season.