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”;
Parallel translations
- KJV 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;
- BSB 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,”
- NKJV 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,’
- NASB 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,’
- NLT 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,’
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The elders summon and counsel the reluctant brother, but he may still refuse the duty. The decision is weighed publicly yet not coerced.
Overview
The elders' role was to call the man to his responsibility and seek to persuade him, while leaving him free to decline. This shows the law working through community accountability rather than mere compulsion. The public process upheld both the widow's claim and the man's freedom, setting up the ceremony of shame that would follow his refusal.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Ruth 4:6The near kinsman said, “I can’t redeem it for myself, lest I endanger my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption for yourself; for I can’t redeem it.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 25:8 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.