Deuteronomy 25:9

9 `Then hath his brother's wife drawn nigh unto him, before the eyes of the elders, and drawn his shoe from off his foot, and spat in his face, and answered and said, Thus it is done to the man who doth not build up the house of his brother;

Deuteronomy 25:9 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 25:9

Then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of
the elders
The time and place being appointed the evening before by three Rabbins, and two witnesses, as Leo of Modena says ^F16; of which she was apprized, and ordered to come tasting:

and loose his shoe from off his foot;
his right foot, which was thus done;

``they bring him a leather shoe, which has a heel, but not sewed with linen (linen thread), and he puts it on the right foot, and binds the latchet on his foot, and stands, he and she, in the court; he fixes his foot on the ground, and she sits and stretches out her hand in the court, and looses the latchet of his shoe from off his foot, and pulls off his shoe, and casts it to the ground ^F17:''

this he suffered to be done to show that he gave up his right to her; and he was so used by way of reproach, to signify that he deserved not to be reckoned among freemen, but among servants and slaves, that went barefooted, having no shoes on: and in the mystical sense of it, as Ainsworth observes, it spiritually signified, that such as would not beget children unto Christ (or preach his Gospel for that purpose), it should be declared of them that their feet are not shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Christ, ( Ephesians 6:15 ) ;

and spit in his face;
in a way of contempt, as a token of shame and disgrace; but the Jewish writers generally interpret this in a softer manner, as if it was not in his face, but in his presence, upon the floor, and seen by the judges ^F18: and shall answer and say, so shall it be done unto the man that will
not build up his brother's house;
that is, in this contemptuous and shameful manner shall he be used.

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 Ut supra, sect. 4. (Leo Modena's Hostory of Rites l. 1. sect. 4.)
F17 Maimon. ut supra, (Yebum Vechalitzab, c. 4.) sect. 6.
F18 Ibid. sect. 7. Targum & Jarchi in loc.

Deuteronomy 25:9 In-Context

7 `And if the man doth not delight to take his brother's wife, then hath his brother's wife gone up to the gate, unto the elders, and said, My husband's brother is refusing to raise up to his brother a name in Israel; he hath not been willing to perform the duty of my husband's brother;

8 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;

9 `Then hath his brother's wife drawn nigh unto him, before the eyes of the elders, and drawn his shoe from off his foot, and spat in his face, and answered and said, Thus it is done to the man who doth not build up the house of his brother;

10 and his name hath been called in Israel -- The house of him whose shoe is drawn off.

11 `When men strive together, one with another, and the wife of the one hath drawn near to deliver her husband out of the hand of his smiter, and hath put forth her hand, and laid hold on his secrets,