WIDOW. Among the Hebrews, even before the Law, a Widow who had no Children by her Husband, was to marry the Brother of her deceased Spouse, in order to raise up Children who might inherit his Goods, and perpetuate his Name and Family. We find the Practice of this Custom before the Law, in the Person of Tamar, who married successively Er and Onan, the Sons of Judah, and who was likewise to have married Selah, the third Son of Genesis xxxviii. 6, 7, 8, 9.this Patriarch, after the two former were dead without Issue.
Deut. xxv. 5, &c.The Law that appoints these Marriages is delivered in these Terms: If thy brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: Her husband’s brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband’s brother unto her. And it shall be, that the first-born which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother that is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel. And if the man like not to take his brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband’s brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of my husband’s brother. Then the elders of the city shall call him, and speak unto him; and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her: Then shall his brother’s wife come up unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother’s house. And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.
Two Motives prevailed to the enacting of this Law. The first was, the Continuation of Estates in the same Family; and the other was, to perpetuate a Man’s Name in Israel. It was looked upon as a great Misfortune for a Man to die without an Heir, and to see his Inheritance pass into another Family. They had but little regard to the Indecency that might seem to be, in making a Brother-in-law to marry a Sister-in-law; tho’ this in any Levit. xviii. 16.other Case was prohibited. Probably they might look upon a Marriage as not consummated when there was no Procreation of Children. This Law was not confined to Brothers-in-law only, but was extended to more distant Relations of the same Line; as we may see in the Example of Ruth, who married Boaz after she had been refused by a nearer Kinsman.
We have already treated of the Subject of these Marriages, between Brothers and Sisters in-law, under the Article LEVIRATE. Such a Marriage was managed without any Solemnity, and only by vertue of the Law; the Brother-in-law took his Sister-in-law to him without other Ceremony. Yet Custom had prevailed, that this should be done in the Presence of at least two Witnesses, that the Husband should give a piece of Money to his Wife. To this they added the Nuptial Benediction, and a Writing to secure the Woman’s Portion. From the Time of the Babylonish Captivity, according to Fagius, or only since the Destruction of the Second Temple, according to others, the Jews have left off to put this Law in Practice, because of the Confusion of Families and Inheritances.
Widowhood, as well as Barrenness, was a kind of Shame and Reproach in Israel. IsaiahIsaiah liv. 4. says, Thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, passed away in Celibacy and Barrenness, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. It was presumed, that a Woman of Merit and Reputation might have found a Husband, either in the Family of her deceased Husband, if he died without Children, or in some other Family if he had left Children. It is true indeed, that a Widow was commended, who out of a Principle of Affection to her first Husband declined a second Marriage, but continued in Mourning and Widowhood, as was the Case of Judith.
It was looked upon as the greatest Misfortune that could happen to a Man, to die, and not be bewailed by his Widow; that is, without receiving the solemn Honours of Sepulture, of which the Tears and Praises of the Widow made a chief Part. The Wicked and his Children shall die, says Job, and their Job xxvii. 15.Widows shall not mourn for them. The Psalmist, speaking of the lamentable Death of Hophni and Phineas, observes it as a great Disaster, that they were not bewailed by their Widows. Viduæ eorum non plorabantur, or rather, non plorabant, according to the Hebrew.Psal. lxxxvii. 64. 1 Kings ii. 13, 14, 15.
The Widows of Kings continued in their Widowhood. Adonijah was punished with Death, for asking in Marriage Abishag the Shunamite, who had been married to David, tho’ he had never consummated this Marriage. They shut up in the Palace all the Concubines of King David, who had been 2 Sam. xx. 3.defiled by Absalom, there to spend the remainder of their Days.
God frequently recommends to his People to be very careful in affording Relief to the Widow and Orphan. St. Paul would have us honour Widows, that are Widows indeed, Exod. xxii. 22. Deut. x. 18. xiv. 19. & passim. 1 Tim. v. 3, 5, &c.and desolate; that is to say, that the Bishop should have a great regard for them, and supply them in their Necessity; for this is often signified by the Verb to honour. God forbids his High-Priest to marry a Woman who is either Levit. xxi. 14.a Widow or divorced. Formerly there were Widows in the Christian Church, who, because of their Poverty, were maintained at the Charge of the Faithful, and who were upon the List of Persons to be provided for at the Expence of the Church.
There were others also who had certain Employments in the Church, as, to visit sick Women, to assist them when they received Baptism, and lastly, to do several things at the Order of the Bishop, which Decency would not allow him to do himself. St. Paul did not allow any to be chose into the Number of 1 Tim. v. 9.these Widows, unless they were threescore Years old at least. They must have been married but once; they must produce good Testimony of their good Works; that they had given good Education to their Children; that they had exercised Hospitality; that they had washed the Feet of the Saints; that they had given Succour to the Miserable and Afflicted. He forbids that young Widows should be admitted to these Employments; for, says he, When they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry; having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith.
The Scripture proposes to us several Examples of real Widows, who lived in the Practice of Piety, in Retirement, and in a State of Humiliation. Such were, for example, Judith, Tabitha, Anne the Daughter of Phanuel, the Mother of the seven Maccabees, the Widow of Sarepta, who entertained and fed Elijah for some time. Jesus Christ reproves the Pharisees, because under Pretence of long Prayers they devoured Widow’s Houses; either Matth. xxiii. 14. Luk. xx. 47.abusing their Simplicity and Credulity, or else flattering their Passions, and fomenting their weak Superstitions.