What term describes the custom where a childless man’s widow is provided a kinsman to continue the family line?

• A. Levirate Law
• B. Levirate Marriage
• C. The Law of Inheritance
• D. Duty of the Kinsman

Answer: (B)

Levirate Marriage describes the practice where, if a man dies without children, a close kinsman marries his widow so that a son can be born to carry on the deceased’s family line. This custom is described in biblical law and narrative, such as Deuteronomy 25:5–10 and the Boaz/Ruth story, where the goel (kinsman redeemer) steps in to preserve lineage and property through offspring. The key idea is the marital act that preserves the family name and legacy, which is exactly captured by calling it a marriage—the Levirate Marriage. Calling it a law would emphasize the statute rather than the practice, and terms like The Law of Inheritance or Duty of the Kinsman don’t precisely name the specific custom.