Questions From Readers - Why Did the Man Called S0-and-So Say It Would "Ruin" His Own Inheritance If He Married Ruth? (Ruth 4:1, 6)

 If a married man in Bible times died childless, some questions needed answering: What would happen to any land he owned? Would his family name be lost forever?  The Mosaic Law addressed such questions. 

What happened to the land of a man who died or who became poor and sold his land? A brother or a close relative could redeem, or repurchase, that land.  This would keep it within the family. - LEVITICUS 25:23-28; NUMBERS 27:8-11. 

How was the deceased man's  family named preserved? By means of levirate, or brother-in-law, marriage, which was used in the case of Ruth.  A man would marry his brother's widow to produce and heir who could take on the dead man's name and inherit his property.  This loving arrangement also cared for the widow. - DEUTERONOMY 25:5-7; MATTHEW 22:23-28. 

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