Thus commentators will sometimes see in certain cultic practices or biblical passages what appear to be parallels between those rites or verses and the law of levirate marriage. Unfortunately there is some confusion surrounding this rite namely, it is common for scholars to make blanket assumptions about this law and its ritual enactment in scripture and history-perhaps in part because what does appear in scripture regarding levirate marriage is scant at best. We know that the practice of levirate marriage was known in biblical times at least as early as the writing of the Pentateuch and remained culturally acceptable perhaps as late as the penning of the gospel of Luke (see Luke 20:28). And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed” (Deuteronomy 25:9–10). We read: “Then shall his brother’s wife come 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. Thus, near the end of the Deuteronomic passage dealing with this law comes an explanation of what a woman should do if her surviving brother-in-law (or levir) refuses to marry her. As with many Hebrew laws, levirate marriage had accompanying rituals requisite for its formal and legal enactment. This was done in order to raise up seed unto the name of his prematurely deceased sibling (see Deuteronomy 25:5–6). Levirate marriage is the name given to the ancient law requiring the surviving brother of a deceased man to unite in an intimate relationship with the childless widow of his brother. In this paper we will examine the “ceremony of the shoe” as it appears in Ruth 4, with its common interpretations, likely implications, and significant relations to Latter-day Saint temple practices. Indeed, an entirely different connotation is implied. As a singular example, the ancient practice of levirate marriage is often associated with the removal of the shoes-but entrance into sacred space is not at the heart of the act. However, the removal of one’s shoes as a ritual act or gesture is not always about sacred soil. Shoes have played an important role in establishing sacred space and sacred rites from the beginning of time. So spoke the premortal Jehovah to the prophet Moses-and so practiced ancient and modern Hindus, Muslims, Hare Krishnas, and various other faith traditions. “Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). Gaskill is an associate professor of Church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University.

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