Under the patriarchal arrangement, and later under the Mosaic Law, the brother of a man who had died childless was to take his brother’s widow as his wife and have a child by her, to carry on the line of her deceased husband.​—Ge 38:8; De 25:5-10; Ru 4:3-10; see BROTHER-IN-LAW MARRIAGE.

Upon the death of their mate, widows could return to the house of their father. (Ge 38:11) In the Law, specific provision to this effect was made for the daughter of a priest who became widowed or was divorced. Since the priest received tithes for his household’s sustenance, the daughter could share in this provision. This assured that she would not face poverty, and thus averted reproach that might otherwise have come upon the priesthood. (Le 22:13) For those widows who had no such support or protection, provisions were made in God’s law for them to enjoy gleaner’s rights in the fields, olive groves, and vineyards (De 24:19-21); to participate in the bounteous celebration each year at festivals (De 16:10-14); and, every third year, to share in the tithes that were contributed by the nation (De 14:28, 29; 26:12, 13).

Concern of Jehovah and Christ for Widows. Jehovah spoke of himself as the One “executing judgment for the fatherless boy and the widow.” (De 10:18) Strong injunctions are given in the Law as to the administration of full and equal justice to widows. (Ex 22:22-24; De 24:17) A curse was pronounced upon those perverting the judgment of widows (De 27:19), and proper treatment of widows was urged in the writings of the prophets.​—Isa 1:17, 23; 10:1, 2; Jer 22:3; Eze 22:7; Zec 7:9, 10; Mal 3:5.

Wife protected under the Law. While the husband occupied the superior position in the marriage arrangement, God’s requirements were that he was to provide for and care for the family in a material and spiritual way. Also, any wrongdoings of the family reflected on him; consequently he had a heavy responsibility. And while he had greater privileges than the wife, God’s law protected the wife and gave her certain unique privileges, so that she was able to live a happy, productive life.

A few examples of the Law’s provisions involving the wife were: Either husband or wife could be put to death for adultery. If the husband was suspicious of secret infidelity on the part of his wife, he could bring her to the priest, for Jehovah God to judge the matter, and if the woman was guilty, her reproductive organs would atrophy; on the other hand, if she was not guilty, the husband was required to make her pregnant, thereby publicly acknowledging her innocence. (Nu 5:12-31) A husband could divorce his wife if he found something indecent on her part. This would likely include such things as showing him gross disrespect or bringing reproach upon the household or that of his father. But the wife was protected by the requirement that he must write out for her a certificate of divorce. She was then free to marry another man. (De 24:1, 2) If the wife made a vow that her husband thought unwise or detrimental to the family’s welfare, he could nullify it. (Nu 30:10-15) This, however, was a safeguard for the wife, keeping her from any hasty action that might bring her into difficulty.

Polygamy was allowed under the Mosaic Law but was regulated so that the wife was protected. The husband could not transfer the right of the firstborn from the son of a less-loved wife to the son of his favorite wife. (De 21:15-17) If an Israelite daughter was sold by her father as a servant and the master took her as a concubine, her owner could allow her to be redeemed if she did not please him, but he could not sell her to a foreign people. (Ex 21:7, 8) If either he or his son had taken her as a concubine and then married another wife, she was to be provided with food, clothing, and shelter, as well as the marriage due.​—Ex 21:9-11.

If a husband maliciously charged his wife with having falsely claimed to be a virgin at the time of marriage and his charge was proved false, he was punished and had to pay her father twice the marriage rate for virgins and could never divorce her all his days. (De 22:13-19) If a man seduced an unengaged virgin, he was required to pay the marriage price to her father and, if the father permitted, to marry her, after which he could never divorce her all his days.​—De 22:28, 29; Ex 22:16, 17.

While the position of the wife in Hebrew society was somewhat different from a wife’s status in Western society today, the faithful Hebrew wife enjoyed her position and her work. She helped her husband, raised the family, managed the household, and found many things of satisfaction and delight, being able to express her womanly nature and talents to the full.