To marry the widow of a deceased brother who died without an heir; to fulfill the duty of levirate marriage. This specific legal-theological term describes one of the most important family obligations in ancient Israel — ensuring the dead brother's name and inheritance would continue through the firstborn son of this union.
Yabam is the verb behind one of the Bible's most beautiful redemption themes. The levirate duty (Deuteronomy 25:5-10) protected widows and preserved family lines. Ruth's story centers on this — Boaz performs the yabam role as kinsman-redeemer. This institution points directly to Christ, the ultimate Kinsman-Redeemer who takes the helpless bride, raises up an heir, and redeems the lost inheritance.