Deuteronomy 22:13-19

Purity in the Marriage Relationship

22:13 Suppose a man marries a woman, has sexual relations with her, ¹  and then rejects ²  her, 22:14 accusing her of impropriety ³  and defaming her reputation ⁴  by saying, “I married this woman but when I had sexual relations ⁵  with her I discovered she was not a virgin!” 22:15 Then the father and mother of the young woman must produce the evidence of virginity ⁶  for the elders of the city at the gate. 22:16 The young woman’s father must say to the elders, “I gave my daughter to this man and he has rejected ⁷  her. 22:17 Moreover, he has raised accusations of impropriety by saying, ‘I discovered your daughter was not a virgin,’ but this is the evidence of my daughter’s virginity!” The cloth must then be spread out ⁸  before the city’s elders. 22:18 The elders of that city must then seize the man and punish ⁹  him. 22:19 They will fine him one hundred shekels of silver and give them to the young woman’s father, for the man who made the accusation ¹⁰  ruined the reputation ¹¹  of an Israelite virgin. She will then become his wife and he may never divorce her as long as he lives.

[22:13]  ¹ tn Heb “goes to her,” a Hebrew euphemistic idiom for sexual relations.

[22:13]  ² tn Heb “hate.” See note on the word “other” in Deut 21:15. Cf. NAB “comes to dislike”; NASB “turns against”; TEV “decides he doesn’t want.”

[22:14]  ³ tn Heb “deeds of things”; NRSV “makes up charges against her”; NIV “slanders her.”

[22:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “brings against her a bad name”; NIV “gives her a bad name.”

[22:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “drew near to her.” This is another Hebrew euphemism for having sexual relations.

[22:15]  ⁶ sn In light of v. 17 this would evidently be blood-stained sheets indicative of the first instance of intercourse. See E. H. Merrill, Deuteronomy (NAC), 302-3.

[22:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “hated.” See note on the word “other” in Deut 21:15.

[22:17]  ⁸ tn Heb “they will spread the garment.”

[22:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “discipline.”

[22:19]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “for he”; the referent (the man who made the accusation) has been specified in the translation to avoid confusion with the young woman’s father, the last-mentioned male.

[22:19]  ¹¹ tn Heb “brought forth a bad name.”