seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Deuteronomy 22:28 If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, 29 he shall pay her father fifty shekels[c] of silver. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.
30 A man is not to marry his father’s wife; he must not dishonor his father’s bed.[d]
30 A man is not to marry his father’s wife; he must not dishonor his father’s bed.[d]
a. Deuteronomy 22:29 That is, about 1 1/4 pounds or about 575 grams
b. Deuteronomy 22:30 In Hebrew texts this verse (22:30) is numbered 23:1
Here are three packed verses..... The normal commentaries hardly mention them.
This is from gotquestions.org. The title of the article is Does Deuteronomy 22:28-29 command a rape victim to marry her rapist?
Together, these passages clearly state that if a man has sex with a virgin who is not betrothed (regardless of whether or not it was rape or consensual) he is obliged to marry her. He should have sought her father's permission first, negotiated a bride-price, and taken her as his wife. Because he did not, he is punished for this—he now must pay up (he can't opt out any more) and marry her (which could be a major punishment in itself if this was a foolish, spur-of-the-moment act and she really wasn't the right woman for him!).
Also note that "he may not divorce her all his days" – this initially doesn't seem significant but is actually a major punishment.
Also note that "he may not divorce her all his days" – this initially doesn't seem significant but is actually a major punishment.
In that culture, virginity was highly prized. It would have been very difficult for a woman who was not a virgin, and especially a woman who had been raped, to find a man to marry her.
In that culture, a woman without a husband would have a very difficult time providing for herself. Unmarried women often had no choice but to sell themselves into slavery or prostitution just to survive. This is why the passage leaves marriage to the discretion of the father, because every situation is different, and it is better to be flexible than have a blanket rule.
IMHO verses 28-29 aren't about rape.... How many of us flirted with no one but our spouse before marriage? Sometimes things get out of hand before the "accepted route" is completed. This might have been a young couple who would have been engaged in the very near future... and things got out of hand.... know what I mean?
Verse 30 is a horse of a different color. I went to GodVine for this commentary.
This is to be understood as referring to the case of a stepmother. A man in his old age may have married a young wife, and on his dying, his son by a former wife may desire to espouse her: this the law prohibits. It was probably on pretense of having broken this law, that Solomon put his brother Adonijah to death, because he had desired to have his father's concubine to wife, 1 Kings 2:13-25.
Complicated stuff to deal with....
