If there is a young lady who is a virgin pledged to be married to a husband, and a man finds her in the city, and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones; the lady, because she didn’t cry, being in the city; and the man, because he has humbled his neighbor’s wife. So you shall remove the evil from among you. But if the man finds the lady who is pledged to be married in the field, and the man forces her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die; but to the lady you shall do nothing. There is in the lady no sin worthy of death; for as when a man rises against his neighbor and kills him, even so is this matter; for he found her in the field, the pledged to be married lady cried, and there was no one to save her. If a man finds a lady who is a virgin, who is not pledged to be married, grabs her and lies with her, and they are found, then the man who lay with her shall give to the lady’s father fifty shekels of silver. She shall be his wife, because he has humbled her. He may not put her away all his days.
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Deuteronomy 22:23-29 sits inside this longer paragraph.
If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both die, the man who lay with the woman and the woman. So you shall remove the evil from Israel. If there is a young lady who is a virgin pledged to be married to a husband, and a man finds her in the city, and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones; the lady, because she didn’t cry, being in the city; and the man, because he has humbled his neighbor’s wife. So you shall remove the evil from among you. But if the man finds the lady who is pledged to be married in the field, and the man forces her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die; but to the lady you shall do nothing. There is in the lady no sin worthy of death; for as when a man rises against his neighbor and kills him, even so is this matter; for he found her in the field, the pledged to be married lady cried, and there was no one to save her. If a man finds a lady who is a virgin, who is not pledged to be married, grabs her and lies with her, and they are found, then the man who lay with her shall give to the lady’s father fifty shekels of silver. She shall be his wife, because he has humbled her. He may not put her away all his days. A man shall not take his father’s wife, and shall not uncover his father’s skirt.
Parallel Translations
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If there is a young lady who is a virgin pledged to be married to a husband, and a man finds her in the city, and lies with her,
then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones; the lady, because she didn’t cry, being in the city; and the man, because he has humbled his neighbor’s wife. So you shall remove the evil from among you.
But if the man finds the lady who is pledged to be married in the field, and the man forces her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die;
but to the lady you shall do nothing. There is in the lady no sin worthy of death; for as when a man rises against his neighbor and kills him, even so is this matter;
for he found her in the field, the pledged to be married lady cried, and there was no one to save her.
If a man finds a lady who is a virgin, who is not pledged to be married, grabs her and lies with her, and they are found,
then the man who lay with her shall give to the lady’s father fifty shekels of silver. She shall be his wife, because he has humbled her. He may not put her away all his days.
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If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;
Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour’s wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.
But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die:
But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter:
For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.
If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found;
Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.
Show all 3 translations
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If there be a damsel that is a virgin betrothed unto a man, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;
then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die: the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour's wife; so thou shalt put away the evil from the midst of thee.
But if the man find the damsel that is betrothed in the field, and the man take hold of her, and lie with her; then the man only that lay with her shall die.
But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death; for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter.
For he found her in the field; the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.
If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, that is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found;
then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he hath humbled her; he may not put her away all his days.
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (1)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Commandments (5)
The laws of the Torah, each cited and shown as a primary source.
- To execute capital punishment by stoning when prescribed
- To adjudicate the case of a man who violates an unbetrothed virgin
- The man who violates a virgin shall marry her and may never divorce her
Show all 5
Cross-references (17)
- Exodus 22:16-17 (v28) “If a man entices a virgin who isn’t pledged to be married, and lies with her, he shall surely pay a dowry for her to be his wife. If her…
- Deuteronomy 22:19 (v29) They shall fine him one hundred shekels of silver, and give them to the father of the young lady, because he has given a bad name to a…
- Deuteronomy 21:14 (vv24, 29) It shall be, if you have no delight in her, then you shall let her go where she desires; but you shall not sell her at all for money. You…
- Deuteronomy 22:24 (v29) then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones; the lady, because she didn’t…
- 2 Samuel 13:14 (v25) However he would not listen to her voice; but being stronger than she, he forced her, and lay with her.
Show all 16 cross-references
- Matthew 1:18-19 (v23) Now the birth of Jesus Christ was like this: After his mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found…
- Deuteronomy 21:22 (v26) If a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree,
- Deuteronomy 22:21-22 (v24) then they shall bring out the young lady to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones,…
- 1 Corinthians 5:13 (v24) But those who are outside, God judges. “Put away the wicked man from among yourselves.”
- Genesis 29:21 (v24) Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.”
- Deuteronomy 13:5 (v24) That prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death, because he has spoken rebellion against Yahweh your God, who brought you…
- Deuteronomy 20:7 (v23) What man is there who has pledged to be married to a wife, and has not taken her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the…
- Matthew 1:20 (v24) But when he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be…
- Matthew 1:24 (v24) Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took his wife to himself;
- 1 Corinthians 5:2 (v24) You are arrogant, and didn’t mourn instead, that he who had done this deed might be removed from among you.
- 1 Corinthians 13:7 (v27) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.
16 distinct cross-references across this passage (17 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (12 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv24, 26 Or, defiled.
Or, defiled.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv24, 25, 29 Deu 22:24 Then ye shall bring them both out…
Deu 22:24 Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, [being] in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour’s wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.
Ver. 24. Humbled his neighbour’s wife.] So called, because betrothed, Quia nuptias facit consensus, non concubitus, as the lawyers determine it.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv23–29 By this betrothing she had actually engaged herself to…
By this betrothing she had actually engaged herself to another man, and was in some sort his with, and therefore is sometimes so called, as Gen 29:21; Mat 1:20.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv23–29 Then ye shall bring them both out unto the…
Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of the city,.... Where the fact was committed; the Targum of Jonathan is,"to the gate of the court of judicature, which is in that city:"
and ye shall stone them with stones, that they die; a man that lay with a married woman, he and she were to be strangled; but this sort of adulterers and adulteresses were to be stoned, and it is thought that of this sort was the woman spoken of in Joh 8:3,
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the damsel because she cried not, being in the city, and the man because he hath humbled his neighbour's wife; as she was by espousal, by contract, by promise, and so was guilty of adultery, which was punishable with death:
so thou shall put away evil from among you; see Deu 22:21.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv24, 26, 27, 29 She cried not - And therefore is justly presumed…
She cried not - And therefore is justly presumed to have consented to it.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v25 Verse 25. And the man force her] A rape…
Verse 25. And the man force her] A rape also, by these ancient institutions, was punished with death, because a woman's honour was considered equally as precious as her life; therefore the same punishment was inflicted on the ravisher as upon the murderer. This offence is considered in the same point of view in the British laws, and by them also it is punished with death.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv24, 29 Deu 22:24-27. She cried not — And therefore is…
Deu 22:24-27. She cried not — And therefore is justly presumed to have consented to it. As when a man riseth against his neighbour, even so is this matter — Not an act of choice, but of force and constraint. The damsel cried — Which is in that case to be presumed; charity obliging us to believe the best, till the contrary be manifest.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv23, 24, 25, 29
CHAPTER XXII.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv23–29 23. betrothed] see on Deu_20:7.
23. betrothed] see on Deu_20:7.
in the city] Cp. Deu_22:24. In the city she would have been heard had she cried, but as she did not she must have been a consenting party.
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23–27. Of Intercourse with a Betrothed Virgin: (1) Deu_22:23 f., with her consent, in which case both she and the man are stoned, as in the case of Adultery (Deu_22:22), for the bride-price having been paid at betrothal the woman is as good as married (Gen_29:21, Joe_1:8); (2) Deu_22:25-27, without her consent, in which case the man alone dies and nothing is done to the woman. These two laws are peculiar to D. Note in Deu_22:24 the Pl. address, and also in Deu_22:26 according to Sam. LXX, but Heb. has here the Sg.
For such cases Ḫammurabi has but one law, § 130: If a man has ravished another’s betrothed, who is virgin, while still in her father’s house, and has been caught in the act, that man shall die, but the woman go free. Among the Arabs if the woman is unmarried her relatives are not obliged to kill her, but no one may marry her (Musil, Ethn. Ber. 210).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv23, 28 Deu_22:23-27. PURITY OF THE BETROTHED.
Deu_22:23-27. PURITY OF THE BETROTHED.
(24) His neighbour’s wife.—It is evident from the language of this precept that a betrothed virgin in Israel is regarded as a wife. The man who humbles her “hath humbled his neighbour’s wife.” This illustrates the language of Matthew 1 Joseph, when Mary was found with child, sought to put her away (as though she were already his wife). The angel said to him, “Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife.” He “took unto him his wife.” From the construction of this law it follows that Jesus was the son of Joseph, according to the Scripture. The Evangelists do not seem to think it worth while to prove that He was the son of David except through his father (in law).
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv23, 25, 28 General Information:
General Information:
Moses speaks to the Israelites as if they were one man, so the word "you" is singular. (See: Forms of You)
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engaged to a man
"who is promised to marry a man"
take ... and stone
These commands are addressed to Israel as a group and so are plural. (See: Forms of You)
take both of them
"then you must bring both the girl and the man who slept with her"
because she did not cry out
"because she did not call for help"
because he violated his neighbor's wife
The Israelites at that time thought of a man and woman who had engaged each other for marriage as husband and wife. The full meaning of this statement can be made explicit. AT: "because he slept with a girl who belongs to a fellow Israelite" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
you will remove the evil from among you
The adjective "evil" can be translated as a noun phrase. AT: "you must remove from among the Israelites the person who does this evil thing" or "you must execute this evil person" (See: Nominal Adjectives)
translationWords
virgin
gate
stone
die
evil
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv24, 29 22:24 Because betrothal was tantamount to marriage in the…
22:24 Because betrothal was tantamount to marriage in the Old Testament, another man’s wife in this passage technically refers to a fiancée.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.