Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>]

Harold,

The whole point of Deuteronomy 22:13-21 is to calm down and shut up a  
mad husband [as in the case of a supposedly SOTAH] who does not know  
[or does not want to know] that some girls are born non virgins, that  
some girls need some medical intervention to facilitate their blood  
flow during menstruation which leads to virginity loss, and that a  
good number of girls loose their virginity by some common non sexual  
activities. So an old blood stained dress is produced, he is goodly  
thrashed, goodly fined, and made to stick with his wife for the rest  
of his miserable life for wishing her stoned. The rest of them  
husbands will learn their lesson: You want to divorce you wife just  
tell her to go home.
Of course, some loving husbands are plainly forgiving.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Jul 15, 2007, at 4:02 PM, Harold Holmyard wrote:

[cut]
> HH Yes, there is a reason to believe that. Loss of virginity before
> marriage was a capital offense:
>
> Deut. 22:13 If a man takes a wife and, after lying with her,  
> dislikes her
> Deut. 22:14 and slanders her and gives her a bad name, saying, “I
> married this woman, but when I approached her, I did not find proof of
> her virginity,”
> Deut. 22:15 then the girl’s father and mother shall bring proof  
> that she
> was a virgin to the town elders at the gate.
> Deut. 22:16 The girl’s father will say to the elders, “I gave my
> daughter in marriage to this man, but he dislikes her.
> Deut. 22:17 Now he has slandered her and said, ‘I did not find your
> daughter to be a virgin.’ But here is the proof of my daughter’s
> virginity.” Then her parents shall display the cloth before the elders
> of the town,
> Deut. 22:18 and the elders shall take the man and punish him.
> Deut. 22:19 They shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give
> them to the girl’s father, because this man has given an Israelite
> virgin a bad name. She shall continue to be his wife; he must not
> divorce her as long as he lives.
> Deut. 22:20 ¶ If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the  
> girl’s
> virginity can be found,
> Deut. 22:21 she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and
> there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done a
> disgraceful thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her
> father’s house. You must purge the evil from among you.
[cut]
> Yours,
> Harold Holmyard
>
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