Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Harold Holmyard <hholmyard3 AT earthlink.net>]

Dear Isaac,
> 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.

HH: Did you read the entire passage? The woman found not to have been a 
virgin at marriage was to be stoned to death. This law is dealing with 
several issues. But it shows that God puts a premium on sexual purity, 
and that he expected it of the women in Israel before marriage.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard
> > 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.