Deuteromony 22:28-29

[Eishiba]

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 of silver. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.

So if he rapes her, he just has to pay a bunch of money to keep her? Please help...I don't understand this...

 

[drjean]

While I agree that God set out the pattern with Adam (and Eve...) there appears to be no real laws made until given to Moshe... Here's an interesting article I read, though I am unsure I agree with everything this person writes. There was a price for a bride, simply enough, the taking of a woman's virginity. Regardless, the man must pay the bride-price whether the father allows him to marry her or not. Does that help with a different perspective? Carries a little more weight than just taking women right and left eh?

Exodus 22:16-17 lays out a clear rule: a man who sleeps with a woman must marry her. Her father can refuse (although the man must still pay the bride-price) but sex is marriage in the Law. Disturbingly, this applies even to rape (Deuteronomy 22:28-29). In the case of rape a man is also not allowed to divorce his victim. There may be social aspects that we do not understand here. In the story of the raped Tamar Amnon is disgusted by Tamar after raping her and orders her to leave. She insists that this would be even worse. One possibility (and what actually happens to Tamar) is that Tamar realizes that she will never marry if she is considered simply a raped woman. There’s certainly a strong emphasis on virginity in ancient Israel. The description of the attractive Rebekah in Genesis 24:16 includes, seemingly as an accolade, that no man had known her (a good Hebraic euphemism for sex). Additionally, based on context, “the bride-price for virgins” appears to be the highest bride price in the aforementioned Exodus 22:16-17. At the same time, divorced women did remarry and so the picture is not entirely clear.

Women and Marriage in the Old Testament

 

[badatusernames]

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 of silver. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.

So if he rapes her, he just has to pay a bunch of money to keep her? Please help...I don't understand this...

To us, yes, this a very shocking if not disturbing passage in scripture. However, this was a completely different time and culture that was very shame based, especially in regards to women and sex. In a shame based culture where a young woman's most valuable asset is her virginity, that's actually a very merciful law for the woman. If she cries for help being raped, he is punished because he has to pay her dowry, marry her and unable to divorce, and she is protected from false accusations from him, which would result in her being stoned to death. That's only if she was not married or pledged to be married, if a married woman or engaged woman is raped, he is stoned to death (verse 25). I don't know anyone alive today who thinks that a woman should be forced to marry her rapist, but if you look at in that context, it's how they punished the man and saved the woman from further harm.

 

[Winken]

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 of silver. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.

So if he rapes her, he just has to pay a bunch of money to keep her? Please help...I don't understand this...

That was the procedure under the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible. It has not been even close to a procedure since the Cross.

 

[Eishiba]

Oh Lord...I pray I would come to understand this...its just so troubling...

 

[Sarah G]

I haven't touched Leviticus or Deuteronomy for years, they are not necessary to follow Lord Jesus Christ.