A man recently told me that after three and a half years of studying the bible on his own he decided he no longer believed in God and is now an atheist. One of the reasons he gave, referring the law code in Deuteronomy 22, was that “rape victims must marry their rapist after he pays her father some money for her”.
Indeed, sincere Christians have attempted to rationalize Deuteronomy 22:28,29 as it has been translated in many modern translations. For instance Marg Mowczko explains that the law doesn’t actually require her to marry “the rapist” as she goes on to reasoning why it may be good based on cultural circumstances.
However, let us examine the words of God’s word a little closer.
The Hebrew word שָׁכַב shakab means “to lie down” and is basically a euphemism for sex.
Deuteronomy 22 establishes the conditions and consequences of four forms of sex:
- adultery (Deut 22:22),
- fornication (Deut 22:23),
- rape חָזַק chazaq (Deut 22:25),
- seduction תָּפַשׂ taphas (Deut 22:28)
King David’s daughter, Tamar, was raped by her brother in the account of 2 Samuel 13:1-14:
He took hold of her (חָזַק chazaq) and said, “Come, lie with me, my sister!” … and being stronger (חָזַק chazaq), he violated her, and raped (שָׁכַב shakab) her.
2 Samuel 13:11,14
The word חָזַק chazaq describes using force and describes the form of sex (שָׁכַב shakab), in this case translated as rape, as it was forced and n0n-consensual sex.
Likewise we find חָזַק chazaq used to describe the gang rape of the woman in Judges 19:
So the man seized (חָזַק chazaq) his concubine and brought her out to them; and they raped (יָדַע yada: to know) her and abused her all night until morning, then let her go at the approach of dawn. … When he reached his house, he picked up a knife, took hold (חָזַק chazaq) of his concubine, cut her limb by limb into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout the territory of Israel.
Judges 19:25,29
This is sex by use of force (חָזַק chazaq).
Thus by these two narratives of rape we are able to understand the conditions of Deuteronomy 22:25 where the woman is raped in the field, why she screamed, and why it is likened to the scenario of a man being attacked and murdered. She is innocent.
Let’s consider the account of Dinah:
Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to observe the daughters of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her (שָׁכַב shakab), and defiled her.
Genesis 34:1,2
Did he kidnap her? Rape her? Consider the Douay-Rheims Bible translation:
…he was in love with her: and took her away, and lay with her, ravishing the virgin. And his soul was fast knit unto her, and whereas she was sad, he comforted her with sweet words.
Genesis 34:2,3 Douay-Rheims Bible
se- ‘away, apart’ + ducere ‘to lead’.
Etymology of Seduce
Stripping away the interpretation out of translations and returning to the word for word story as written we see she was not taken in the sense of taking a wife or referring to a euphemism for sex, but that Shechem took her from where she went to see the daughters of the land to where they lay down as he seduced her into having sex. Thus she was defiled.
Her brothers explain,
Shechem had committed an outrage against Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done… “We cannot do such a thing,” they said. “To give our sister to an uncircumcised man would be a disgrace to us.”
… “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?”
Genesis 34:7,14
It appears Dinah’s story becomes the model we see with the law code regarding the seduction of a virgin free to marry in Deuteronomy 22:28.
Strong’s Concordance defines תָּפַשׂ taphas (Deuteronomy 22:28) as having been “manipulated” “caught” and “used unwarrantably”. This is “to hold” as in an attempt to seduce. We recall Potiphar’s wife’s attempt to seduce Joseph in Genesis 39:12:
She caught (תָּפַשׂ taphas) him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside.
Genesis 39:12
Force was not (חָזַק chazaq) used in the case of Dinah, nor Deuteronomy 22:28: the women were seduced, and this is why in Deuteronomy it is said that “they are found”.
The law does not require a woman to marry a man who has raped her.
That the law states that “they are found” shows that she is as guilty as the man who lay with her. “They were found” and the consequence is not as much that he would marry her with a traditional bride price per custom, but more that he cannot divorce her in the future.
A virgin free to marry seduced into sex with a man becomes ‘one’ all the same, as Paul said:
Or don’t you know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”
1 Corinthians 6:16
The law protects the woman in this case, from being a “one night stand”, as well as prevents promiscuity on the part of all young virgins, male and female.
The law does not require a woman to marry a man who has raped her.
Now in the scenario at Deuteronomy 22:23 the woman is engaged, was not forced, neither was she was seduced, but chose to sleep with another man breaking her vow. In this case in modern days we would call her actions fornication, however in the time of ancient Israel it was considered the same as adultery as she had already committed herself to her betrothed.
The verses considered in this study make clear why it is so important that we concern ourselves with having accurate bible translation.
For example,
- compare Deuteronomy 22:28 in the New International Version versus the New Living Translation (see parallel) while keeping in mind that the sense that a man “lays hold of her” (תָּפַשׂ taphas) is the same as “handling” the harp and flute (Gen 4:21)
- compare Genesis 34:2 the King James Bible (accurate) and Douay-Rheims Bible (accurately amplified) or Darby Bible Translation and English Revised Version versus the Contemporary English Version or Good News Translation, et al.
Let us not confuse a virgin being seduced into sex with a woman being raped.
Dinah was seduced—led away, literally, whereas Tamar was raped.
Deuteronomy 22:25 is a case of rape as indicated by the use of force— חָזַק chazaq is by force.
Deuteronomy 22:28 is not a case of rape, despite translations— תָּפַשׂ taphas is not forced sex.
In conclusion, the bible has never suggested a woman marry a man who has raped her.
| Adultery, Fornication Deuteronomy 22:22,23 שָׁכַב shakab | Rape Deuteronomy 22:25 חָזַק chazaq שָׁכַב shakab | Seduction Deuteronomy 22:28 תָּפַשׂ taphas שָׁכַב shakab |
| oBible 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 | oBible 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; | oBible 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; |
| New International Version If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, | New International Version But if out in the country a man happens to meet a young woman pledged to be married and rapes her, only the man who has done this shall die. | New International Version If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, |
| New Living Translation “Suppose a man meets a young woman, a virgin who is engaged to be married, and he has sexual intercourse with her. If this happens within a town, | New Living Translation “But if the man meets the engaged woman out in the country, and he rapes her, then only the man must die. | New Living Translation “Suppose a man has intercourse with a young woman who is a virgin but is not engaged to be married. If they are discovered, |
| English Standard Version “If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city and lies with her, | English Standard Version “But if in the open country a man meets a young woman who is betrothed, and the man seizes her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die. | English Standard Version “If a man meets a virgin who is not betrothed, and seizes her and lies with her, and they are found, |
| Berean Study Bible If there is a virgin pledged in marriage to a man, and another man encounters her in the city and sleeps with her, | Berean Study Bible But if the man encounters a betrothed woman in the open country, and he overpowers her and rapes her, only the man who has done this must die. | Berean Study Bible If a man encounters a virgin who is not pledged in marriage, and he overpowers her and rapes her, and they are discovered, |
| New American Standard Bible “If there is a girl who is a virgin engaged to a man, and another man finds her in the city and lies with her, | New American Standard Bible “But if in the field the man finds the girl who is engaged, and the man forces her and lies with her, then only the man who lies with her shall die. | New American Standard Bible “If a man finds a girl who is a virgin, who is not engaged, and seizes her and lies with her and they are discovered, |
| King James Bible If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; | King James Bible 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: | King James Bible 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; |
| Christian Standard Bible If there is a young woman who is a virgin engaged to a man, and another man encounters her in the city and sleeps with her, | Christian Standard Bible But if the man encounters an engaged woman in the open country, and he seizes and rapes her, only the man who raped her must die. | Christian Standard Bible If a man encounters a young woman, a virgin who is not engaged, takes hold of her and rapes her, and they are discovered, |
| Contemporary English Version If a man is caught in town having sex with an engaged woman who isn’t screaming for help, they both must be put to death. | Contemporary English Version If an engaged woman is raped out in the country, only the man will be put to death. | Contemporary English Version Suppose a woman isn’t engaged to be married, and a man forces her to have sex with him. If he is caught, |
| Good News Translation “Suppose a man is caught in a town having intercourse with a young woman who is engaged to someone else. | Good News Translation “Suppose a man out in the countryside rapes a young woman who is engaged to someone else. Then only the man is to be put to death; | Good News Translation “Suppose a man is caught raping a young woman who is not engaged. |
| Holman Christian Standard Bible If there is a young woman who is a virgin engaged to a man, and another man encounters her in the city and has sex with her, | Holman Christian Standard Bible But if the man encounters an engaged woman in the open country, and he seizes and rapes her, only the man who raped her must die. | Holman Christian Standard Bible If a man encounters a young woman, a virgin who is not engaged, takes hold of her and rapes her, and they are discovered, |
| International Standard Version “If a man meets a young virgin lady engaged to be married in the city and has sexual relations with her, | International Standard Version “If a man meets a girl in the country who is engaged to be married and then rapes her, the man alone—the one who had sexual relations with her—must die. | International Standard Version “However, if a man meets a girl who isn’t engaged to be married, and he seizes her, rapes her, and is later found out, |
| NET Bible If a virgin is engaged to a man and another man meets her in the city and has sexual relations with her, | NET Bible But if the man came across the engaged woman in the field and overpowered her and raped her, then only the rapist must die. | NET Bible Suppose a man comes across a virgin who is not engaged and overpowers and rapes her and they are discovered. |
| New Heart English Bible If there is a young lady who is a virgin pledged to be married to a husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; | New Heart English Bible But if the man find the lady who is pledged to be married in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her; then the man only who lay with her shall die: | New Heart English Bible If a man find a lady who is a virgin, who is not pledged to be married, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; |
| GOD’S WORD® Translation This is what you must do when a man has sexual intercourse with a virgin who is engaged to another man. If this happens in a city, | GOD’S WORD® Translation But if a man rapes an engaged girl out in the country, then only the man must die. | GOD’S WORD® Translation This is what you must do when a man rapes a virgin who isn’t engaged. When the crime is discovered, |
| JPS Tanakh 1917 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; | JPS Tanakh 1917 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. | JPS Tanakh 1917 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; |
| New American Standard 1977 “If there is a girl who is a virgin engaged to a man, and another man finds her in the city and lies with her, | New American Standard 1977 “But if in the field the man finds the girl who is engaged, and the man forces her and lies with her, then only the man who lies with her shall die. | New American Standard 1977 “If a man finds a girl who is a virgin, who is not engaged, and seizes her and lies with her and they are discovered, |
| Jubilee Bible 2000 When a damsel that is a virgin is betrothed unto a husband and a man finds her in the city and lies with her, | Jubilee Bible 2000 But if the man found a betrothed damsel in the field and the man forced her and lay with her; then only the man that lay with her shall die; | Jubilee Bible 2000 When a man finds a damsel that is a virgin who is not betrothed and lays hold on her and lies with her, and they are found, |
| King James 2000 Bible If a young woman that is a virgin be betrothed unto a husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; | King James 2000 Bible But if a man find a betrothed young woman in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die: | King James 2000 Bible If a man find a young woman that is a virgin, who is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; |
| American King James Version If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed to an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; | American King James Version 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. | American King James Version 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; |
| American Standard Version If there be a damsel that is a virgin betrothed unto a husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; | American Standard Version But if the man find the damsel that is betrothed in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her; then the man only that lay with her shall die: | American Standard Version 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; |
| Brenton Septuagint Translation And if there be a young damsel espoused to a man, and a man should have found her in the city and have lain with her; | Brenton Septuagint Translation But if a man find in the field a damsel that is betrothed, and he should force her and lie with her, ye shall slay the man that lay with her only. | Brenton Septuagint Translation And if any one should find a young virgin who has not been betrothed, and should force her and lie with her, and be found, |
| Douay-Rheims Bible If a man have espoused a damsel that is a virgin, and some one find her in the city, and lie with her, | Douay-Rheims Bible But if a man find a damsel that is betrothed, in the field, and taking hold of her, lie with her, he alone shall die: | Douay-Rheims Bible If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, who is not espoused, and taking her, lie with her, and the matter come to judgment : |
| Darby Bible Translation If a damsel, a virgin, be betrothed to some one, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her, | Darby Bible Translation 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; | Darby Bible Translation If a man find a damsel, a virgin, who is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found, |
| English Revised Version If there be a damsel that is a virgin betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; | English Revised Version But if the man find the damsel that is betrothed in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her; then the man only that lay with her shall die: | English Revised Version 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; |
| Webster’s Bible Translation If a damsel that is a virgin shall be betrothed to a husband, and a man shall find her in the city, and lie with her; | Webster’s Bible Translation But if a man shall find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man shall force her, and lie with her; then the man only that lay with her shall die: | Webster’s Bible Translation If a man shall find a damsel that is a virgin, who is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; |
| World English Bible If there is a young lady who is a virgin pledged to be married to a husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; | World English Bible But if the man find the lady who is pledged to be married in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her; then the man only who lay with her shall die: | World English Bible If a man find a lady who is a virgin, who is not pledged to be married, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; |
| Young’s Literal Translation ‘When there is a damsel, a virgin, betrothed to a man, and a man hath found her in a city, and lain with her; | Young’s Literal Translation ‘And if in a field the man find the damsel who is betrothed, and the man hath laid hold on her, and lain with her, then hath the man who hath lain with her died alone; | Young’s Literal Translation ‘When a man findeth a damsel, a virgin who is not betrothed, and hath caught her, and lain with her, and they have been found, |