Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 22:16
and say to the elders, “I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he has come to hate her.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The father of the young woman addresses the city elders at the gate immediately after the couple’s arrival. He speaks to counter the husband’s claim that she was not a virgin at their wedding.
The words — וְ/אָמַר (ve./'a.Mar) translates literally as "and he will say," marking the father’s direct verbal response. נָתַ֜תִּי (na.Ta.ti) means "I gave," stating the father’s factual account of the marital transfer.
The thread — This verse belongs to the legal procedure for resolving false accusations of premarital unfaithfulness in Deuteronomy 22. The text establishes a formal civic process where family testimony and physical evidence determine marital rights and public reputation.
Why it lands — The passage requires a reader to recognize that ancient Israelite law resolved marital disputes through public testimony and documented evidence rather than private judgment. It asks the reader to observe how civic authority and familial responsibility intersect to protect both the woman’s reputation and the integrity of the legal record.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the damsel’s father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her;