Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 22:25
But if the man encounters a betrothed woman in the open country, and he overpowers her and lies with her, only the man who has done this must die.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses addresses the Israelite assembly with covenant statutes to govern their conduct before entering Canaan. The verse operates as a legal clarification within a sequence regulating sexual violence and marital status.
The words — בַּ/שָּׂדֶ֞ה (ba./sa.Deh) translates literally to "in the open country," and הַ/מְאֹ֣רָשָׂ֔ה (ha/m.'O.ra.Sah) means "the betrothed." These terms establish the precise geographic and relational conditions that trigger the ruling.
The thread — The location-based distinction runs through the immediate context of Deuteronomy 22:24 and Deuteronomy 22:26, which contrast the city scenario with the open country scenario. The narrative of Amnon’s violation in 2 Samuel 13:14 mirrors the physical coercion described here but operates outside this legal framework.
Why it lands — The text demands a reader to recognize that geographic setting determines legal culpability, removing the woman’s guilt when she cannot cry out. It requires applying the same standard of justice to the aggressor as to a murderer, without extending punishment to the victim.
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
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:
Cross-references
- 2 Samuel 13:14 But Amnon refused to listen to her, and being stronger, he violated her and lay with her.