Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 22:28
If a man encounters a virgin who is not pledged in marriage, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are discovered,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses addresses the assembled Israelites on the plains of Moab, delivering civil statutes immediately before their entry into the Promised Land. The verse operates as the conditional premise for a specific case of sexual violation.
The words — יִמְצָא (yim.Tza') translates literally as "he will find," and אֹרָשָׂה ('o.Ra.sah) means "she is betrothed." These terms legally separate the unpledged virgin from the betrothed woman described in Deuteronomy 22:27.
The thread — The scenario runs alongside Exodus 22:16, which addresses a man sleeping with an unpledged virgin and requires payment of the full dowry. Deuteronomy 22:29 immediately supplies the penalty for this exact case: fifty shekels of silver and permanent marriage.
Why it lands — The text states a legal boundary by defining the act of seizure and its immediate civil consequence. It requires the reader to accept that the law treats the violation as a binding economic and marital obligation rather than a private dispute.
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
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;
Cross-references
- Exodus 22:16 If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged in marriage and sleeps with her, he must pay the full dowry for her to be his wife.