Deuteronomy 22:25 (WEB)
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;
As quoted in the map (KJV)
Deuteronomy 22:25–27 (KJV)
25 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: 26 But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter: 27 For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.
Key words
- הַנַּעֲרָ הַמְאֹרָשָׂהhanna'ara hame'orasah · Hebrew
- 'the betrothed damsel' — betrothed, yet already treated as a wife: the man who violates her dies as for adultery.
- כַּאֲשֶׁר יָקוּם אִישׁ עַל־רֵעֵהוּ וּרְצָחוֹka'asher yaqum ish al-re'ehu uretsacho · Hebrew
- 'as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him' — the violation of a betrothed woman is put on the level of murder.
Why it matters
The Law treats relations between a betrothed woman and another man as adultery, punishable by death. Pitre cites these verses to establish that Jewish betrothal was already a binding marriage (p 93): when Gabriel comes, Mary is legally Joseph's wife. That makes her question, 'How shall this be, since I know not man?', inexplicable for a bride expecting ordinary married life — unless she intended to remain a virgin.
Fathers and councils · 3
Catena Aurea on Matthew
- JeromeCatena Aurea on Matthew
“…a virgin that is betrothed to a man in the field, and offer violence to her, and lie with her, he shall die, because he hath humbled his neighbour’s wife.” [Deut 22:25]” — the author cites it
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Jerome
“Let her read the books of Moses and she will find that if violence is offered to a betrothed virgin in a city and she does not cry out, she is punished as an adulteress: but if she is forced in the field, she is innocent of sin and her ravisher alone is amenable to the laws.” — editor's note: Deut. xxii. 23–27.
Read the whole comment“The following evidence from Deuteronomy establishes the point.” — editor's note: Deut. xxii. 24, 25.
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Cross-references · 1
Cited together in Jerome on Matthew 1:20 (Catena Aurea).