If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her. That is, marries a wife, and cohabits with her as man and wife, and after some time dislikes her, and is desirous of parting with her, and therefore takes the following wicked method to obtain it: this is to be understood of a virgin taken to wife, as the Targum of Jonathan explains it; and what follows confirms it. read more
And give occasions of speech against her ,.... Among her neighbours, who by his behaviour towards her, and by what he says of her, will be led in all company and conversation to traduce her character, and speak of her as a very bad woman: and bring up an evil name upon her ; take away her good name, and give her a bad one; defame her, and make her appear scandalous and reproachful to all that know her: though the Jews understand this not of private slander, but of bringing an action... read more
Then shall the father and the mother of the damsel take ,.... Power from the court, according to the Targum of Jonathan; having leave and licence granted them to do what follows, these were to, and would, concern themselves in such an affair, partly for the credit and reputation of their child, and partly for their own honour, who were in danger, as Jarchi observes, of coming into contempt for their ill education of her: and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity ; the sheet... read more
And the damsel's father shall say unto the elders ,.... Not her mother; hence we learn, says Jarchi, that a woman has not power (or is not allowed) to speak before men; that is, in public see 1 Corinthians 14:34 and it was most proper for a father to appear in court for her, and defend her; and if she had no parents living then, those that brought her up, her guardians, that had the education of her, and placing her out in marriage, were to undertake her cause; or, as Josephus F18 ... read more
And, lo, he hath given occasion of speech against her ,.... In the neighbourhood where they dwell; has been the cause of persons speaking reproachfully of her, as one of ill fame: saying, l found not thy daughter a maid ; so that it seems he said this not only to his neighbours, and before a court of judicature, but to the parents of the damsel: and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity ; which were brought with him, and produced in open court: and they shall spread... read more
And the elders of that city shall take the man, and chastise him. Not with words, but blows. Jarchi interprets it of beating, and so does the Talmud F24 T. Bab. Cetubot, fol. 46. 1. ; and both the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan render it,"shall beat him;' that is, with the beating or scourging of forty stripes, save one. read more
And they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver ,.... Which was about twelve pounds of our money; this was double the dowry he would have been obliged to have given her, if he had put her away; which he might have done with less trouble, and with a greater certainty of being rid of her; but being willing to save that expense, took this wicked method to accuse her falsely; and therefore is fined double that sum: and give them unto the father of the damsel ; as a sort of... read more
But if this thing be true ,.... Which the husband of the damsel laid to her charge, that she was no virgin when married to him, and she had committed whoredom, of which there was plain proof: and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel ; by her parents, or those who had the care of her; or no sufficient reason could be assigned for the want of them, through any family defect, or any disorder of her own; which, as Maimonides F26 Hilchot Ishot, c. 11. sect. 12. says, the... read more
Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house ,.... For his greater disgrace, and as a sort of punishment for his neglect of her education, not taking care to instruct her, and bring her up in a better manner: and the men of her city shall stone her with stones, that she die ; which was the death this sort of adulteresses were put to; others was by strangling, and the daughter of a priest was to be burnt; see Leviticus 20:10 , which shows that this sin was... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Deuteronomy 22:13-30
These laws relate to the seventh commandment, laying a restraint by laying a penalty upon those fleshly lusts which war against the soul. I. If a man, lusting after another woman, to get rid of his wife slander her and falsely accuse her, as not having the virginity she pretended to when he married her, upon the disproof of his slander he must be punished, Deut. 22:13-19. What the meaning of that evidence is by which the husband's accusation was to be proved false the learned are not agreed,... read more