Exodus 22:16-17
New English Translation
Moral and Ceremonial Laws
16 [a] “If a man seduces a virgin[b] who is not engaged[c] and goes to bed[d] with her, he must surely pay the marriage price[e] for her to be his wife. 17 If her father refuses to give her to him, he must pay money for the bride price of virgins.
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- Exodus 22:16 sn The second half of the chapter records various laws of purity and justice. Any of them could be treated in an expository way, but in the present array they offer a survey of God’s righteous standards: Maintain the sanctity of marriage (16-17); maintain the purity of religious institutions (18-20), maintain the rights of human beings (21-28), maintain the rights of Yahweh (29-31).
- Exodus 22:16 tn This is the word בְּתוּלָה (betulah); it describes a young woman who is not married or a young woman engaged to be married; in any case, she is presumed to be a virgin.
- Exodus 22:16 tn Or “pledged” for marriage.
- Exodus 22:16 tn Heb “lied down with.” The verb שָׁכַב (shakav) “to lie down” can imply going to bed to sleep or be a euphemism for sexual relations.
- Exodus 22:16 tn The verb מָהַר (mahar) means “pay the marriage price,” and the related noun is the bride price. B. Jacob says this was a proposal gift and not a purchase price (Exodus, 700). This is the price paid to her parents, which allowed for provision should there be a divorce. The amount was usually agreed on by the two families, but the price was higher for a pure bride from a noble family. Here, the one who seduces her must pay it, regardless of whether he marries her or not.
Exodus 22:16-17
Expanded Bible
Laws and Relationships
16 “Suppose a man finds a woman who is not ·pledged [engaged] to be married and ·has never had sexual relations with a man [L is a virgin]. If he ·tricks [or seduces] her into having sexual relations with him, he must give ·her family the payment to marry [L the bride-price for] her, and she will become his wife. 17 But if her father refuses to allow his daughter to marry him, the man must still give the usual ·payment for a bride who has never had sexual relations [bride-price for a virgin].
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Exodus 22:16-17
New International Version
Social Responsibility
16 “If a man seduces a virgin(A) who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price,(B) and she shall be his wife. 17 If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins.
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