Deuteronomy 22:13-17 Sexual Morality

 13Suppose a man marries a woman, has relations with her, and comes to hate her, 14and he then accuses her of shameful conduct and gives her a bad name, saying, “I married this woman and had relations with her, but I discovered she was not a virgin.”

15Then the young woman’s father and mother shall bring the proof of her virginity to the city elders at the gate 16and say to the elders, “I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he has come to hate her. 17And now he has accused her of shameful conduct, saying, ‘I discovered that your daughter was not a virgin.’ But here is the proof of her virginity.” And they shall spread out the cloth before the city elders.

Virginity was coveted in this culture during ancient Israel and a special cloth was used when the husband and wife had relations. The blood stained cloth was given to the wife’s parents as proof of her virginity. 

“It was seen as a great loss to give up one’s virginity before marriage, and if a woman was known to have lost her virginity, it greatly reduced her chances of getting married.”

“By the same principle, if a husband believed that his wife had lied about her virginity, he felt cheated. What follows is an attempt to resolve the issue.” (Guzik)

How times have changed!

What happens if the husband made a false accusation?

What happens to the wife if she wasn’t a virgin?

Read ahead and stayed tuned!

Blessings