United Commentaries

Deut.22.1

don’t ignore your responsibility: An individual was not to avoid a troubled scene by pretending not to see what was going on. To do so would be a failure of the individual’s responsibility to the covenant community.

Deut.22.5

Adopting the dress and behavior of the opposite gender unnaturally blurs the lines between things that should be kept separate and distinct (also 22:9-11).

Deut.22.9

any other crop between the rows: This would bring about a mingling of things that should be kept separate.

Deut.22.10

Plowing with an ox and a donkey would be inefficient; this example illustrates the principle of separation and order (see also 2 Cor 6:14-18).

Deut.22.11

Keeping wool and linen separate illustrated Israel’s separation as God’s holy people (see also Lev 19:19).

Deut.22.12

Placing four tassels on the hem of a garment probably reminded the wearer to be loyal to the covenant, similar to tying a string around one’s finger (see Num 15:37-41).

Deut.22.14

A husband who discovered evidence that his wife had lost her virginity prior to marriage (see 22:15) would accuse her of shameful conduct.

Deut.22.15

proof of her virginity: A blood-stained cloth would indicate that the woman’s hymen was ruptured by her first act of intercourse with her husband.

Deut.22.17

The bed sheet (literally covering) might also have been a garment of some kind, such as a nightgown.

Deut.22.19

100 pieces of silver: The husband, who had already paid the woman’s father the normal bride price, must now pay additional compensation for defaming her character.

Deut.22.21

by being promiscuous (literally acting as a prostitute): A single act of sexual intercourse by an unmarried woman was enough to earn this disgraceful label and the death penalty.

Deut.22.24

Because betrothal was tantamount to marriage in the Old Testament, another man’s wife in this passage technically refers to a fiancée.

Deut.22.29

fifty pieces of silver: The father could still expect a dowry for his unmarried daughter (see Gen 34:12; Exod 22:16).

he must marry: The assumption is that the girl and her father were willing to undertake the arrangement (see Exod 22:17).

Deut.22.30

The phrase his father’s former wife does not refer to a man’s own mother because incest was a more serious crime (see Lev 18:7-8, 29).