And seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife;
Parallel translations
- WEB and see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you have a desire to her, and desire to take her as your wife;
- BSB if you see a beautiful woman among them, and you desire her and want to take her as your wife,
- NKJV and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and desire her and would take her for your wife,
- NASB and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and are strongly attracted to her and would take her as a wife for yourself,
- NLT And suppose you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you are attracted to her and want to marry her.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
If a soldier desires a beautiful captive woman as a wife, the following law governs how he must proceed. Desire must be channeled through lawful, regulated marriage, not abuse.
Overview
The law acknowledges a real situation and, rather than permitting immediate exploitation, requires the man to take the woman as a full wife under strict conditions. This stands in stark contrast to surrounding cultures. By demanding marriage and the protections that follow, the law upholds the woman's dignity and restrains the conqueror, revealing God's compassion for the powerless.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Prov 31:10Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
- Gen 34:8And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife.
- Gen 12:14–15And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.
- Prov 6:25Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
- Gen 34:3And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel.
- Gen 29:18–20And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.
- Num 31:18But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
- Gen 6:2That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
- Judg 14:2–3And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.
- Prov 31:30Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 21:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.