and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and desire her and would take her for your 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;
- KJV And seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife;
- BSB if you see a beautiful woman among them, and you desire her and want to take her as 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 worthy woman? For her price is far above rubies.
- Gen 34:8Hamor talked with them, saying, “The soul of my son, Shechem, longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife.
- Gen 12:14–15When Abram had come into Egypt, Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.
- Prov 6:25Don’t lust after her beauty in your heart, neither let her captivate you with her eyelids.
- Gen 34:3His soul joined to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young lady, and spoke kindly to the young lady.
- Gen 29:18–20Jacob loved Rachel. He said, “I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter.”
- Num 31:18But all the girls, who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
- Gen 6:2God’s sons saw that men’s daughters were beautiful, and they took any that they wanted for themselves as wives.
- Judg 14:2–3He came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. Now therefore get her for me as my wife.”
- Prov 31:30Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman who fears Yahweh, she shall be praised.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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.