Suppose a man marries a woman, has relations with her, and comes to hate her,
Parallel translations
- WEB If any man takes a wife, and goes in to her, hates her,
- KJV If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her,
- NKJV “If any man takes a wife, and goes in to her, and detests her,
- NASB “If any man takes a wife and goes in to her and then turns against her,
- NLT “Suppose a man marries a woman, but after sleeping with her, he turns against 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
This introduces a case where a husband turns against his new wife and falsely impugns her purity. The law will protect a woman from slander.
Overview
The scenario (vv. 13-19) addresses a husband who, having grown to hate his wife, publicly accuses her of premarital unchastity. In a culture where a woman's reputation was vital, such slander could be devastating. God's law steps in to protect the vulnerable wife and to demand truthful, evidence-based judgment, reflecting His concern for justice and the dignity of women.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Gen 29:21Finally Jacob said to Laban, “Grant me my wife, for my time is complete, and I want to sleep with her.”
- Eph 5:28–29In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
- Deut 24:1If a man marries a woman, but she becomes displeasing to him because he finds some indecency in her, he may write her a certificate of divorce, hand it to her, and send her away from his house.
- Gen 29:31When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.
- Gen 29:23But when evening came, Laban took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and he slept with her.
- Judg 15:1–2Later on, at the time of the wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat and went to visit his wife. “I want to go to my wife in her room,” he said. But her father would not let him enter.
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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 22:13 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
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