Do nothing to the young woman, because she has committed no sin worthy of death. This case is just like one in which a man attacks his neighbor and murders him.
Parallel translations
- WEB but to the lady you shall do nothing. There is in the lady no sin worthy of death; for as when a man rises against his neighbor, and kills him, even so is this matter;
- KJV But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter:
- NKJV But you shall do nothing to the young woman; there is in the young woman no sin deserving of death, for just as when a man rises against his neighbor and kills him, even so is this matter.
- NASB And you are not to do anything to the girl; there is no sin in the girl worthy of death, for just as a man rises against his neighbor and murders him, so is this case.
- NLT Do nothing to the young woman; she has committed no crime worthy of death. She is as innocent as a murder victim.
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
The victim of rape is wholly innocent and bears no guilt; her case is likened to a murder victim. Coerced victims are protected, not condemned.
Overview
The law explicitly clears the assaulted woman of any sin worthy of death, comparing the assault to a violent attack and murder. This is a remarkable affirmation of the victim's innocence and the recognition of rape as a grave crime against her. It displays God's tender justice toward the oppressed and His insistence that guilt rest only where it belongs.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Deut 21:22If a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is executed, and you hang his body on a tree,
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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 22:26 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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