Does the Bible Command You to Marry Your Rapist?
Yet another hard to understand passage of the Scripture that skeptics love to hit is Exodus 22:16-17 and Deuteronomy 22:28-29. They say that this is a hard and cruel law that they despise (while hypocritically saying that there are no absolutes) because it supposedly commands rape victims to marry their rapists. However, we do have to take things into context first.
First, let's consider what Exodus 22:17 says. You have to remember that Deuteronomy and Exodus are in complete harmony. The same passage that if a man impregnates (and the King James Version or KJV uses "entice a maid" and not "rape" which are two different words) a single virgin woman out-of-wedlock then he is obliged to marry her. However, this can only happen if the father approves. If the father doesn't approve then he can't have the woman.
There is also the law that says that he may not divorce her. That means he's now bound to every rule to protect her and provide for her all her days. Violating his victim after they got married like an act of abuse or even murder would mean that he would be a candidate for stoning.
May we need to mention that there are laws against injuries. A lot of rape cases happen with utter violence. Exodus 21:23 says that it's life for life. Some rape victims don't only get raped - they also get injured or even murdered in the process. Sometimes, before rape is carried out, the rapist may have even murdered possible witnesses to cover up the act. If the rapist had done a lot of stuff that would make him a candidate for stoning - you can get that he can't even marry his rape victim because he would be definitely executed for violating laws regarding life.
First, let's consider what Exodus 22:17 says. You have to remember that Deuteronomy and Exodus are in complete harmony. The same passage that if a man impregnates (and the King James Version or KJV uses "entice a maid" and not "rape" which are two different words) a single virgin woman out-of-wedlock then he is obliged to marry her. However, this can only happen if the father approves. If the father doesn't approve then he can't have the woman.
There is also the law that says that he may not divorce her. That means he's now bound to every rule to protect her and provide for her all her days. Violating his victim after they got married like an act of abuse or even murder would mean that he would be a candidate for stoning.
May we need to mention that there are laws against injuries. A lot of rape cases happen with utter violence. Exodus 21:23 says that it's life for life. Some rape victims don't only get raped - they also get injured or even murdered in the process. Sometimes, before rape is carried out, the rapist may have even murdered possible witnesses to cover up the act. If the rapist had done a lot of stuff that would make him a candidate for stoning - you can get that he can't even marry his rape victim because he would be definitely executed for violating laws regarding life.