KJV ORIGINAL
And seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife;
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
And if you see a beautiful woman among the prisoners of war, and you desire her and want to marry her,
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
This verse begins instructions about what an Israelite soldier could do if he wanted to marry a woman captured during warfare.
📚 Historical Context
This passage was given to the Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promised Land and would face military conflicts with surrounding nations. In ancient warfare, captives were commonly taken as slaves or concubines, but God's law provided specific regulations to protect the dignity and rights of captured women. These rules were actually progressive for their time, requiring proper treatment and legal marriage rather than exploitation.
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