Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.
Then the man who was with her must pay the young woman's father fifty pieces of silver, and she must become his wife. Because he has violated her, he can never divorce her for as long as he lives.
This verse establishes that a man who violates an unmarried woman must marry her and provide for her permanently, with no option for divorce.
📚 Historical Context
In ancient Israel, under the Mosaic Law given by God through Moses, this verse addressed the serious social and moral issue of a man having sexual relations with an unbetrothed virgin, which was seen as a violation of family honor and societal norms. The requirement for the man to pay a bride price of fifty shekels and marry the woman was intended to protect her from abandonment and ensure her security in a patriarchal culture where women depended on male relatives for provision. This law fit into the broader context of Deuteronomy, a book of covenant instructions meant to guide the Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promised Land and live as a holy nation.
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