If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.
If her father completely refuses to let him marry her, the man must still pay the money that would normally be paid for marrying a virgin.
This verse establishes that even if a father refuses to allow a marriage after his daughter has been intimate with someone, the man still owes the customary bride-price.
📚 Historical Context
This verse is part of ancient Israel's laws regarding sexual relationships and marriage customs. In that culture, a bride-price (dowry) was typically paid by the groom's family to the bride's father as compensation and to formalize the marriage contract. These laws protected young women from being taken advantage of and then abandoned without any financial security or marriage prospects.
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