The seventh commandment

Deuteronomy 22.25-27

“But if in the open country a man meets a young woman who is betrothed, and the man seizes her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die. But you shall do nothing to the young woman; she has committed no offense punishable by death. For this case is like that of a man attacking and murdering his neighbor, because he met her in the open country, and though the betrothed young woman cried for help there was none to rescue her.”

Unlike the previous case, this transgression takes place in the open country, where a woman’s cry for help might not be heard. This is rape. A young man, either intending to rape, or to have sex with a betrothed woman, who sought a remote location for his transgression, would fear to be found out because the violated woman’s lack of virginity would become apparent on her wedding night. All she had to do was blame him, and he would be subject to whether or not the rulers of the city chose to believe her word. Again, this statute was meant to discourage both violence and sexual promiscuity, thus protecting the dignity of sexual relations and the sanctity of marriage.

This series of In the Gates we present a detailed explanation of the Law of God, beginning with the Ten Commandments, and working through the statutes and rules that accompany each commandment. For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the practice of ethics, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Book Store.