22:16 39 “If a man seduces a virgin40 who is not engaged41 and has sexual relations with her, he must surely endow42 her to be his wife. 22:17 If her father refuses to give her to him, he must pay money for the bride price of virgins.
sn The second half of the chapter records various laws of purity and justice. Any of them could be treated in an expository way, but in the present array they offer a survey of God’s righteous standards: Maintain the sanctity of marriage (16–17); maintain the purity of religious institutions (18–20), maintain the rights of human beings (21–28), maintain the rights of Yahweh (29–31).
40
tn This is the word בְּתוּלָה (bétulah); it describes a young woman who is not married or a young woman engaged to be married; in any case, she is presumed to be a virgin.
tn The verb מָהַר (mahar) means “pay the marriage price,” and the related noun is the bride price. B. Jacob says this was a proposal gift and not a purchase price (Exodus, 700). This is the price paid to her parents, which allowed for provision should there be a divorce. The amount was usually agreed on by the two families, but the price was higher for a pure bride from a noble family. Here, the one who seduces her must pay it, regardless of whether he marries her or not.