Many women, including me, endure the tragic experience of Scripture being misused against them, often by men. It can be difficult to untangle Scripture’s truth from man’s manipulation. But even when the Word is handled rightly, some passages are difficult to engage as a woman. They seem unfair or even cruel. Could any passage be as troubling for women as Deuteronomy 22? A decade ago, Rachel Held Evans raised this passage in A Year of Biblical Womanhood. To be biblical, Held argued, women had to marry their rapists. To be biblical, Christians should stone anyone caught in an adulterous affair. To be biblical, Christians should kill a woman who didn’t cry out as she was being raped. To fully engage Evans’s argument would require dealing with her definition of “biblical,” which is outside the scope of this article. Nevertheless, she raised legitimate questions: How should we understand Deuteronomy 22? And does its inclusion in the Scriptures mean the Bible cannot be trusted to guide and direct women today? These questions can’t be completely answered in a single article. But we can begin to make sense of them by considering both history and hermeneutics. We’ll start by looking at the specific situations described in light of their historical context. Then we’ll zoom out to consider this passage in Scripture’s larger story. As we do, please keep in mind that this article is addressing a specific textual question rather than offering counsel for victims of sexual assault. Questions about Deuteronomy 22—as much as questions around eschatology, soteriology, or ecclesiology—require a hermeneutic. We need a holistic way of reading Scripture’s long story to understand this chapter. Jesus is that hermeneutic, the lens through which we must read the Bible. Let’s consider what Deuteronomy 22 says and then seek to understand what it means for women today.
I appreciated the approach to unpacking the passage and comparing it to others Thank you
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2wThankyou Wendy for showing the reading audience, you can either choose to read the law through the lens of condemnation or through the lens of wise instruction from a loving God who's interested in protecting His people and instructing them to live honorable and Godly lives. What we understand as God's intended purpose regarding these passages, is God's provision and honor of his daughters in a time and culture where they would not have been otherwise & in other nations. God loves His people and though we are all guilty of adultery towards Him & in the presence of a just/ Holy God. Instead of the punishment of death, which we deserve He has chosen to show us love, mercy and forgiveness. Showing us an example of His love He commanded Hosea to love and bring honor to his wife in the midst of her adultery. How much more has Jesus done for us His bride ❤️ I am forever Grateful & undeserving 🙌 Rom. 10: 9-10