“If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price for her and make her his wife.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This law highlights that "bride-price" wasn't just about purchasing a wife, but about acknowledging the father's loss of his daughter's value and ensuring her future. The seducer, by taking her virginity, essentially diminished her marriageability and had to compensate her family, effectively making her his responsibility, often through marriage itself.
“If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price for her and make her his wife.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage appears amidst a collection of laws designed to guide the Israelites in living righteously, following the Ten Commandments. It addresses specific social and relational matters, including how to handle situations where a man might take advantage of an unmarried woman, emphasizing the need for proper compensation and marriage if consent was gained through seduction. The laws that follow continue to address serious offenses, such as prohibitions against witchcraft and idolatry, underscoring the community's commitment to pure worship and social order.
In ancient Israel, a man's actions had immediate, tangible consequences. This law wasn't just about punishment; it was about restoring brokenness and upholding the value of a woman.
The Weight of a Promise
This law addresses the situation where a man 'entices' or seduces an unmarried woman. The Hebrew word often translated as 'entice' can imply persuasion, deception, or even seduction. The key here is that it's not a forced act.
Restoring Dignity and Value
The consequence for this act is not imprisonment or public shaming, but a legal and social obligation: the man must pay the bride-price for her and marry her. This was a profound step:
It's a powerful illustration of how God's laws aimed to provide justice and order, even in complex personal situations.
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The Bible carefully distinguishes between different stages of relationships and the severity of offenses. Understanding these nuances reveals the precise nature of God's justice.
Betrothal: A Sacred Bond
This law specifically addresses a virgin who is not betrothed. The concept of betrothal in ancient Israel was a serious, legally binding commitment, much like marriage itself. If a man had seduced a betrothed virgin, the penalty was much more severe, often death, as it was considered a form of adultery (Deuteronomy 22:23-24).
Seduction: A Violation of Purity and Promise
When a man seduced an unbetrothed virgin, the act was still a violation of her purity, her future, and potentially her family's honor. However, because there was no existing legal bond, the consequence was different.
Understand the original words
mohar · Hebrew Noun
The money or gift paid by a man to the family of his prospective wife, intended to compensate the family for the loss of the daughter's labor and to establish the marriage contract.
betulah · Hebrew Noun
An unmarried young woman, often emphasized in Scripture as being untouched, signifying purity and suitability for marriage.
aras · Hebrew Verb (passive participle)
A woman pledged or promised to be married to a man, a stage in the ancient Near Eastern marriage process that was legally binding and considered equivalent to marriage.
This passage also deals with sexual sin outside of marriage, specifically rape, and mandates a significant bride-price as compensation, echoing the financial responsibility in Exodus 22:16.
Leviticus 19:20This verse addresses a similar situation of a man lying with a female slave who is not fully redeemed, requiring atonement but not necessarily marriage, highlighting different legal outcomes based on social status.
1 Corinthians 6:18While Exodus 22:16 focuses on the legal and social consequences of seduction, 1 Corinthians 6:18 provides a broader New Testament perspective, emphasizing that sexual immorality is a sin against one's own body and against God.
Proverbs 6:23-33This passage speaks to the broader consequences of adultery and lust, warning of the severe repercussions and the lasting shame that comes from such actions, contrasting with the restorative justice of Exodus 22:16.
pooleExodus 22:16: "And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife."
If a man entice a maid, by persuasions, promise of marriage, allurements, or rewards. But if she were betrothed, it was punished with death, Deu 22:23,24 .
pulpitExodus 22:16: "And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife."
Verse 16. - If a man entice. Rather "seduce." He shall surely endow her to be his wife. In the East a man commonly pays money, or money's worth, to the parents in order to obtain a wife. The seducer was to comply with this custom, and make over to the damsel's father the sum of fifty shekels of silver (Deuteronomy 22:29), for his sanction of the marriage. If the father c…
This law highlights that "bride-price" wasn't just about purchasing a wife, but about acknowledging the father's loss of his daughter's value and ensuring her future. The seducer, by taking her virginity, essentially diminished her marriageability and had to compensate her family, effectively making her his responsibility, often through marriage itself.
This passage appears amidst a collection of laws designed to guide the Israelites in living righteously, following the Ten Commandments. It addresses specific social and relational matters, including how to handle situations where a man might take advantage of an unmarried woman, emphasizing the need for proper compensation and marriage if consent was gained through seduction. The laws that follow continue to address serious offenses, such as prohibitions against witchcraft and idolatry, underscoring the community's commitment to pure worship and social order.
This passage appears amidst a collection of laws designed to guide the Israelites in living righteously, following the Ten Commandments. It addresses specific social and relational matters, including how to handle situations where a man might take advantage of an unmarried woman, emphasizing the need for proper compensation and marriage if consent was gained through seduction. The laws that follow continue to address serious offenses, such as prohibitions against witchcraft and idolatry, underscoring the community's commitment to pure worship and social order.
"“If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price for her and make her his wife." — This law highlights that "bride-price" wasn't just about purchasing a wife, but about acknowledging the father's loss of his daughter's value and ensuring her future. The seducer, by taking her virgi…
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Last reviewed October 2026