Deuteronomy 22:21 kjv
Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.
Deuteronomy 22:21 nkjv
then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done a disgraceful thing in Israel, to play the harlot in her father's house. So you shall put away the evil from among you.
Deuteronomy 22:21 niv
she shall be brought to the door of her father's house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done an outrageous thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father's house. You must purge the evil from among you.
Deuteronomy 22:21 esv
then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done an outrageous thing in Israel by whoring in her father's house. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
Deuteronomy 22:21 nlt
The woman must be taken to the door of her father's home, and there the men of the town must stone her to death, for she has committed a disgraceful crime in Israel by being promiscuous while living in her parents' home. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you.
Deuteronomy 22 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Sexual Morality and Purity in the Law | ||
| Deu 22:20 | "But if this thing is true, if tokens of virginity are not found..." | Immediate context, basis for this verse. |
| Deu 22:23-24 | "If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city..." | Punishment for adultery/rape of a betrothed woman. |
| Lev 18:20 | "You shall not lie sexually with your neighbor’s wife and so defile..." | Adultery is an act of defilement. |
| Lev 20:10 | "If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife, both adulterer..." | Death penalty for adultery for both parties. |
| Gen 38:24 | "About three months later, Judah was told, ‘Tamar your daughter-in-law..’" | Prostitution as grounds for severe judgment (fire). |
| Ex 22:16-17 | "If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her..." | Fine or forced marriage if father agrees. |
| Num 5:12-31 | "If any man's wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him..." | Trial by ordeal for suspected marital infidelity. |
| Purging Evil and Communal Holiness | ||
| Deu 13:5 | "That prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he... from the Lord your God. So you shall purge the evil..." | Command to remove wickedness, preserving community holiness. |
| Deu 17:7 | "The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil..." | Community acts in judgment to remove evil. |
| Josh 7:12-13 | "Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies... ‘Get up! Consecrate the people..." | Sin of one person (Achan) defiles the entire community, requiring purging. |
| 1 Cor 5:13 | "God judges those outside. 'Purge the evil person from among you.'" | New Covenant echo: removal of immoral persons from the church. |
| Consequences of Sin & Justice in the Law | ||
| Num 15:35-36 | "And the Lord said to Moses, 'The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him..." | Stoning for Sabbath-breaking. |
| Lev 24:16 | "Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death... the congregation shall stone him." | Stoning for blasphemy. |
| Deu 19:19 | "then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst." | Punishment reflects the crime (lex talionis). |
| Eze 16:38-40 | "And I will judge you as women who break wedlock and shed blood are judged, and bring upon you the blood of wrath... they shall stone you..." | God's judgment against Jerusalem's spiritual harlotry using human punishment methods. |
| Spiritual Unfaithfulness (Prostitution as Metaphor) | ||
| Jer 3:6-9 | "Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there she played the prostitute." | Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness to God. |
| Hos 1:2 | "Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord." | Prophet's marriage as a symbol of Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness. |
| New Covenant Perspective on Sexual Sin & Grace | ||
| Jn 8:3-11 | "The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery... 'Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.'" | Jesus' response emphasizes grace and inner conviction over rigid legalism, though not condoning sin. |
| 1 Cor 6:9-10 | "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters..." | Reaffirms that sexual immorality is condemned in the NT. |
| 1 Cor 6:18-20 | "Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body." | Call to holiness and purity; body is temple of Holy Spirit. |
| Heb 13:4 | "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous." | God's continued judgment against sexual immorality. |
| Gal 5:19-21 | "Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry..." | Sexual immorality is a "work of the flesh" that precludes inheriting the kingdom. |
| Rom 6:14-15 | "For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!" | Grace does not license sin; holiness remains paramount. |
Deuteronomy 22 verses
Deuteronomy 22 21 Meaning
Deuteronomy 22:21 details the severe consequence for a young woman proven to be unchaste before marriage, particularly if she had presented herself as a virgin. If the tokens of her virginity were not found, meaning she was found not to be a virgin at the time of her marriage, she was considered to have committed a deceitful and "outrageous thing" (nevalah) in Israel. The penalty prescribed was death by stoning by the men of her city at the door of her father's house. This strict decree aimed to purge evil from the community, uphold the sanctity of marriage, and maintain the holiness and moral integrity of God's covenant people.
Deuteronomy 22 21 Context
Deuteronomy 22:21 is part of a larger section (Deu 22:13-30) that addresses various laws concerning sexual misconduct and purity within the Israelite community. Specifically, verses 13-21 deal with a man accusing his new wife of not being a virgin. Verse 21 presents the dire consequence if the accusation is found to be true—that is, if no "tokens of virginity" are produced to defend the woman. This law aimed to uphold the purity of the marital covenant and ensure transparency and honesty in marriage contracts within Israel. The broader context of Deuteronomy establishes God's covenant with Israel, laying out the laws and statutes necessary for them to live as a holy people set apart for Him in the Promised Land. Maintaining sexual purity was crucial for national holiness and to prevent the land from defiling itself, contrasting with the moral decay of the surrounding pagan nations.
Deuteronomy 22 21 Word analysis
- then they shall bring out the young woman (na'arah): Refers to a girl of marrying age, typically assumed to be a virgin prior to betrothal/marriage. Her public exposure signified extreme disgrace and communal shaming.
- to the door of her father's house: This location is symbolic. It is where she spent her maidenhood, where she presumably committed the transgression. It marks her family's direct shame and responsibility, and the place of final judgment where the community exacts justice publicly. It underscored the breach of trust both within the family unit and the wider community.
- and the men of her city: Implies the elders or male heads of households who functioned as local judicial authorities. This shows communal responsibility in upholding God's laws and purifying the community, not just a private matter. It signifies that moral corruption affects the entire social fabric.
- shall stone her to death with stones: saqal (Hebrew for to stone). Stoning was a prescribed method of execution for sins considered particularly heinous against God and the community, such as idolatry, blasphemy, and various sexual offenses. It was a communal act, demonstrating the entire community's condemnation of the sin and their participation in its removal. It implied a clean break, a public repudiation of the evil from their midst, signifying purification.
- because she has done an outrageous thing in Israel: nevalah (Hebrew). This term signifies a disgraceful, shameful, senseless, and morally reprehensible act. It's often used for grave offenses that demonstrate a profound lack of moral understanding or respect for God's law (e.g., Gen 34:7 - Dinah's rape; Jdg 19:23 - the Levite's concubine). Here, it refers specifically to deceptive premarital unchastity when she was pledged or about to be married as a virgin, deeply betraying covenant expectations.
- by playing the prostitute in her father's house: zanah (Hebrew for fornication/prostitution). While "prostitute" might evoke common understanding, here it refers specifically to illicit sexual activity (fornication or perhaps promiscuity) before her marriage, concealed by deceit. The "father's house" specifies the context as her maiden home, prior to being given in marriage, implying the act was committed under her father's assumed care and prior to the marital union, thus breaking a sacred trust and public expectation.
- So you shall purge the evil from your midst: This imperative phrase concludes many Mosaic penalties (Deu 13:5, 17:7, 19:19, 21:21, 24:7). It emphasizes the theological purpose of the judgment: to remove the contaminating influence of sin from the covenant community. Such acts defiled the nation and could bring God's judgment upon everyone if not dealt with. It highlights communal holiness as a paramount concern for Israel.
Deuteronomy 22 21 Bonus section
This verse underscores the patriarchal social structure of ancient Israel where a woman's honor and purity were intrinsically linked to her family's reputation and her future in marriage. Betrothal was a legally binding commitment, akin to marriage but not yet fully consummated, which explains the severe penalty—it was not simple fornication but a betrayal within an already established, albeit unconsummated, marital bond. The purpose of these harsh penalties in the Mosaic Law was multi-faceted: to instill awe and reverence for God's commands, to establish clear boundaries for ethical behavior, to protect the vulnerable, and crucially, to maintain the distinctiveness and holiness of Israel as God's chosen nation in contrast to surrounding cultures which often practiced more lax sexual mores. The collective responsibility for executing the judgment emphasizes that sin's impact extends beyond the individual, requiring a community response to uphold righteousness.
Deuteronomy 22 21 Commentary
Deuteronomy 22:21 is a stark testament to the gravity of sexual impurity and deception within the covenant community of Israel. The Mosaic Law stipulated severe consequences for premarital unchastity when concealed by a claim of virginity at marriage. This was not merely about sexual purity but also about honesty, the sanctity of promises, and the foundational integrity of the family and communal life. The act of stoning at her father's doorstep was a deeply public and symbolic cleansing. It underlined that such a "disgraceful thing" (nevalah) was an offense against God's holy standards, the communal moral order, and the purity required for Israel to dwell in God's presence and occupy His land. The purging of evil was essential to prevent moral decay from spreading and to preserve God's blessing upon the nation. While New Testament grace liberates from the strict letter of the Law, the underlying principle of valuing truth, honesty, and sexual purity remains a vital tenet for God's people (e.g., Eph 5:3, Heb 13:4), now pursued not through legal compulsion but by the Holy Spirit's empowerment and internal transformation.