Deuteronomy 22:29

29 the man who raped her has to give her father fifty pieces of silver. He has to marry her because he took advantage of her. And he can never divorce her.

Deuteronomy 22:29 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 22:29

Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's
father fifty shekels of silver,
&.] For the abuse of his daughter; and besides this was obliged to give her her dowry also, as Philo F4 says, which is commonly said to be fifty more:

and she shall be his wife;
if her father and she agreed to it; and in such a case the man was not at his liberty to refuse, be she what she would, agreeable or not, handsome or ugly; he must, as the Jews express it, drink out of his pot, or marry her, if she is lame, or blind, or full of ulcers F5:

because he hath humbled her he may not put her away all his days:
to all the other parts of his punishment, paying a fine of fifty shekels to the damsel's father, a dowry of the same sum to her, obligation to marry her whether he likes her or not, this is added, that he is not allowed to divorce her as long as he lives; which was permitted to other men, and this was wisely ordered to preserve chastity.


FOOTNOTES:

F4 De Special. Leg. p. 787.
F5 Misn. Cetubot, c. 3. sect. 5.

Deuteronomy 22:29 In-Context

27 when the engaged girl yelled out for help, there was no one around to hear or help her.
28 When a man comes upon a virgin who has never been engaged and grabs and rapes her and they are found out,
29 the man who raped her has to give her father fifty pieces of silver. He has to marry her because he took advantage of her. And he can never divorce her.
30 A man may not marry his father's ex-wife - that would violate his father's rights.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.