Deuteronomy 22:18

18 The elders of that town shall take the man and punish him;

Deuteronomy 22:18 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 22:18

And the elders of that city shall take the man, and chastise
him.
] Not with words, but blows. Jarchi interprets it of beating, and so does the Talmud ^F24; and both the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan render it,

``shall beat him;''

that is, with the beating or scourging of forty stripes, save one.

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FOOTNOTES:

F24 T. Bab. Cetubot, fol. 46. 1.

Deuteronomy 22:18 In-Context

16 The father of the young woman shall say to the elders: "I gave my daughter in marriage to this man but he dislikes her;

17 now he has made up charges against her, saying, "I did not find evidence of your daughter's virginity.' But here is the evidence of my daughter's virginity." Then they shall spread out the cloth before the elders of the town.

18 The elders of that town shall take the man and punish him;

19 they shall fine him one hundred shekels of silver (which they shall give to the young woman's father) because he has slandered a virgin of Israel. She shall remain his wife; he shall not be permitted to divorce her as long as he lives.

20 If, however, this charge is true, that evidence of the young woman's virginity was not found,