Exodus 22:16-17 New English Translation

Moral and Ceremonial Laws

¹⁶^[a] “If a man seduces a virgin^[b] who is not engaged^[c] and goes to bed^[d] with her, he must surely pay the marriage price^[e] for her to be his wife. ¹⁷If her father refuses to give her to him, he must pay money for the bride price of virgins.

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Footnotes

Exodus 22:16 sn The second half of the chapter records various laws of purity and justice. Any of them could be treated in an expository way, but in the present array they offer a survey of God’s righteous standards: Maintain the sanctity of marriage (16-17); maintain the purity of religious institutions (18-20), maintain the rights of human beings (21-28), maintain the rights of Yahweh (29-31).
Exodus 22:16 tn This is the word בְּתוּלָה (b^etulah); it describes a young woman who is not married or a young woman engaged to be married; in any case, she is presumed to be a virgin.
Exodus 22:16 tn Or “pledged” for marriage.
Exodus 22:16 tn Heb “lied down with.” The verb שָׁכַב (shakav) “to lie down” can imply going to bed to sleep or be a euphemism for sexual relations.
Exodus 22:16 tn The verb מָהַר (mahar) means “pay the marriage price,” and the related noun is the bride price. B. Jacob says this was a proposal gift and not a purchase price (Exodus, 700). This is the price paid to her parents, which allowed for provision should there be a divorce. The amount was usually agreed on by the two families, but the price was higher for a pure bride from a noble family. Here, the one who seduces her must pay it, regardless of whether he marries her or not.

New English Translation (NET)