Deuteronomy
Chapter 22
Animals and Lost Objects
If you find the lost ox or sheep of your brother, do not pretend that you did not see it, but bring it back to its owner.
If your brother does not live near you, or you do not know to whom the animal belongs, you shall keep it in your house until its owner comes looking for it. Then you shall return it to him.
Do the same with his ass, his clothes, or with anything lost by your brother that you happen to find. Do not pretend not to notice them.
If you see the ass of your brother or his ox fall, by the way, do not pretend not to notice it, but help your brother lift the animal.
Various Cases
A woman must not wear a man’s clothing, nor a man the clothing of a woman, because whoever does such a thing deserves the reprobation of the Lord.
If you find along your way a bird’s nest in a tree or on the ground, and the mother bird is sitting upon the birdlings or the eggs, you shall not bring with you the mother bird together with the young,
but you shall let the mother go and take only the young. Then you shall prosper and live long.
When you build a new house, you shall construct a small wall around the roof, lest someone should fall from it, and your house becomes stained with blood.
Do not sow any other seed in your vineyard because, when you do this, you can neither eat the grapes’ produce nor the different plants’ produce.
Do not plow with an ox and an ass together.
Do not wear a garment woven from wool and linen together.
Make for yourself tassels on the four corners of your cloak with which you cover yourself.
Sexual Relations
Unfair Accusation by Husband
It may happen that a man takes a wife and afterward does not like her,
so he blames her for her behavior and defames her by saying: “I married this woman, but when I went to bed with her, I found out that she was not a virgin.”
In this case, the father and mother of the young woman shall take the sheet of the wedding night, which proves that she was a virgin, and will show this to the judges of the city.
The father of the young woman shall then say to the judges: “I have given my daughter as wife to this man, but now that he no longer likes her,
he pretends that when he married her, she was not a virgin. And yet, see, here is the proof of my daughter’s virginity.”
They shall spread the sheet before the judges of the city. The judges shall arrest the man and whip him if he is guilty.
They shall also fine him a hundred silver coins, which they shall give to the father of the young woman because the man publicly defamed a virgin of Israel. The husband shall have her as his wife and cannot repudiate her as long as he lives.
But if what the man says is true, and the proof of her virginity is not found,
then you shall bring her to the door of her father’s house, and the people shall stone her to death for having committed an evil deed in Israel—becoming a prostitute while still in her father’s house. So shall you banish evil from your midst.
Adultery
If a man is caught lying with a married woman, the two shall die: the adulterer and the adulteress. So shall you banish evil from Israel.
Rape Cases
If a young woman has been promised in marriage to a man, and another man meets her in the city and lies with her,
they shall bring the two and stone them to death: the young woman because she did not cry for help when she was in the city, and the man because he dishonored the future wife of his neighbor. So shall you banish evil from your midst.
But if in the fields, a man meets a young woman promised in marriage and violates her by force, then only the man shall die.
The young woman shall not suffer punishment. She does not deserve death, for this case is similar to a highwayman who falls upon a man and murders him; in the same manner, the young woman was assaulted.
She was alone in the fields; she cried, but no one came to help her.
If a man meets a young virgin who is not promised in marriage to another man, and that man violates her and they are caught in the act,
the man who lay with her shall give to the father of the young woman fifty pieces of silver, and take her as his wife, because he has dishonored her, and he cannot send her away for all his life.
Commentaries
Animals and Lost Objects.
The ox and the donkey are closely tied to the theme of social rights, especially those related to family, because they are vital for farming and essential for the economy and family survival. At any moment, the ox, sheep, or donkey could wander off, risking not returning to their owner’s property and possibly causing damage. This law requires everyone to care for stray or distressed animals as if they were their own, thereby protecting both lives and livelihoods. There was serious concern for domestic working animals, just as there was for human life; this is what Jesus reminds his contemporaries, for they had forgotten that human beings are above any law (cf. Lk 13:15f; 14:5).
Various Cases.
These guidelines aim to maintain balance and harmony among people (5.11f), with animals (6f.10), the environment generally (9), and other entities (9). The goal is to educate individuals so that everyone lives and acts authentically, and each animal and plant fulfills its proper role. This also reflects faithfulness and attentive listening to God’s plan, who created everything perfectly (Gn 1:1-2:4a). Why did Deuteronomy need to legislate on matters that seem like common sense? The reason remains unclear; it may be an attempt to correct popular practices that attributed magical qualities to the combination of various elements. In any case, what is essential is the educational purpose focused on harmony and the proper use of each component. It is worthwhile to explore advances in modern bioethics in light of these principles.
Sexual Relations.
Four cases are considered irregular in marriage. The first involves unjust accusations against the husband (13-19), which are punished with a fine paid to the father of the young woman for having defamed an Israelite virgin (19). Additionally, he must continue living with her and cannot dismiss her during his lifetime (19b). If the husband’s accusations prove true, the woman is to be stoned to death for having prostituted her father’s house (21). The primary concern here is the virginity of Israel, symbolized by the virginity of young Israelite women. The second case, also considered wicked, is adultery, where both parties are to die to eliminate the sin among the people (22). The third case is rape (23-29), which has two different aspects: 1. If the girl was engaged and caught with another in a crowded area, both are to die; she for not asking for help, and he for dishonoring his neighbor’s wife (24). If the girl was not engaged and was forcibly taken in an unpopulated area, the man must pay a fine to her father and take her as his wife, with no option of dismissing her ever (28f). The fourth case forbids having relations with the father’s wife (23:1); it’s assumed this refers not to the mother but to the stepmother, one of the wives of a polygamous father. In all cases, the main goal is to protect and uphold the virginity of Israelite girls, who symbolize the virginity of the people dedicated solely to the Lord, their spouse (cf. Hos 2:21f).