What other scriptures reinforce the principles found in Deuteronomy 22:20?

◄ Other scriptures like Deut 22:20? ►

“ But if this accusation is true and no proof of the young woman’s virginity can be found, ” (Deuteronomy 22:20).

The verse underscores two intertwined values: sexual purity before marriage and honesty in testimony. Scripture consistently upholds these standards.

Old Testament Echoes of Sexual Purity

• Genesis 2:24 – “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”

• Exodus 20:14 – “You shall not commit adultery.”

• Leviticus 21:13-14 – “The woman he marries must be a virgin… only a virgin from his own people.”

• Leviticus 20:10 – “If a man commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, both the adulterer and the adulteress must surely be put to death.”

• Proverbs 5:18-23 and 6:32 highlight the blessing of marital faithfulness and the self-destruction that comes with adultery.

Old Testament Safeguards for Truthfulness

• Exodus 20:16 – “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

• Deuteronomy 19:16-19 – False witnesses receive the penalty they intended for the accused.

• Proverbs 12:22 – “Lying lips are detestable to the LORD, but those who deal faithfully are His delight.”

Prophetic Voices Calling for Purity

• Hosea 2:2 – God pleads with faithless Israel: “Rebuke your mother, rebuke her—for she is not My wife and I am not her husband.”

• Malachi 2:15-16 – The LORD seeks “godly offspring,” urging marital faithfulness and warning, “I hate divorce.”

New Testament Affirmations of Sexual Integrity

• Matthew 5:27-28 – Jesus deepens the command: lust of the heart is adultery in God’s sight.

• 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 – “Flee from sexual immorality… you are not your own; you were bought at a price.”

• 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4 – “For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality.”

• Hebrews 13:4 – “Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.”

New Testament Witness to Truthfulness

• Colossians 3:9-10 – “Do not lie to one another, since you have taken off the old self.”

• Revelation 21:8 – Outside the New Jerusalem are “the sexually immoral… and all liars.”

Putting It Together

Deuteronomy 22:20 stands in harmony with the full witness of Scripture:

• God designed sexual intimacy exclusively for the marital covenant.

• Purity before marriage and fidelity afterward protect individuals, families, and society.

• Truthfulness is non-negotiable; false accusations are condemned as strongly as actual immorality.

• Both sins—sexual immorality and lying—invite divine judgment yet can be forgiven through repentance and faith.

These reinforcing passages remind us that God’s standards are consistent, protective, and rooted in His holy character.