What is the meaning of Deuteronomy 22:13? Suppose a man marries a woman • Marriage in Scripture is a covenant, not a contract. From the very beginning, God joins a husband and wife as “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24; Mark 10:6-9). • Deuteronomy 22:13 opens with a hypothetical case that Israel’s judges might be asked to adjudicate. It reminds us that real people, with real sins, live inside God’s holy institutions. • The law is protective: a bride enters marriage under her father’s care and is now entrusted to her husband (Malachi 2:14). This verse immediately signals that God holds the husband responsible for treating that covenant with honor (Ephesians 5:25-28). has relations with her • Consummation seals the covenant physically and publicly. Scripture celebrates this intimacy as good and undefiled (Hebrews 13:4), while also warning that it carries serious covenant obligations (1 Corinthians 7:3-5). • In the narrative that follows (Deuteronomy 22:14-19), the husband’s physical knowledge of his wife becomes the basis for either confirming or slandering her purity. God folds sexual ethics into public justice; private sin has public consequences (Numbers 5:12-15). • The verse underscores that covenant love is more than physical union; it must be matched by faithfulness of heart (Song of Songs 8:6-7). and comes to hate her • “Hate” shows a grievous change of heart—a repudiation of the wife after enjoying the covenant benefits. Scripture repeatedly condemns this treachery (Malachi 2:16; Proverbs 6:16-19). • In the larger context, the husband’s hatred expresses itself in a false accusation meant to disgrace and possibly divorce her (Deuteronomy 22:14). God’s law exposes that tactic and protects the innocent bride with fines, public rebuke, and lifelong responsibility placed back on the husband (22:18-19). • The pattern anticipates Christ, who never turns against His bride, the church (Ephesians 5:29-32). Human husbands are warned: covenant-breaking hatred is sin, and God stands on the side of the wronged spouse (Psalm 146:9). summary Deuteronomy 22:13 sets the stage for laws that defend marital faithfulness and safeguard a woman’s honor. A man who enjoys the privileges of marriage yet turns to hatred is held accountable by God and community. The verse affirms that marriage is covenantal, sexual intimacy is sacred, and loveless treachery is sin—truths still binding on believers today. |
    |