Deuteronomy 21.10-14 and/as Wartime Rape

Abstract

The law of the captive woman in Deut. 21.10-14 is alternately identified as a law that protects or even favors the captive, or as a law that enshrines wartime rape. This article argues for the latter assessment on the basis of three lines of evidence: the vocabulary and syntax of the law; intertextual connections with Genesis 34; and comparative analysis with contemporary situations of wartime rape. The final line of evidence also allows for the interpretation of the law from the perspective of the captive woman herself.