Ideology and Social Context of the Deuteronomic Women's Sex Laws (Deuteronomy 22:13-29‪)‬

The Deuteronomic family laws in Deut 22:13-29 have received extensive treatment in previous studies, many of which have dealt with the literary and redaction history of the laws, their application in the legal practice of ancient Israel, and their relation to parallel laws in ancient Near Eastern law collections. (1) Yet debate continues regarding the purpose, ideology, and compositional history of this section as a whole and its constituent parts.2 The conflicting views arise in part from premises regarding the redaction and literary prehistory of the laws in this section. (3) But however the prior history of the material in this section may be construed, its ultimate significance is intrinsically bound to its structure and context. Examination of the structure of the section will demonstrate that Deut 22:13-29 is a carefully drafted, self-contained collection of laws, unlike the haphazard assortment of rulings in its immediate setting (Deut 21:22-25:12). I shall argue that this careful design is the result of editorial intent directed toward presenting an authoritative treatment of sexual offenses involving all categories of free women. Comparison with similar legislation from the ancient Near East will show that Deut 22:13-29 is the product of deliberate selection from a wide array of legal traditions. The choices the scribe made in constructing the specific cases and exigencies to be included in Deut 22:13-29 result in a one-sided view of women's responsibility and culpability for safeguarding sexual exclusivity vis-a-vis an actual or future husband. Finally, I shall attempt to uncover the concerns that shaped this attitude toward women's responsibility. I. STRUCTURE IN DEUTERONOMY 22:13-29