Exodus 22 · Verse 16

Exodus 22:16

And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife.

Exodus 22:16, King James Version

Exodus 22:16 in other translations

BSB	If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged in marriage and sleeps with her, he must pay the full dowry for her to be his wife.
WEB	“If a man entices a virgin who isn’t pledged to be married, and lies with her, he shall surely pay a dowry for her to be his wife.
ASV	And if a man entice a virgin that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely pay a dowry for her to be his wife.
YLT	‘And when a man doth entice a virgin who is not betrothed, and hath lain with her, he doth certainly endow her to himself for a wife;
DARBY	And if a man seduce a virgin that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall certainly endow her, to be his wife.
BBE	If a man takes a virgin, who has not given her word to another man, and has connection with her, he will have to give a bride-price for her to be his wife.
Webster	And if a man shall entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife.

What does Exodus 22:16 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 16 If a man entice a maid - This was an exceedingly wise and humane law, and must have operated powerfully against seduction and fornication; because the person who might feel inclined to take the advantage of a young woman knew that he must marry her, and give her a dowry, if her parents consented; and if they did not consent that their daughter should wed her seducer, in this case he was obliged to give her the full dowry which could have been demanded had she been still a virgin. According to the Targumist here, and to Deu 22:29, the dowry was fifty shekels of silver, which the seducer was to pay to her father, and he was obliged to take her to wife; nor had he authority, according to the Jewish canons, ever to put her away by a bill of divorce. This one consideration was a powerful curb on disorderly passions, and must tend greatly to render marriages respectable, and prevent all crimes of this nature.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Exodus 22:16 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְכִֽי\־ve.khi-and ifH3588

יְפַתֶּ֣הye.fa.Tehhe will seduceH6601

אִ֗ישׁ'Isha manH376

בְּתוּלָ֛הbe.tu.Laha virginH1330

אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.SherwhoH834

לֹא\־lo'-notH3808

אֹרָ֖שָׂה'o.Ra.sahshe was betrothedH781

וְשָׁכַ֣בve.sha.Khavand he will lieH7901

עִמָּ֑הּ'i.Mahwith herH5973

מָהֹ֛רma.Horcertainly <to pay [the] bride-price>H4117

יִמְהָרֶ֥נָּהyim.ha.Re.nahhe will pay [the] bride-price for herH4117

לּ֖וֹlofor <the> himself

לְאִשָּֽׁה\׃le.'i.Shahto a wifeH802

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Exodus 22:16

Deuteronomy 22:28-29
If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.
Genesis 34:2-4
And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her. And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel. And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

a man entice.
Ge 34:2-4; De 22:28,29

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Exodus 22:15
But if the owner thereof be with it, he shall not make it good: if it be an hired thing, it came for his hire.
Exodus 22:16
And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife.
Exodus 22:17
If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.

Read all of Exodus 22

Exodus 22:16 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y si alguno engañare á alguna doncella que no fuere desposada, y durmiere con ella, deberá dotarla y tomarla por mujer.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Si son père refuse absolument de la lui donner, il lui pèsera de l’argent selon la dot des vierges.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und so jemand eine Jungfrau betört, die nicht verlobt ist, und liegt bei ihr, so soll er sie gewißlich durch eine Heiratsgabe sich zum Weibe erkaufen.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Si seduxerit quis virginem necdum desponsatam, dormieritque cum ea: dotabit eam, et habebit eam uxorem.