But if the thing is true: if, however, the father cannot prove that his daughter was a virgin when she was married, she must be put to death.

The door of her father’s house: because she belongs to her father.

The men of her city shall stone her to death: this was the punishment for adultery. For stone … to death, see 13.10.

Wrought folly in Israel: folly is not simply a foolish thing but an immoral action. The fool is someone who disregards God’s commands. Good News Translation has “She has done a shameful thing among our people”; or we may say “She has caused all of our people to be disgraced [or, lose face].”

By playing the harlot: meaning “being promiscuous” (New International Version). New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “committing fornication,” New Revised Standard Version “prostituting herself,” Good News Translation “having intercourse before she was married,” Contemporary English Version “sleeping with someone before she got married.”

In her father’s house: this does not necessarily mean that she was at home when she had sexual intercourse with a man. Rather, she was still under her father’s care when she did this; she was still his daughter. Good News Translation expresses this well.

You shall purge the evil from the midst of you: see 13.5.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .