complete verse (Deuteronomy 22:19)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 22:19:

  • Kupsabiny: “After that, they are to judge/convict that man to pay one hundred pieces of silver and they are to be given to the father of the woman because that man has defiled/spoiled the name of a daughter of Israel. And again, that woman shall continue to be the wife of that man always, but/and it is not allowed for him to chase her away.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Because he falsely accused one girl child of Israel, he must pay a fine of one hundred silver shekels to the girl’s father. The young woman, however, must remain his wife. As long as that man lives, he is not to divorce that woman.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “They will-fine him 100 pieces of silver and give it to the father of the woman, for he dishonored an Israelinhon virgin. And he must surely not divorce the woman as long as he lives.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “They shall require that he pay a fine of 100 pieces of silver and give the money to the father of the young woman, because the man caused an Israeli young woman to be disgraced. Also, that woman must continue to live with him; she is his wife. He is not allowed to divorce her during the rest of his life.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 22:19

A hundred shekels of silver: this is twice the amount of the standard bride price a groom paid the father (see 22.29). So the young man would have to pay the bride price again, plus an additional fifty shekels. A hundred shekels was worth quite a lot. Translators should avoid transliterating the word “shekel,” as it will be meaningless to the reader. A better model is “a hundred pieces of silver” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version).

A virgin of Israel: this is a solemn title, indicating the seriousness of the man’s conduct. However, if the use of a technical term meaning virgin sounds strange in this context, we may say, for example, “because the man has disgraced an Israelite girl [or, young woman]” or “… has caused an Israelite young woman to receive shame [or, lose face].” The Contemporary English Version rendering “accused his bride of not being a virgin” doesn’t really bring out the idea of disgrace within the community of Israel.

She shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days: this is taken to be a good ruling; the young woman’s wishes are of no importance. A good alternative model is “she shall continue to be his wife, and he can never divorce her as long as he lives” (Good News Translation).

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 .