The big picture
Deuteronomy 22 opens in verse 1 with “Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 15 with “Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of…”, and closes in verse 30 with “A man shall not take his father’s wife, nor discover his father’s skirt.” Repeated or prominent terms include damsel, city, wife, evil, house. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Deuteronomy · King James Version · 30Deuteronomy 22:1-8
1–8: Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, and hide…
Deuteronomy 22:1–8 opens with “Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou…” and reaches “When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Deuteronomy 22 develops its own movement around damsel, city, wife, evil, house, with particular weight carried by young, brother, brother’s.
Context that brings the passage to life
“Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any case bring…” Naming Thou keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“In like manner shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his raiment; and with all lost thing of thy…” The line’s distinctive content terms include lost, brother’s, hide. Its relationship to verses 2 and 4 shows what work it does in this passage.
“The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou…” The line’s distinctive content terms include days, mayest, prolong. Its relationship to verses 6 and 8 shows what work it does in this passage.
Deuteronomy 22:1-8
King James Version1Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother.
2And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again.
3In like manner shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his raiment; and with all lost thing of thy brother’s, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise: thou mayest not hide thyself.
4Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.
5The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.
6If a bird’s nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young:
7But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.
8When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence.
Deuteronomy 22:9-16
9–16: Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy…
Deuteronomy 22:9–16 opens with “Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast…” and reaches “And the damsel’s father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Deuteronomy 22 develops its own movement around damsel, city, wife, evil, house, with particular weight carried by damsel’s, divers, elders.
Context that brings the passage to life
“Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of…” Naming Thou keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woollen and linen together.” Naming Thou keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Deuteronomy 22:9-16
King James Version9Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled.
10Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.
11Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woollen and linen together.
12Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself.
13If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her,
14And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid:
15Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel’s virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate:
16And the damsel’s father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her;
Deuteronomy 22:17-24
17–24: And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found…
Deuteronomy 22:17–24 opens with “And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid…” and reaches “Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Deuteronomy 22 develops its own movement around damsel, city, wife, evil, house, with particular weight carried by city, damsel, evil.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;” The line’s distinctive content terms include betrothed, city, damsel. Its relationship to verses 22 and 24 shows what work it does in this passage.
Deuteronomy 22:17-24
King James Version17And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter’s virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.
18And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him;
19And they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.
20But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel:
21Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father’s house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.
22If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.
23If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;
24Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour’s wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.
Deuteronomy 22:25-30
25–30: If a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her…
Deuteronomy 22:25–30 opens with “But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then…” and reaches “A man shall not take his father’s wife, nor discover his father’s skirt.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Deuteronomy 22 develops its own movement around damsel, city, wife, evil, house, with particular weight carried by damsel, betrothed, father’s.
Context that brings the passage to life
“But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth…” The line’s distinctive content terms include damsel, death, matter. Its relationship to verses 25 and 27 shows what work it does in this passage.
Deuteronomy 22:25-30
King James Version25But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die:
26But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter:
27For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.
28If 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;
29Then 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.
30A man shall not take his father’s wife, nor discover his father’s skirt.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Deuteronomy 22:1 begins with “Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother.”
Where the chapter turns
Deuteronomy 22:15 forms a natural hinge: “Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel’s virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate:”
The final note
Deuteronomy 22:30 leaves the reader with “A man shall not take his father’s wife, nor discover his father’s skirt.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words damsel, city, wife, evil, house, woman help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
What does the reader know that Isaac is not told?
The opening identifies a test. That framing matters for the entire account.
What is actually offered?
A ram provided in place of Isaac. Preserve the difference between the threatened act and the outcome.
KJV words made clear
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
- hath
- has
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.