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ThePowerOfPrayer 8 points ago +9 / -1

In fact, your interpretation is off.

The verse you're quoting wouldn't actually be considered rape by our standards. It's actually describing two young people fooling around behind their parents' backs who got caught in the act and how to deal with it.

This behavior was discouraged by the rules you quoted. Boys knew if they got caught having sex with an unmarried girl, they could never divorce her. Additionally, they were on the hook for 50 silver shekels, and would basically go into slavery to her parents until they earned those 50 silver shekels (or 7 years, whichever came first) if they couldn't cough up the money immediately. In other words, the punishment for irresponsibility was forced responsibility.

You skipped the verses immediately before the ones you quoted that explained the difference between this and other scenarios a virgin could find herself in.

A woman who was engaged and slept with another man before getting married was stoned to death (if it wasn't rape) and so was the man who slept with her.

If she was actually raped (by modern definition), only the rapist was put to death.

Deuteronomy 22:23-27

23 If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;

24 Then 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.

25 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 with her shall die.

26 But 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:

27 For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.