Reading the Old Testament honestly can be a challenge. Scattered among stories of faith and divine intervention are laws and narratives that are, frankly, hard to digest. Some of the most difficult involve commands given in the context of war, slavery, or gender roles that don’t seem to reflect the moral clarity we associate with the teachings of Jesus. One of the most frequently cited examples comes from Deuteronomy 21:10–14, where Israelite men are permitted to take a woman from among their captives as a wife.
To modern readers, this sounds deeply troubling. Critics often argue this passage amounts to an endorsement of rape or forced marriage. So how should Christians think about this? Is the Bible describing God’s ideal for morality? Or is something more nuanced going on?
Let’s take a closer look.
The Passage in Question: Deuteronomy 21:10–14 (NKJV)
“When you go out to war against your enemies… and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and desire her and would take her for your wife,
then you shall bring her home to your house, and she shall shave her head and trim her nails.
She shall put off the clothes of her captivity, remain in your house, and mourn her father and her mother a full month;
after that you may go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife.
And it shall be, if you have no delight in her, then you shall set her free; you certainly shall not sell her for money…”
This law, on the surface, seems to permit a man to take a woman against her will. But that reading doesn’t take the context into account.
A Different World, A Just God
First, we must understand that the Old Testament was written in a very different cultural context than our own. In the ancient Near East, war was brutal. Female captives were often raped, enslaved, or killed outright. By contrast, the law in Deuteronomy placed strict moral limitations on what an Israelite man could do:
- No immediate sexual access: The man was not allowed to touch her. Instead, he had to take her home, where she was given time and space to mourn.
- A one-month waiting period: This was a time of transition and grief for the woman. It also served as a buffer to cool the man’s impulses and test whether he truly intended marriage.
- Marriage was required: If he still wanted to be with her, it had to be within the legal and protective framework of marriage. No concubinage. No exploitation.
- Freedom if rejected: If the man later changed his mind, he couldn’t treat her as property. He had to let her go free.
In short, this was not a license for rape. It was a protective regulation in a time and place where women had few rights. Compared to the practices of surrounding nations, this was a massive moral improvement.
Was This God’s Ideal?
Here’s the key: No, it was not. Jesus helps us understand this principle when He addresses the Mosaic divorce law in Matthew 19:7–8:
They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”
He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.“
Jesus acknowledges that some parts of the Old Testament law were concessions, not reflections of God’s perfect will. In a sinful, hard-hearted world, God sometimes regulated broken systems to limit harm and restrain evil.
The Law as a Tutor
The apostle Paul speaks to this concept in Galatians 3:24–25:
“Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ… But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.”
The Mosaic Law was never the end goal. It was a guide for an immature people, pointing them forward to the coming of Christ. In many ways, the Old Testament laws were a moral middle ground — not God’s final standard, but a step forward from surrounding cultures.
Jesus: The Full Revelation of God’s Heart
Jesus didn’t just obey the law — He fulfilled it. He took the moral trajectory started in the Old Testament and brought it to its full and perfect expression.
“You have heard that it was said… ‘You shall not murder…’ But I say to you…” (Matthew 5:21–22)
“You have heard that it was said… ‘You shall not commit adultery…’ But I say to you…” (Matthew 5:27–28)
Jesus brought the moral conversation from external behavior to internal transformation. He showed us that true righteousness is about the heart.
And in His treatment of women, we see the heart of God on full display: compassion, dignity, equality, and protection.
Final Thoughts
It’s okay to admit that some Old Testament laws are difficult to understand. God was working within the real world of human sinfulness, gradually moving His people toward His true moral vision. While the law was good for its time and purpose, it wasn’t perfect. That perfection came with Jesus Christ.
So when we read passages like Deuteronomy 21, we should not ask, “Is this God’s eternal moral standard?” but rather, “What was God doing to limit harm and point forward to something better?”
And ultimately, we find the answer not in a law, but in a person: Jesus — the perfect image of the invisible God, full of grace and truth.
“For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
John 1:17
Disclaimer: This blog post was written with the assistance of AI and shaped by a collaborative conversation between the author and the AI tool. While the content was generated by artificial intelligence, it reflects real theological engagement and thoughtful input from the person behind the post.
Note from Hal: AI is a powerful new tool that can help us as ministers of the gospel. I have never and will never use AI to write a sermon for preaching. I firmly believe in the importance of Holy Spirit-led preaching. However, I have found that AI is an exceptional tool to assist in our studies. I have also found that it can produce short essays that reflect my thoughts well on particular matters. I believe that posting concise posts like this one can be a benefit to those looking for answers. Any AI content that I post will be marked as such.
Hal Chaffee Ministries 