Deuteronomy 22:18

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Deuteronomy 22:18 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And the elders of that city shall take the man and chastise him;” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And the elders of that city shall take the man and chastise him;
Deuteronomy 22:18 — American Standard Version

Context — Deuteronomy 22

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
18And the elders of that city shall take the man and chastise him;

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And of Zebulun he said, etc.] The tribe of Zebulun, as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem, with whom Issachar is joined, they being brethren, and of the same mother as well as father; though Zebulun the youngest is set before Issachar the older, as in Jacob’s blessing, (<014913>Genesis 49:13,14); rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; in their going out to sea, to merchandise, to traffic in foreign parts, it being a maritime tribe, (see <014913> Genesis 49:13); and so are called upon to rejoice and be thankful for their safe preservation on the seas, and success in trade; and to this sense are the paraphrases of Jonathan and Jerusalem: though Onkelos interprets it of their going out to war…”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · 19th-century historical commentary
“The elders, as the magistrates of the place, were then to send for the man who had so calumniated his young wife, and to chastise him (יסּר, as in Deu 21:18, used to denote bodily chastisement, thought the limitation of the number of strokes to forty save one, may have been a later institution of the schools); and in addition to this they were to impose a fine upon him of 100 shekels of silver, which he was to pay to the father of the young wife for his malicious calumniation of an Israelitish maiden, - twice as much as the seducer of a virgin was to pay to her father for the reproach brought upon him by the humiliation of his daughter ( Deu 22:29); and lastly, they were to deprive the man…”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification