Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Deuteronomy 21:13
And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.
13. a full month ] Lit. a month of days, a usual period of mourning, Deu 34:8, Num 20:29, etc., cp. Gen 50:3. Contrast Mohammed’s practice above.
be her husband ] Heb. a ba‘al to her; so Deu 24:1, R.V. marrieth.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Bewail her father and her mother a full month – This is prescribed from motives of humanity, that the woman might have time and leisure to detach her affections from their natural ties, and prepare her mind for new ones.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
The raiment of her captivity, i.e. either,
1. Those goodly raiments in which she was when she was taken captive, instead of which she now must put on a servile habit, as this is generally understood; or rather,
2. Those servile and sordid raiments which were put upon her when she was taken captive, as the manner was to do with captives, as the phrase itself seems to intimate; as prison garments (Jer 52:33) are such garments as prisoners use to wear; and garments of praise are praiseworthy or glorious garments; and it seems harsh to call those garments of captivity, which are made for and generally worn by free persons only, and which are usually taken away from persons when they come into captivity. Add, that this doth not seem to be any part or token of her sorrow, but rather a mending of her condition, and exchanging her servile habit for a better and more decent one, which might be, though this were a mourning habit.
Her father and mother; either their death, or, which was in effect the same, her final separation from them. Withal this signified her alienation from them or from their superstitious and idolatrous courses, and her translation of her love from all other persons to her husband and to the true religion. Compare Psa 45:11.
She shall be thy wife; supposing what might very rationally be supposed of one in her circumstances, and what she signified by the foregoing rites, that she should submit to her husbands religion, in which case the marriage might be tolerable. Or this was a permission and indulgence given to them for the hardness of their hearts, as in the case of divorce, Deu 24:1; Mat 19:8.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her,…. Her beautiful garments, and gay apparel, in which she was taken captive; and which tended to stir up the stronger affection for her, and greater desire after her; and therefore, as some think, were ordered to be removed, to abate the ardour of love to her. Jarchi observes, that the daughters of the Gentiles used to adorn themselves in war, that they might cause others to commit fornication with them; and another writer before referred to says o, the daughters of Heathens used to adorn themselves in raiment of silk, and purple, and fine linen, and needlework, to allure and entice men with them; and therefore the law obliges to put off her beautiful garments, and clothe her with old worn out ones, that she might be less agreeable to him; though the putting off her fine clothes, and being clad with sordid ones, might be only as a token of mourning; as it was customary at such times to lay aside richer clothing, and put on sackcloth, Jon 3:6
and shall remain in thine house: shut up there, and never stir out, as the same writer interprets it. Maimonides p says, that she was to be with him in the house, that going in and out he might see her, and she become abominable to him; though perhaps it was only that he might have an opportunity of observing her manners, and of conversing with her, in order to make a proselyte of her; so the Targum of Jonathan interprets it of dipping herself, and becoming a proselytess in his house; or else, as the rest, her abiding in the house, and not going out, might be on account of mourning, as follows:
and bewail her father and her mother a full month; who were either dead in the battle, or however she had no hope of seeing them any more, being a captive, and likely to be settled in another man’s house in a foreign country, and so take her farewell of her father’s house in this mournful manner. The Jews are divided about the sense of these words; some take them simply to signify her parents, others her idols, according to Jer 2:17. The Targum of Jonathan is,
“and weep for the idols of the house of her father and her mother;”
meaning not for the loss of them, but for the idolatry of her father’s house she was now convinced of, being become a proselytess, according to the paraphrast; but the last seems only to have respect to the loss of her father and mother, which she was to bewail a whole month, or “a moon of days” q; as many days as the moon is going its course, which it finishes in twenty seven days, seven hours, and forty three minutes, and this is called the periodical month; but is longer in passing from one conjunction of it with the sun to another, called the synodical month, and its quantity is twenty nine days, twelve hours, and forty four minutes. Maimonides r says, she was to stay in his house three months, one month of mourning, and two after that, and then he was to marry her. The reason of this the Targum of Jonathan explains, by paraphrasing the words thus,
“and shall stay three months, that it may be known whether she is with child;”
that is, by his lying with her before when taken with her beauty, that so he might distinguish this child begotten on her in Heathenism, from what he might have by her after marriage, which is supposed to be the case of Tamar and Absalom; but as there is no foundation in the text for a permission to lie with her before marriage, so neither for these additional months; only one month was required, which was the usual time for mourning for deceased relations; see Nu 20:29
and after that thou shalt go in unto her; and not before:
and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife he continuing to love her, and she having become a proselytess.
o R. Abraham Seba in Tzeror. Hammor, fol. 146. 2. p Ut supra. (Hilchot Melachim, c. 8. sect. 2.) q “luna dierum”, Montanus, Piscator, Grotius. r Ut supra (Hilchot Melachim, c. 8.), sect. 6.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Ver. 13. And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her The French renders this more clearly: and she shall put off the raiment which she wore when she was taken captive; evidently to put on more vile apparel, and such as was better suited to the state and habit of mourning. In this dress she was to bewail her father and mother, either as slain in the war, or as likely to be seen no more by her; and this mourning was to continue a full month, the time usually allowed the Jews to bewail their deceased relations. The Talmudists add, that during this time she was to be instructed in the Jewish religion; for no indications of idolatry were to be tolerated among the Hebrews. Philo has justly observed, that the wisdom and humanity of Moses are very remarkable in this law; whereby the soldiers are forbidden to indulge a hasty and brutal passion, are kept a whole month in abstinence, and thereby have an opportunity given them of knowing the temper and disposition of the woman; for whose misfortune in captivity a compassionate provision is made, by allowing her so long a time of separation and mourning.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Deu 21:13 And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.
Ver. 13. A full month. ] Worldly sorrow, like a land flood, is for the present impetuous and violent, but time wears it out, not so godly sorrow.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
raiment of her captivity = mantle in which she was taken captive. “Of” = Genitive of relation (see App-17).
a full month. Hebrew = a moon of days. husband. Hebrew Baal, or lord. Compare first occurrence of verb, Gen 20:3.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
and bewail: Psa 45:10, Psa 45:11, Luk 14:26, Luk 14:27
Reciprocal: Gen 50:3 – threescore 2Sa 21:10 – from the Hos 3:3 – Thou shalt abide
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
21:13 And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, {e} and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy {f} wife.
(e) As having renounced parents and country.
(f) This was only allowed in the wars, otherwise the Israelites could not marry strangers.