Deuteronomy 21:10-14·~1 min

Marrying a Captive Woman

After victory in war, if an Israelite desires a captive woman, he must bring her into his house and wait. Her altered appearance, changed clothing, and month of mourning set this transition apart from immediate possession.

W¹⁰hen you go to war against your enemies and the LORD your God delivers them into your hand and you take them captive, ¹¹if you see a beautiful woman among them, and you desire her and want to take her as your wife, ¹²then you shall bring her into your house. She must shave her head, trim her nails, ¹³and put aside the clothing of her captivity.

After her mourning, she may become his wife, but if he no longer wants her, he must release her freely. Because he has humbled her, he may not sell her or keep her as a slave.

¹⁴After she has lived in your house a full month and mourned her father and mother, you may have relations with her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife. And if you are not pleased with her, you are to let her go wherever she wishes. But you must not sell her for money or treat her as a slave, since you have dishonored her.

Section summaryA captive woman may not be taken at once as spoil but must first be brought into the household, marked off from her former condition, and given time to mourn. If the marriage later ends, she must go free and may not be sold or treated as a slave.

Role in the chapterThis section restrains desire in the aftermath of war. It inserts time, public form, and limits where conquest might otherwise turn a woman into property.