Wear a mingled stuff, wool and linen together: this old English means to wear clothing made of wool and linen woven together. Where weaving is unknown, or where wool and linen are also unknown, it is possible to say simply “clothes made of two different kinds of thread.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

For a fuller statement of this law, see Num 15.37-41. A tassel is an ornament made of threads or cords bound at one end.

The cloak was the long outer garment.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The verse begins with two complete statements that are to be understood together, and not as separate actions: charges her with shameful conduct, and brings an evil name upon her. This may be expressed as “He defames her, falsely accusing her of sexual immorality.” The context shows that the accusation is false. New International Version has “slanders her and gives her a bad name.”

I took this woman: that is, “I took this woman as my wife” or “I married this woman.”

When I came near her: this refers to the first time he made love to his wife. Contemporary English Version has “when we slept together.”

The tokens of virginity: as the following context shows, this is the bleeding caused by the rupture of the hymen of a virgin. (The hymen is the membrane that partly closes the opening of the vagina.) The blood would stain the bed sheet, and the bloodstained bed sheet served as proof that she was a virgin. This can be difficult, if not impossible, to describe in some languages, but the general “I discovered [or, found out] she wasn’t a virgin” may be enough, in view of the details given in verses 15 and 17. Good News Translation may serve as a model on how to handle this. If translators feel that a further explanation is needed, this may be placed in a footnote or glossary item. Many languages will have a term for “virgin,” but in some languages translators will need to use a phrase; for example, “young woman [or, girl] who has never been with a man” or “… who has not slept with a man.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The young woman’s father and mother take the bloodstained sheet to the elders of the city in the gate (see 21.19).

Alternative translation models for this verse are:

• If this happens, the girl’s father and mother must go to the town gate and show the town leaders the blood-stained bed sheet to prove that the girl was a virgin.

• If this happens, the girl’s father and mother must take the bed sheet with the blood stains on it to the town gate to show to the town leaders. This will prove that the girl was a virgin.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The father … shall say: he reports to the elders what happened (see verse 14).

To wife means “to marry,” “to be his wife.”

And he spurns her: see verse 13.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The father then quotes the very words the young man used, I did not find in your daughter the tokens of virginity. This can be stated in an indirect way, “… saying that he did not find in my daughter the tokens of virginity” or “… saying that he discovered that my daughter was not a virgin.”

Yet these are the tokens of my daughter’s virginity: or “this bloodstained bed cloth [or, sheet] proves that my daughter was a virgin,” or “Look at the bloodstains on the wedding sheet” (Good News Translation).

They shall spread the garment: it is better to say “cloth” or “bed sheet,” and in some way the reader must be told that that bed sheet is stained with the young woman’s blood. Good News Translation expresses this much more clearly.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Whip him: probably with leather straps. But the verb is the same one used in 21.18, and it may mean simply “to punish” or “to discipline,” with the fine (verse 19) being the punishment itself, not something in addition to the flogging. However, most translations take the verb to mean whip, with the fine being an additional punishment, and the Handbook recommends this approach.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

A hundred shekels of silver: this is twice the amount of the standard bride price a groom paid the father (see 22.29). So the young man would have to pay the bride price again, plus an additional fifty shekels. A hundred shekels was worth quite a lot. Translators should avoid transliterating the word “shekel,” as it will be meaningless to the reader. A better model is “a hundred pieces of silver” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version).

A virgin of Israel: this is a solemn title, indicating the seriousness of the man’s conduct. However, if the use of a technical term meaning virgin sounds strange in this context, we may say, for example, “because the man has disgraced an Israelite girl [or, young woman]” or “… has caused an Israelite young woman to receive shame [or, lose face].” The Contemporary English Version rendering “accused his bride of not being a virgin” doesn’t really bring out the idea of disgrace within the community of Israel.

She shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days: this is taken to be a good ruling; the young woman’s wishes are of no importance. A good alternative model is “she shall continue to be his wife, and he can never divorce her as long as he lives” (Good News Translation).

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .