Deuteronomy 21:10-13 outlines the regulations for an Israelite soldier who desires to take a beautiful captive woman as his wife. Critics cite this passage as evidence of barbaric, degrading treatment of women.

Evaluating this text requires an understanding of the brutal social realities of ancient warfare. In the surrounding pagan cultures of the Ancient Near East, captured women were routinely subjected to immediate, horrific sexual violence and treated as disposable slaves. The biblical law, in stark contrast, mandated a period of mourning, required formal marriage elevating her to the status of a wife (not a concubine), and strictly forbade selling her as a slave if the soldier later lost interest. In its historical context, this legislation was a radical, merciful intervention that protected the dignity and legal rights of the vulnerable captive.