What Does Deuteronomy 22:15 Mean in the King James?

Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel’s virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate:

Deuteronomy 22:15 · KJV

The analysis reads the King James wording.

King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.

This verse in the Selah Decoded Version

THE KEY

The verb “bring out” makes the passage’s movement visible: a young woman’s sexual status is carried from the household into public judgment.

THE MEANING

The verse makes the young woman’s sexual status a public claim to be supported by evidence: her parents bring its tokens to the elders at the city gate. The claim about her body is placed before communal authority, where the elders judge it.

THE ROOT

וְהוֹצִיאוּ

vehotsi'u

GROWS FROM

יצא

y-ts-ʾ

To go out or come forth; in the causative form here, to bring out or cause to go forth.

“bring forth” in this verse is vehotsi'u. The verb keeps attention on movement from what is held within to what is brought into view. Its causative form also makes clear who acts: others bring the tokens before the elders.

ALSO GROWS

yatsa: To go out, come forth.

יָצָא

This is the root’s basic movement, the seed beneath the act of bringing something out.

hotzi: To bring out, lead forth.

הוֹצִיא

This causative form makes someone the agent of that movement, as the parents bring the tokens to the gate.

THE PATTERN

A private claim becomes consequential when its evidence is put before public authority.

One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.

Deuteronomy 19:15 · KJVThe matter is established through a defined threshold of testimony, showing evidence governing public judgment.

And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.

1 Kings 21:13 · KJVThe accusation is witnessed before the people and leads to Naboth’s death, showing how public testimony can become a means of violence.

To whom I answered, It is not the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to die, before that he which is accused have the accusers face to face, and have licence to answer for himself concerning the crime laid against him.

Acts 25:16 · KJVThe accused faces the accusers and receives a chance to answer before judgment, placing a procedural limit on public accusation.

THE THREAD

Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father’s house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.

Deuteronomy 22:21 · KJV

The same Hebrew verb ⁨וְהוֹצִיאוּ⁩ (vehotsi’u, “bring out”) appears in both verses. Here it names the tokens brought before the elders; in the next verse it names the young woman brought out to be stoned, shifting the focus from evidence to the person subjected to the judgment.

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