Does the Bible talk about rape?

from the old testament

• The Mosaic law regarding rape is found in Deuteronomy 22:25–29. Verses 25–27 address a man who finds an engaged woman in a field and rapes her. The punishment was that the man would die. Verses 28–29 refer to a man who rapes a woman who is not engaged. He is required to marry her—if her father agrees (Exodus 22:16–17). Either way, he is required to pay the "bride price" which means her well-being is assured for the rest of her life. If the victim and her father agree they should be married, the man may not dishonor her with divorce. The laws sound strange to modern ears, but Old Testament punishment was often more about financial recompense than emotional closure. The engaged woman was cleared of the moral law and therefore able to marry her betrothed, ensuring her well-being as well as her chances to bear a son who could care for her. In the case of the non-engaged woman, even though she would probably be considered unmarriable, she was financially independent, and still had the option (via her father) to be married and bear a son.
• Deuteronomy 22:23–24 discusses a different issue: “If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbor's wife. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.” In this case, both the man and the engaged woman are to be put to death, but this is not a case of rape. Because of the high value placed on women being virgins on their wedding night, it is assumed that a woman attacked in the city will cry out for help. The cities were dense enough that someone would come to her rescue. If she didn't cry out, the sex was consensual and the punishment was severe.
• When David's son Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar, she begged him to marry her (2 Samuel 13). The shame of being violated and remaining unmarried was too great. When she tore her robe and covered her hair in ashes, it wasn't because of the rape; it was because he refused to marry her. Her reaction is descriptive—it is an account of a particular situation within the culture. It is not prescriptive—it does not reflect how God feels about rape.
• The more troubling-to-some passages about rape in the Bible are those that refer to war (Numbers 31). After a battle, Israelite men were allowed to take virgin women from among their enemies and either marry them or take them as concubines. The law, again, protects women in that they are provided for despite the fact the culture did not allow them to own property or independent businesses without the supervision of a man. Did rape occur in such circumstances? Undoubtedly. But nowhere does the Bible condone rape.

from the new testament

• Rape isn't mentioned in the New Testament. Sexual purity was as applicable to men as to women (Matthew 5:27–32), sex was reserved for married couples (Matthew 19:1–12), and men were to love their wives sacrificially (Ephesians 5:25–28).

implications for today

The laws against rape in the Old Testament aren't applicable to us today, but biblical standards are. Romans 13 says to obey local laws, many of which forbid rape. Jesus said sex is only to be between a husband and wife, and Paul told husbands to love their wives sacrificially. When Jesus spoke of sexual purity, it was in the context of the heart and mind. A woman who has been raped is described as "violated," but never dirty, unclean, or impure; dishonored by another, but never honor-less as a person. Rape has a great emotional toll, but the Bible never suggests it alters the nature of a person.

It should also be mentioned that rape is often more about violence and control than it is about sex. Certainly the Bible—in both Old and New Testaments—speaks against violent assault. Jesus goes even further and speaks to the heart and mind conditions that lead to such violence, denouncing the progression from anger to insult to contempt in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:21–26). God values people and imbues them with dignity and worth. When someone rapes another person they insult that person's dignity. It is one of the gravest affronts one person can give to another, but it takes nothing away from the victim's value. It is clear that while rape harms physically, emotionally, and mentally, no one can take away another's worth.

Victims of rape can find hope and healing in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The road may be long and arduous, but He is faithful. Perpetrators of rape can find hope and forgiveness in the person and work of Jesus Christ. In this life we will suffer the consequences of sins committed against us and the consequences of our own sins. But Jesus has paid for every sin and offers forgiveness and healing. One day all who put their faith in Him will be whole in Him (1 Corinthians 6:9–11; 13:12–13; Philippians 1:6).