How did they know the younger women were virgins? How old were they?
Verses 15-18:15 “Have you allowed all the women to live?” he asked them. 16 “They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the Peor incident, so that a plague struck the Lord’s people. 17 Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, 18 but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man."
Numbers 31:1 - 51
MSG - 1 God spoke to Moses: "Avenge the People of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you will go to be with your dead ancestors. 3 Moses addressed the people: "Recruit men for a campaign against Midian, to exact God's vengeance on Midian, a thousand from each tribe of Israel to go to war.
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Asked June 10 2014
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Wanda Glover
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Jeffrey Johnson
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How did they know the younger women were virgins? How old were they? The age of the women varied widely, and their exact ages were often not specified in historical texts. In many cultures, the presence of blood on the matrimonial bedsheets after the first sexual encounter was considered definitive proof of virginity. This, too, is a misconception, as not all women bleed during their first intercourse, and any blood might be due to minor lacerations from lack of lubrication or forced penetration. The bloody sheets would sometimes be displayed to the community as proof of purity. Proof of Virginity. After the supper, the husband took his bride into the nuptial chamber. (Ps 19:5; Joe 2:16) On the wedding night, a cloth or garment was used and then kept or given to the wife's parents so that the marks of the blood of the girl's virginity would constitute legal protection for her in the event she was later charged with lack of virginity or of having been a prostitute before her marriage. Otherwise, she could be stoned to death for having presented herself in marriage as a spotless virgin and for bringing great reproach on her father's house. (De 22:13-21) This practice of keeping the cloth has continued among some people in the Middle East until recent times.
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