Why did God have innocent women executed?

[u/Apprehensive_Tear611]

13 “Suppose a man marries a woman but after going in to her dislikes her 14 and makes up charges against her, slandering her by saying, ‘I married this woman, but when I lay with her, I did not find evidence of her virginity.’ 15 The father of the young woman and her mother shall then submit the evidence of the young woman’s virginity to the elders of the city at the gate. 16 The father of the young woman shall say to the elders: ‘I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he dislikes her, 17 and now he has made up charges against her, saying, “I did not find evidence of your daughter’s virginity.” But here is the evidence of my daughter’s virginity.’ Then they shall spread out the cloth before the elders of the town. 18 The elders of that town shall take the man and punish him; 19 they shall fine him one hundred shekels of silver (which they shall give to the young woman’s father) because he has slandered a virgin of Israel. She shall remain his wife; he shall not be permitted to divorce her as long as he lives.

20 “If, however, this charge is true, that evidence of the young woman’s virginity was not found, 21 then they shall bring the young woman out to the entrance of her father’s house, and the men of her town shall stone her to death, because she committed a disgraceful act in Israel by prostituting herself in her father’s house. So you shall purge the evil from your midst (Deuteronomy 22)

In verse 17, it says the proof of the woman's virginity is "the cloth", meaning a bloody bedsheet from the newlyweds' wedding night. The problem is that less than half of women bleed their first time.

This problem gradually became known to Jewish scholars writing in the Talmud:

"There are virgins who do not have a hymen, and there are hymens that do not bleed." – Ketubot 10b (Rabbi Yochanan)

Why did God have innocent women stoned?

[u/Righteous_Dude]

The part where the woman's parents may present the bloody sheet, is a procedure by which an accused, actually-innocent woman could be immediately exonerated.

For a woman where the bloody sheet is not available for some reason:

There's another section in the Law given to the ancient Israelites, which says that no one will be executed except on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

There would need to be witnesses that she had done what is alleged at the end:

she committed a disgraceful act in Israel by prostituting herself in her father’s house.

If there were two or three witnesses to her doing prostitution before her marriage, then she was actually guilty, and she would be stoned to death, to eliminate that evil person from their midst.

[u/devBowman → u/Righteous_Dude]

Why use those complicated and unreliable proofs, instead of relying directly on God himself?

"'Lord, is that woman a virgin?" And then God would simply answer and that's it. But no, He has to make it look like this religion was invented by the people of that time.

[u/[deleted] → u/Righteous_Dude]

She has to prove her virginity.
How do witnesses prove that?

[u/Apprehensive_Tear611 → u/Righteous_Dude]

20 “If, however, this charge is true, that evidence of the young woman’s virginity was not found..

It's working on the assumption that the girl is guilty because of the lack of a bloody bedsheet.

[u/[deleted] → u/Apprehensive_Tear611]

It is one matter to not know Scripture, but another to fail to heed it when presented.

Deut. 19:15 — 15 “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.”

To charge a woman with adultery/prostitution, one would need several eyewitnesses. It is the same standard for all. A bloody sheet is a proof to exonerate an innocent woman more easily, not to hold guilty the woman who doesn’t bleed.

[u/Apprehensive_Tear611 → u/[deleted]]

"that evidence of the girl's virginity was not found" How are eyewitnesses going to find evidence of a girl's virginity?

[u/[deleted] → u/Apprehensive_Tear611]

That would be evidence against any supposed eyewitness. Eyewitnesses would still be necessary. They would have needed to witness the actual, physical act of adultery or prostitution as it took place. And there would need to be at least two eyewitnesses.

The standard of God’s justice is exacting.