Deuteronomy 22:24 Midrash: Sifrei Devarim

וְהוֹצֵאתֶ֨ם אֶת־שְׁנֵיהֶ֜ם אֶל־שַׁ֣עַר ׀ הָעִ֣יר הַהִ֗וא וּסְקַלְתֶּ֨ם אֹתָ֥ם בָּאֲבָנִים֮ וָמֵתוּ֒ אֶת־הנער [הַֽנַּעֲרָ֗ה] עַל־דְּבַר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־צָעֲקָ֣ה בָעִ֔יר וְאֶ֨ת־הָאִ֔ישׁ עַל־דְּבַ֥ר אֲשֶׁר־עִנָּ֖ה אֶת־אֵ֣שֶׁת רֵעֵ֑הוּ וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֥ הָרָ֖ע מִקִּרְבֶּֽךָ׃ (ס)

then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die: the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour’s wife; so thou shalt put away the evil from the midst of thee.

Sifrei Devarim

What is the intent of this? Because it is written (Vayikra 20:10) "If a man commits adultery with another man's wife" — whether witnesses testify in the house of her husband that she committed adultery (while yet) in her father's house (i.e., while she was betrothed), or whether they testified in her father's house that she committed adultery in her father's house, I would think that she is executed at the gate of that city (viz. Devarim 22:24), Scripture (here) excludes (from "the gate of the city") the instance of witnesses testifying in the house of her husband that she committed adultery in the house of her father, (and indicates [viz. Ibid. 21]) that she is executed at "the door of her father's house." This is the intent of "If a man take a wife."
Ask a RabbiBookmarkShareCopy