Bible Discussion Thread

According to numbers 31:17_18, the verses shown that those who know man or woman by lying (i.e sexual intercourse) with him or her should be killed, so my question here is: how did the children of israel understand if a woman is virgin or not and vice versa?

Hi Mubarak. As you've referred to Numbers 31:17,18: "Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves": the verses indicate that these girls were not of marriageable age & still cared for & housed by their families.

How can the Israeli army be certain about this? I can't tell for sure, except to understand that even in some cultures today (Africa, ME, S. Asia), a lady is appointed to verify the virginity of a girl (if there's any doubt) prior to her marriage. But given the command to kill, in Numbers, I doubt whether any thorough examination would be first conducted before the pogrom, meaning that some 'older' girls might have been caught up in the slaughter, which shouldn't have been.