This verse is frequently misinterpreted as endorsing rape, forced marriage, or sexual slavery, ignoring its contextual safeguards that were progressive for the ancient Near East, such as the mandatory mourning and assimilation rites to allow emotional processing and cultural integration, the elevation of the captive to wife status with rights, and the ban on resale upon divorce, which contrasted sharply with brutal norms of surrounding cultures where captives were routinely exploited or killed without recourse.
Deuteronomy 21:10
King James Version (1769)
10 When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the Lord thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive,
Deuteronomy 21:10 begins a passage outlining God's regulations for Israelite soldiers who take female captives during holy wars against enemies, emphasizing humane treatment by requiring a one-month mourning period for her parents, ritual purification through shaving her head and changing garments, and full marital status upon marriage, with the provision that if the husband becomes displeased, he must release her freely without selling her as a slave, thereby protecting vulnerable women and upholding dignity in the harsh realities of ancient warfare.