A Time to Mourn, and a Time to Menstruate?

Abstract

Deuteronomy 21:10–14 describes a procedure which was to be followed if an Israelite man wanted to make a female captive his wife. The month-long period of time mentioned in v. 13 is stated to be the length of time the female captive mourned for her father and mother. It has, however, been argued that the month-long period of time also served as a way to determine if the woman was already pregnant. A robust case can be made, however, that this was not the case. The month was, in fact, a time for the woman to mourn, and to make the transition from being a captive, non-Israelite/foreign, daughter, to being a free, non-foreign/Israelite, wife.