What Does The Bible Say About Rape?

Last week I led a youth dialogue. Youth came from around the city to discuss the issue of rape. Many wanted to know what the Bible says about rape, so I thought I would extend my answer to this week’s column.

I will briefly summarise the actual stories of rape that are talked about in the pages of the scripture. Then, we will talk about the practical applications for us in dealing with rape. To add a disclaimer, although I realise that both women and men can be raped -for the purpose of this article, I will focus on a man raping a woman since that is generally the type of rape we read about in the Bible.

Surprisingly, there are several very explicit stories written in the Bible about rape. I will just give you the references of two stories and quick highlights of a third. You can read stories of gang rape and entire tribes avenging the violation of their sister after being raped in Genesis 34 and Judges 19-21.

Editor's Comment
Routine child vaccination imperative

The recent Vaccination Day in Motokwe, orchestrated through collaborative efforts between UNICEF, USAID, BRCS, and the Ministry of Health, underscores a commendable stride towards fortifying child health services.The painful reality as reflected by the Ministry of Health's data regarding the decline in routine immunisation coverage since the onset of the pandemic, is a cause for concern.It underscores the urgent need to address the...

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