Charles Ellicott Commentary Deuteronomy 21:10-14

"When thou goest forth to battle against thine enemies, and Jehovah thy God delivereth them into thy hands, and thou carriest them away captive, and seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and thou hast a desire unto her, and wouldest take her to thee to wife; then thou shalt bring her home to thy house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails; and she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thy house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife. And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not deal with her as a slave, because thou hast humbled her." — Deuteronomy 21:10-14 (ASV)

Deuteronomy 21:10–14. MARRIAGE OF CAPTIVE WOMEN.

When you ... see among the captives a beautiful woman. —This could not be among the seven nations, of whom it is said (Deuteronomy 20:1–6), you shall save alive nothing that breathes. But it may well apply to the recent case of the Midianite maidens (Numbers 31:15–18), who had been taken captive in great numbers, and would naturally be reduced to slavery. It is clear from this passage that they could not be treated as concubines.

Shall shave her head, and pare her nails. —Rashi’s view is that the object of this order is to spoil the beauty of the captive. The long hair is to be cut off, and the nails pared. On this last point the Targums differ; one taking the view that they are to be left to grow and the other the opposite interpretation.

In 2 Samuel 19:24, there are two examples of the use of the word in the sense of attending to the person. The correct interpretation in this place depends upon the purpose for which the thing was to be done. If the intention was any kind of purification, and long or taper nails were considered an ornament (as by some Eastern nations), it is more probable that the nails were to be cut short.

The raiment of her captivity. —Rashi takes this to mean the beautiful raiment put on for the purpose of attracting her captors. (Compare Jezebel’s attempt to captivate Jehu, 2 Kings 9:30.) Whatever may be the precise intent of these several instructions, it is clear that the law is intended to encourage lawful marriage, and no other form of union. In this view, it throws an important light upon the treatment of the Midianite captives in Numbers 31.

You shall not make merchandise of her. —This shows that, in ordinary cases, these captives would be sold as slaves, without the restrictions imposed on Israelite slavery. (See Leviticus 25:44-46.)