Translations:Does Deuteronomy 22:25-29 imply that the rape of an unbetrothed girl is not a death penalty offense?/7/en

Rape of an unbetrothed girl is, a fortiori, a mandatory death penalty offense, based upon the general equity of Deut. 22:25-26. In v. 26, rape is likened to murder, an act in which the primary (human) victim is the person who is killed. It is reasonable to believe that the primary victim in an act of rape is the woman (not a betrothed husband). The woman's state of betrothal is irrelevant to this comparison. Therefore, when scripture equates rape to murder in v. 26 (which is also a mandatory death penalty offense), the relevant similarity between the crimes shows that (a fortiori) the rape of an unbetrothed girl also mandates the death penalty (as long as there are two or more witnesses: Deut. 19:15).