Why would God’s people plunder women and children (20:14)?
It was customary at that time for prisoners of war to become slaves. But Israel was to treat their slaves according to God’s standards–not with the brutality that could be found among other nations. Women captured by the Israelites were not treated merely as booty; God insisted on certain rights for them and provided for the possibility of their inclusion in the covenant community through marriage (21:10-14).
