She shall put off her captive’s garb: or “discard the clothes she had when she was captured” (Revised English Bible). Again, instead of “captured,” “taken prisoner [of war]” is better. So we may translate “She shall take off [or, get rid of] the clothes she was wearing when they took her captive.”

Shall remain in your house and bewail her father and her mother a full month: this indicates that she is unmarried. Bewail here may be understood as a ritual mourning or weeping over the death or loss of her parents.

After that you may go in to her, and be her husband, and she shall be your wife: this is a very wordy way of saying, “After the month is up, you are free to marry her.” Revised English Bible “you may have intercourse with her” is actually closer to the Hebrew text, but since the act of intercourse, in this context, assumes marriage, it is better to use the verb “to marry.” The initiative is his, and the woman’s feelings are not relevant. The Hebrew for “be her husband” is “be her baal,” which, depending on the context, can mean either “lord” or “husband” (in Hebrew society the husband was the lord).

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .