“You shall not permit a sorceress to live.
18. Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. In these passages the punishment of those is appointed who should in any respect violate the worship of God. We have lately seen how severely God avenged apostasy from the faith; but now He touches upon certain particular points when religion is not professedly forsaken, but some corruption is introduced, whereby its purity is affected.
Seduction of a virgin binds a man to marry her and pay her dowry, yet even here the father's consent remains absolute; he may refuse the match and the man must pay compensation for the injury instead. This law honors marriage and teaches children not to marry without parental blessing.
AI summary
Commenting on Exodus 22:16-24
Thou shall not suffer a witch to live. Such that had familiar spirits, and conversed with them, and by means thereof got knowledge of many things relating to persons, at least pretending they did; and who did or seemed to do many strange and surprising feats, as even to raise the spirits of departed persons, to converse with them and gain knowledge by them, though...