How did they check if a woman was a virgin during Biblical times?

[shipley]

(13) If a man takes a wife and, after sleeping with her , dislikes her (14) and slanders her and gives her a bad name, saying, “I married this woman, but when I approached her, I did not find proof of her virginity,” (15) then the young woman’s father and mother shall bring to the town elders at the gate proof that she was a virgin. (16) Her father will say to the elders, “I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he dislikes her. (17) Now he has slandered her and said, ‘I did not find your daughter to be a virgin.’ But here is the proof of my daughter’s virginity.” Then her parents shall display the cloth before the elders of the town

lol. Bible.....

[therron57]

Virgins bleed the first time. Displaying the cloths meant they hung the bloody sheets out for the town to see.

I know not all women bleed the first time, but it was commonly believed back then. They also had a "method" of detecting virginity by listening to unmarried women pee. Because virgins apparently pee different from non-virgins.

[garbhach65]

Well in biblical times, you have to realize that these "women" who were marrying the men were all like 12 years old, and the guy was usually like in his 20's. These girls were likely EXTREMELY tight, and would likely bleed during sex the first time due to vaginal tearing and whatnot. For a girl who just married to not bleed, that would be pretty rare.

[francisco]

Possibly they would see I'd the hymen was there. But it can be broken from other things like riding horses. Humans can grow back too so that may be inaccurate. I think in a bible being a virgin was a metaphor for being "pure" in some other way. But hey people think an apple tree was literally an apple tree.

[gedalyahu]

If she bled on the bed sheets, then that was the tell tale sign for her being a virgin. If not.... you can probably guess. And it is true most girls don't bleed during their first time.... but that is how they saw it.

[shashank]

I guess if the man had sex with the woman and she bled from the hymen breaking, then she was a virgin.
Not a foolproof method by any means, but you know, primitive times.

[jaren12]

Greek text used the translation 'parthenos' which in fact does mean 'virgin'...Hebrew text uses the word 'almah' which simply means young girl. Was Jesus born of immaculate conception, no probably not.

[lorimar]

UM, yes we do, we do bleed. It can be after the fact, the next day and be like a short period. When the wife cleaned up the proof would be there.

[unss94]

Bloody sheets after the nupials and/or the midwife checked her out physically first. It only had to be done if there was a serious question as to the subject like she'd been lost out in the hills overnight etc.

[osbourne]

I used to sing a rugby song to the old music hall tune, Yip I Addy I Ay I Ay called Rip My Hymen Away Away!