Deuteronomy 21
The start of this chapter is a bit odd to my mind.
A body is found in open country. in these days one would send for the police who would investigate, search for clues and try and find evidence for cause of death and the culprit.
Here however, the nearest town or village is automatically suspected. the elders of the village or town sacrifice a bull in an uncultivated valley with a stream and basically say "It wasn't us"
If a man fancies a woman captured in war he may marry her after she has shaved her head and been given a month to mourn. However if they then fall out of love the woman is to be allowed to go free.
The first born son is to be given the rights of the firstborn even if he is born to a second favourite wife or he prefers another child.
There is no record of a rebellious son being executed in theBible, which is probably just as well!
Deuteronomy 22
There are very good principle found in this chapter - if you see something lost, return it, if you see somebody struggling, help them, don't take a nesting mother with her eggs, leave the mother.
Also one is commanded to take notice of health and safety - if you build a house make sure that nobody can accidentally fall off the roof.
The law against planting 2 kinds of seed, mixed fibres, and trying to plough with 2 different animals.
Some of the marriage laws are quite odd today - a woman had better have proof of her virginity because if her husband suspects that she is not a virgin and her parents cannot prove it then the woman could be executed outside her parents house.
If there is proof though the husband may never divorce her.
The poor woman in this case cannot divorce the swine who has accused her.
If a woman is raped in town then both her and the rapist are guilty and face death - the idea is that the woman did not scream or struggle. If it happens in open country then only the man has to die with the inference that the woman screamed and struggled but nobody was around to assist.
If the woman is not engaged then she has to marry the rapist who has given her dad a bride price of 50 sheckels.
I'm glad that things are way more even handed now, though it has taken a very long time. After all it was only in the 20th century that women were allowed to vote in the UK
The start of this chapter is a bit odd to my mind.
A body is found in open country. in these days one would send for the police who would investigate, search for clues and try and find evidence for cause of death and the culprit.
Here however, the nearest town or village is automatically suspected. the elders of the village or town sacrifice a bull in an uncultivated valley with a stream and basically say "It wasn't us"
If a man fancies a woman captured in war he may marry her after she has shaved her head and been given a month to mourn. However if they then fall out of love the woman is to be allowed to go free.
The first born son is to be given the rights of the firstborn even if he is born to a second favourite wife or he prefers another child.
There is no record of a rebellious son being executed in theBible, which is probably just as well!
Deuteronomy 22
There are very good principle found in this chapter - if you see something lost, return it, if you see somebody struggling, help them, don't take a nesting mother with her eggs, leave the mother.
Also one is commanded to take notice of health and safety - if you build a house make sure that nobody can accidentally fall off the roof.
The law against planting 2 kinds of seed, mixed fibres, and trying to plough with 2 different animals.
Some of the marriage laws are quite odd today - a woman had better have proof of her virginity because if her husband suspects that she is not a virgin and her parents cannot prove it then the woman could be executed outside her parents house.
If there is proof though the husband may never divorce her.
The poor woman in this case cannot divorce the swine who has accused her.
If a woman is raped in town then both her and the rapist are guilty and face death - the idea is that the woman did not scream or struggle. If it happens in open country then only the man has to die with the inference that the woman screamed and struggled but nobody was around to assist.
If the woman is not engaged then she has to marry the rapist who has given her dad a bride price of 50 sheckels.
I'm glad that things are way more even handed now, though it has taken a very long time. After all it was only in the 20th century that women were allowed to vote in the UK
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