25 December 2014

EJ&T Deuteronomy 25: Forty lashes, sex with your dead brother's wife, cutting off a woman's hand without pity, and remembering Amalek

In the Every Jot and Tittle project, I am listing all of the Bible's commandments from Genesis to Revelation, in accordance with Jesus's words in Matthew 5:18-19. I have no idea how many commandments I'll find, but Jewish tradition claims there are 613. See here for a list of those that I've found so far.

  1. Settle disputes with judges who will justify the righteous and condemn the wicked.
  2. If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked. Deuteronomy 25:1

  3. When a judge decides that someone is wicked, make him lie down and beat him with up to forty lashes.
  4. If the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number. Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee. Deuteronomy 25:2-3

  5. Don't muzzle an ox while it is treading the grain.
  6. Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn. Deuteronomy 25:4

    Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. 1 Corinthians 9:9

  7. If a man dies before his wife has a child, the widow must marry her dead husband's brother.
  8. If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her. Deuteronomy 25:5

  9. When a man marries his dead brother's wife, the firstborn son receives the dead brother's name.
  10. And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel. Deuteronomy 25:6

  11. If a man refuses to "go in unto" his dead brother's wife, she shall loosen his shoe and spit in his face.
  12. And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother. Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her; Then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother's house. Deuteronomy 25:7-9

  13. A man who refuses to have sex with his dead brother's wife shall be called "him that has his shoe loosed."
  14. And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed. Deuteronomy 25:10

  15. If two men fight and the wife of one grabs the "secrets" of the other, "then thou shalt cut off her hand" and "thine eye shall not pity her."
  16. When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near for to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets: Then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity her. Deuteronomy 25:11-12

  17. Remember what Amalek did to you.
  18. Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt. How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God. Deuteronomy 25:17-18

  19. Don't forget to blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.
  20. Thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it. Deuteronomy 25:19

    Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. 1 Samuel 15:2-3

1 comment:

Stephen said...

Sorry, #516 sent me into a sort of infinite loop. I forget what I was supposed to remember... or do I remember what I was supposed to forget?
Steve Weeks