Texts in Conversation
Deuteronomy follows ancient Near Eastern laws, such as the Code of Hammurabi, that describe punishment specifically for individuals caught in the act of having an affair. Unlike Hammurabi, Deuteronomy does not allow any chance of forgiveness.
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Code of Hammurabi
Babylonian Legal Text
Ancient Near East
127 If any one 'point the finger' (slander) at a sister of a god or the wife of any one, and can not prove it, this man shall be taken before the judges and his brow shall be marked 128 If a man take a woman to wife, but have no intercourse with her, this woman is no wife to him 129 If a man's wife be surprised while having sex with another man, both shall be tied and thrown into the water, but the husband may pardon his wife and the king his slaves 130 If a man violate the wife (betrothed or child-wife) of another man, who has never known a man, and still lives in her father's house, and sleep with her and be surprised, this man shall be put to death, but the wife is blameless
Date: 1750 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Deuteronomy 22:22
Hebrew Bible
21 the men of her city must bring the young woman to the door of her father’s house and stone her to death, for she has done a disgraceful thing in Israel by behaving like a prostitute while living in her father’s house. In this way you will purge the evil from among you. 22 If a man is discovered in bed with a married woman, both the man lying in bed with the woman and the woman herself must die; in this way you will purge the evil from Israel. 23 If a virgin is engaged to a man and another man meets her in the city and goes to bed with her,
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Notes and References
"... Greenberg argues that the fact that every crime is also a sin lays the ground for certain acts to be viewed as absolutely wrong, and transcending the power of humans to forgive. Absolutely wrong and they transcend the power of humans to pardon or forgive. Take for an example, adultery. Deuteronomy 22:22: "If a man is found lying with another man's wife, both of them — the man and the woman with whom he lay — shall die. Thus, you will sweep away evil from Israel." And murder is the other one. Numbers 35:16, "... the murderer must be put to death ..." "You may not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer" [this is now verse 31] "who is guilty of a capital crime; he must be put to death." In the view of the biblical text, adultery and murder are absolutely wrong. They must always be punished regardless of the attitude of the offended parties. So a husband can't say "Oh, that's okay, I don't want to punish my wife; let them have their fun. It's no big deal; I don't mind." (unlike the Code of Hammurabi) ..."
Hayes, Christine
Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible)
Yale University Open Courses, 2013
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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