Deuteronomy 25:1

Hebrew Bible

1 If controversy arises between people, they should go to court for judgment. When the judges hear the case, they shall exonerate the innocent but condemn the guilty. 2 Then, if the guilty person is sentenced to a beating, the judge shall force him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with the number of blows his wicked behavior deserves. 3 The judge may sentence him to 40 blows, but no more. If he is struck with more than these, you might view your fellow Israelite with contempt.

1 Kings 8:32

Hebrew Bible

31 “When someone is accused of sinning against his neighbor and the latter pronounces a curse on the alleged offender before your altar in this temple, be willing to forgive the accused if the accusation is false. 32 Listen from heaven and make a just decision about your servants’ claims. Condemn the guilty party, declare the other innocent, and give both of them what they deserve. 33 “The time will come when your people Israel are defeated by an enemy because they sinned against you. If they come back to you, renew their allegiance to you, and pray for your help in this temple,

 Notes and References

"... It is instructive that Solomon requested YHWH to 'hear and forgive' in the 'place of your enthronement' (i.e., the heavenly temple). That the prayer goes up to the 'place of your enthronement' makes the locale where YHWH is enthroned important in the context of his activities. If the purpose of the references to heaven were simply to convey God's transcendence, there would be no need to pray towards the earthly temple and beg YHWH to respond from the place of his enthronement, in heaven. However, the repeated petition that YHWH hear from his heavenly dwelling points to the significance of 'this place' in the bestowal of forgiveness and the execution of other functions to be noted below. Another instructive reference to YHWH's activities in the heavenly temple is provided by 1 Kings 8:32, which is part of the first petition. A few points are relevant here. The text mentions activities that YHWH supposedly would perform in 'heaven.' As clarified by the context, this refers to an interpersonal dispute brought to the earthly temple. (Compare Deuteronomy 25:1) In this situation, the ultimate judgment belonged to YHWH who in heaven (i.e., the heavenly/temple) would judge in order to condemn the wicked, and to declare innocent the righteous one ..."

de Souza, Elias Brasil, The Heavenly Sanctuary/Temple Motif in the Hebrew Bible: Function and Relationship to the Earthly Counterparts (p. 218) Andrews University, 2005

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