Reference: Ban
Hastings
The ban is an institution from remote antiquity, which still survives in the Jewish and Christian Churches. Its earlier history has not yet received the systematic treatment which it merits. The original idea, common to all the Semitic languages, is that of withdrawing something from common use and setting it apart for the exclusive use of a deity. In Hebrew the verbal root acquired the more specialized meaning of devoting to Jahweh His enemies and their belongings by means of fire and sword, and is usually rendered 'utterly destroy' (Revised Version margin adds 'Heb. devote'), while the cognate noun (ch
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"Whoever sacrifices to any gods, except the Lord alone, is to be set apart for destruction.
"Nothing that a man permanently sets apart to the Lord from all he owns, whether a person, an animal, or his inherited landholding, can be sold or redeemed; everything set apart is especially holy to the Lord.
"Nothing that a man permanently sets apart to the Lord from all he owns, whether a person, an animal, or his inherited landholding, can be sold or redeemed; everything set apart is especially holy to the Lord.
"Everything in Israel that is permanently dedicated [to the Lord] belongs to you.
Then Israel made a vow to the Lord, "If You will deliver this people into our hands, we will completely destroy their cities."
Therefore it is stated in the Book of the Lord's Wars: Waheb in Suphah and the ravines of the Arnon,
So now, kill all the male children and kill every woman who has had sexual relations with a man,
At that time we captured all his cities and completely destroyed the people of every city, including the women and children. We left no survivors.
We completely destroyed them, as we had done to Sihon king of Heshbon, destroying the men, women, and children of every city.
and when the Lord your God delivers them over to you and you defeat them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.
You must not bring any abhorrent thing into your house, or you will be set apart for destruction like it. You are to utterly detest and abhor it, because it is set apart for destruction.
"If you hear it said about one of your cities the Lord your God is giving you to live in,
"If you hear it said about one of your cities the Lord your God is giving you to live in,
You are to gather all its spoil in the middle of the city square and completely burn up the city and all its spoil for the Lord your God. The city must remain a mound of ruins forever; it is not to be rebuilt.
But keep yourselves from the things set apart, or you will be set apart for destruction. If you take any of those things, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster on it.
Israel has sinned. They have violated My covenant that I appointed for them. They have taken some of what was set apart. They have stolen, deceived, and put [the things] with their own belongings.
They struck down everyone in it with the sword, completely destroying them; he left no one alive. Then he burned down Hazor.
The Israelites plundered all the spoils and cattle of these cities for themselves. But they struck down every person with the sword until they had annihilated them, leaving no one alive.
The Israelites plundered all the spoils and cattle of these cities for themselves. But they struck down every person with the sword until they had annihilated them, leaving no one alive.
This is what you should do: Completely destroy every male, as well as every female who has slept with a man."
Then they brought the sin offering goats right into the presence of the king and the congregation, who laid their hands on them.
Whoever did not come within three days would forfeit all his possessions, according to the decision of the leaders and elders, and would be excluded from the assembly of the exiles.