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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'He who is sacrificing to a god, save to Jehovah alone, is devoted.
'Only, no devoted thing which a man devoteth to Jehovah, of all that he hath, of man, and beast, and of the field of his possession, is sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to Jehovah.
'Only, no devoted thing which a man devoteth to Jehovah, of all that he hath, of man, and beast, and of the field of his possession, is sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to Jehovah.
And Israel voweth a vow to Jehovah, and saith, 'If Thou dost certainly give this people into my hand, then I have devoted their cities;'
therefore it is said in a book, 'The wars of Jehovah,' -- 'Waheb in Suphah, And the brooks of Arnon;
'And now, slay ye every male among the infants, yea, every woman known of man by the lying of a male ye have slain;
and we capture all his cities at that time, and devote the whole city, men, and the women, and the infants -- we have not left a remnant;
and we devote them, as we have done to Sihon king of Heshbon, devoting every city, men, the women, and the infants;
and Jehovah thy God hath given them before thee, and thou hast smitten them -- thou dost utterly devote them -- thou dost not make with them a covenant, nor dost thou favour them.
and thou dost not bring in an abomination unto thy house -- or thou hast been devoted like it; -- thou dost utterly detest it, and thou dost utterly abominate it; for it is devoted.
When thou hearest, in one of thy cities which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee to dwell there, one saying,
When thou hearest, in one of thy cities which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee to dwell there, one saying,
and all its spoil thou dost gather unto the midst of its broad place, and hast burned with fire the city and all its spoil completely, before Jehovah thy God, and it hath been a heap age-during, it is not built any more;
'When thou drawest near unto a city to fight against it, then thou hast called unto it for Peace,
and surely ye have kept from the devoted thing, lest ye devote yourselves, and have taken from the devoted thing, and have made the camp of Israel become a devoted thing, and have troubled it;
Israel hath sinned, and also they have transgressed My covenant which I commanded them, and also taken of the devoted thing, and also stolen, and also deceived, and also put it among their vessels,
and they smite every person who is in it by the mouth of the sword; he hath devoted -- he hath not left any one breathing, and Hazor he hath burnt with fire;
and all the spoil of these cities, and the cattle, have the sons of Israel spoiled for themselves; only, every human being they have smitten by the mouth of the sword, till their destroying them; they have not left any one breathing.
and all the spoil of these cities, and the cattle, have the sons of Israel spoiled for themselves; only, every human being they have smitten by the mouth of the sword, till their destroying them; they have not left any one breathing.
And this is the thing which ye do; every male, and every woman knowing the lying of a male, ye devote.'
and they bring nigh the he-goats of the sin-offering before the king and the assembly, and they lay their hands upon them;
and every one who cometh not in by the third day, according to the counsel of the heads and of the elders, all his substance is devoted, and himself separated from the assembly of the removal.
And in the day of his coming in unto the sanctuary, unto the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he bringeth near his sin-offering -- an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.