Reference: Crimes And Punishments
Hastings
The term 'crimes' is here used loosely in the sense of punishable offences, including not merely crimes (crimina) in the sense of breaches of the criminal law in the modern sense, and torts (delicta) or breaches of the civil law, but also those offences in the sphere of religion and worship to which definite penalties were attached. Within the limits of this article it is possible to present only a summary of the more important and typical punishable offences recognized in the various Hebrew law-codes. The latter, indicated by the usual symbols, are: (1) BC, the oldest code, known as the Book of the Covenant, Ex 20:22 to Ex 23:33, with which for convenience sake is joined the Decalogue of Ex 20:2-17; (2) Deuteronomist, the Deuteronomic Code, De 12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18; 19; 20; 21; 22; 23; 24; 25; 26; 27; 28; (3) Law of Holiness, the Holiness Code, Le 17; 18; 19; 20; 21; 22; 23; 24; 25; 26; and (4) Priestly Narrative, the great collection of laws known as the Priests' Code, and comprising the rest of the legislative material of the Pentateuch. In the case of Priestly Narrative alone will it be necessary to name the books (Ex., Lv., or Nu.) to which reference is made.
The penal offences of the Pentateuch may be conveniently grouped under the three heads of crimes against Jahweh, against society (including property), and against the individual.
1. A. Crimes against Jahweh, or offences in the sphere of religion and worship.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
He that sheddeth man's blood, by man, shall his blood be shed, - For, in the image of God, made he man.
And it came to pass that about three months after, it was told Judah, saying - Tamar thy daughter-in-law hath been guilty of unchastity, moreover also lo! she hath conceived by unchastity. Then said Judah, Bring her forth and let her be burnt.
I, am Yahweh thy God, - who have brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of servants: - Thou shalt not have other gods besides me. read more. Thou shalt not make to thee an image, or any form, that is in the heavens above, - or that is in the earth beneath, - or that is in the waters beneath the earth: thou shalt not bow thyself down to them nor be led to serve them - For, I, Yahweh, thy God, am a jealous GOD, visiting the iniquity of fathers upon sons, unto three generations and, unto four, of them that hate me; but shewing lovingkindness unto thousands of generations , - of them who love me, and keep my commandments. Thou shalt not utter the name of Yahweh thy God for falsehood, for Yahweh will not let him go unpunished who uttereth his name for falsehood. Remember the sabbath day, to hallow it: Six days, shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; but, the seventh day, is a sabbath unto Yahweh thy God, - thou shalt do no work, thou nor thy son nor thy daughter nor thy servant, nor thy handmaid, nor thy beast, nor thy sojourner who is within thy gates, For, in six days, did Yahweh make the heavens and the earth, and the sea - and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh day, - for this cause, Yahweh blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it. Honour thy father, and thy mother, - that thy days may be prolonged upon the soil, which Yahweh thy God is about to give unto thee. Thou shalt not commit murder. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not testify against thy neighbour, with a witness of falsehood. Thou shalt not covet, thy neighbours house, - thou shalt not covet, thy neighbour's wife nor his servant nor his handmaid nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything which belongeth unto thy neighbour.
Then said Yahweh unto Moses, Thus, shalt thou say, unto the sons of Israel, - Ye yourselves, have seen that out of the heavens, have I spoken with you.
they shall not dwell in thy land, lest they cause thee to sin against me, - for thou mightest serve their gods, verily! it would become to thee a snare!
Upon the flesh of a common man, shall it not be poured, and according to the proportions thereof, shall ye not make any like it, - holy, it is, holy, shall it be to you.
Six days, shall work be done, but on the seventh day, is a holy sabbath-keeping of rest unto Yahweh, - whosoever doeth work on the sabbath day, shall be, surely put to death.
as touching any person who eateth any manner of blood, then shall that person be cut off from among his kinsfolk.
But as for the man who is, clean, and no a journey, doth not chance to be and yet faileth to keep the passover, that person shall he cut off from among his kinsfolk, - for the oblation of Yahweh, hath he not offered in its appointed season, his own sin, shall, that man, bear.
While the sons of Israel were in the desert, they found a man gathering sticks on the sabbath day.
And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here, seven altars, - and prepare me here, seven bullocks and seven rams.
or lest thou shouldest lift up thine eyes towards the heavens and see the sun and the moon, and the stars - all the host of the heavens, and shouldest be seduced, and shouldest bow thyself down to them and he led to serve them, - the which Yahweh thy God hath assigned unto all the peoples under all the heavens;
When thou shalt hear - in one of thy cities which Yahweh thy God is giving unto thee to dwell there - saying:
then shalt thou smite, the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, devoting it to destruction, and all that is therein and the cattle thereof: with the edge of the sword, - and all the spoil thereof, shalt thou gather together into the midst of the broad way thereof, and shalt consume with fire the city and all the spoil thereof every whirl unto Yahweh thy God, - and it shall be a heap unto times age-abiding, it shall be built no more. read more. So shall there not cleave to thy hand aught of the devoted thing, - that Yahweh may turn away, from the glow of his anger and grant thee compassion and have compassion upon thee and multiply thee, as he sware unto thy fathers;
yea hath gone, and served other gods, and bowed down unto them, - whether unto the sun or unto the moon or unto any of the host of the heavens which I have not commanded;
then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman who hath done this wicked thing, within thy gates - the man, or the woman, - and shalt stone them with stones that they die.
The hand of the witnesses, shall be upon him first to put him to death, and the hand of all the people, afterwards, - so shalt thou consume the wicked thing out of thy midst.
And when the Levite shall come in out of any of thy gates out of any part of Israel, where he is sojourning, - yea shall come in with all the desire of his soul, into the place which Yahweh shall choose, then may he minister in the name of Yahweh his God, - like any of his brethren the Levites who are standing there before Yahweh. read more. Portion for portion, shall they eat, - apart from his possessions upon his patrimony. When thou art coming into the land which Yahweh thy God is giving unto thee, thou shalt not learn to do according to the abominable doings of those nations. There shall not be found in thy midst - One who causeth his son or his daughter to pass through fire, - Or who useth divination, hidden arts or enchantments Or who muttereth incantations; Or who bindeth with spells, - Or who asketh of a familiar spirit or an oracle, Or who seeketh unto the dead. For, an abomination unto Yahweh, is everyone who doeth these things, - and on account of these abominations, is Yahweh thy God dispossessing them from before thee. Blameless, shalt thou be with, Yahweh thy God; for, these nations whom thou art dispossessing, unto them who use hidden arts and unto diviners, do hearken, but as for thee, not so, doth Yahweh thy God suffer thee. A prophet out of thy midst of thy brethren like unto me, will Yahweh thy God, raise up unto thee - unto him, shall ye hearken: according to all which thou didst ask of Yahweh thy God, in Horeb, in the day of the convocation saying, - Let me no further hearken unto the voice of Yahweh my God, and this great fire, let me not see any more lest I die. And Yahweh said unto me: They have well said what they have spoken. A prophet, will I raise up unto them, out of the midst of their brethren, like unto thee, - and I will put my words in his mouth, so shall he speak unto them whatsoever I shall command him.
When the prophet shall speak in the name of Yahweh and the word shall not come to pass, neither shall come in, that, is the word which Yahweh, hath not spoken, - presumptuously, hath the prophet spoken it, thou shall not be in dread of him.
But, when any man shall be hating his neighbour, and shall lie in wait for him and rise up against him, and smite him so as to take away his life that he dieth, - and shall then flee into one of these cities,
One witness I shall not rise up, against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, with regard to any sin that he may commit, - at the mouth of two witnesses or at the mouth of three witnesses, must a matter be establish.
When thou shalt come nigh unto a city, to fight against it, - then shalt thou proclaim unto it - peace, and it shall be if peace, be the answer it giveth thee, and it open unto thee, then shall it be, that, all the people that are found therein, shall become thy tributaries and shall serve thee.
and Yahweh thy God will deliver it into thy hand, - and thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword; but the women and the little ones and the cattle and all that shall be in the city - all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take as thy prey, - so shalt thou eat the spoil of thine enemies, whom Yahweh thy God hath delivered unto thee. read more. Thus, shalt thou do unto all the cities that are very far away from thee, - which are not of the cities of those nations.
Nevertheless, the tree of which thou knowest that it is, not a tree yielding food, the same, mayest thou destroy, and cut down, - and so build up a siege-work against the city which is making war with thee, until thou hast subdued it.
Thou, therefore shalt consume the guilt of shedding innocent blood out of thy midst, - when thou shalt do that which is right in the eyes of Yahweh.
But when there shall be in any man a sin worthy of death and he is to be put to death, - and thou shalt hang him on a tree,
and the father of the damsel shall say unto the elders, - My daughter, gave I unto this man to wife and he hated her;
Then shall the elders of that city take the man, and chastise him; and fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought an evil name upon a virgin of Israel, and she shall remain his wife, he may not put her away, all his days.
and fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought an evil name upon a virgin of Israel, and she shall remain his wife, he may not put her away, all his days.
and fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought an evil name upon a virgin of Israel, and she shall remain his wife, he may not put her away, all his days. But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found with the damsel,
But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found with the damsel, then shall they bring forth the damsel into the entrance of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die, because she hath wrought wickedness in Israel, by committing unchastity in her father's house, - so shalt thou consume the wicked thing out of thy midst.
then shall they bring forth the damsel into the entrance of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die, because she hath wrought wickedness in Israel, by committing unchastity in her father's house, - so shalt thou consume the wicked thing out of thy midst. When a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then shall, both, of them die, the man that lay with the woman, and the woman, so shalt thou consume the wicked thing out of Israel.
But if in the field, the man find the betrothed damsel and the man force her and lie with her, then shall the man that lay with her die he alone;
then shall the man who lay with her give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, - and she shall be, his, wife, because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away, all his days.
then shall the man who lay with her give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, - and she shall be, his, wife, because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away, all his days.
There shall be no female devotee of the daughters of Israel, - neither shall there be, a male devotee, of the sons of Israel.
thou shalt, restore, to him the pledge at the going in of the sun, so shall he sleep in his own mantle, and bless thee, - and, unto thee, shall it be righteous-ness before Yahweh thy God.
Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the sojourner or the fatherless, - neither shalt thou take in pledge the garment of a widow;
When there ariseth a controversy between men, and they come nigh unto judgment, and judgment is granted them, then shall they justify the righteous man, and condemn the lawless.
When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, - and she putteth forth her hand, and seizeth him by his parts of shame,
A weight full and just, shalt thou have, a measure full and just, shalt thou have, - that thy days may be prolonged upon the soil which Yahweh thy God is giving unto thee.
Cursed, be the man that maketh an image - cut or molten - an abomination unto Yahweh the work of the hands of the craftsman and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall respond and say - Amen.
Now, when, Ahithophel, saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose and went unto his own house, unto his own city, and gave charge unto his household, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the grave of his father.
But, whosoever shall not do the law of thy God and the law of the king, speedily, let, penalty, be exacted from him, - whether to death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.
But, whosoever shall not do the law of thy God and the law of the king, speedily, let, penalty, be exacted from him, - whether to death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.
then Pashhur smote Jeremiah the prophet, - and put him in the stocks that were in the upper gate of Benjamin, which was in the house of Yahweh.
and sent and beheaded John in the prison.
And, throwing the pieces of silver into the Temple, he withdrew, and, going away, hanged himself.
And slew James the brother of John with a sword;
who, a charge like this receiving, thrust them into the inner prison, and, their feet, made he fast in the stocks.
From Jews, five times, forty-save-one, have I received,
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and sentence of judgment was given unto them; and I saw the souls of them who had been beheaded because of the witness of Jesus and because of the word of God, and such as had not done homage unto the wild-beast or unto his image, nor had received the mark upon their forehead or upon their hand; and they lived and reigned with the Christ, for a thousand years.