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
Whoever sheds the blood of man will have his blood shed by man. For man was made in the image of God.
Three months later Judah was told: Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant. Judah said: Bring her out and have her burned to death!
I am Jehovah your God, who brought you out of slavery in Egypt. Do not have any other god. read more. Do not make your own carved idols or statues that represent any creature in the sky, on the earth, or in the water. Do not worship them or serve them. I, Jehovah your God, am a God demanding exclusive devotion. (I do not tolerate rivals.) I will not share your affection with any other god. I punish children for their parents' sins to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. I show mercy (loving kindness) to thousands of generations of those who love me and obey my commandments. Never use the name of Jehovah your God in a false and evil way. Jehovah will make sure that anyone who is false, evil, careless and vain with his name will be punished. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. You have six days to do all your work. The seventh day is a Sabbath dedicated to Jehovah your God. Do not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. Jehovah made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them in six days. He rested on the seventh day. Therefore Jehovah blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land Jehovah your God gives you. Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not (lie) accuse anyone falsely. Do not covet (desire) another man's house. Do not desire his wife, his slaves, his cattle, his donkeys, or anything else that he owns.
Jehovah commanded Moses to tell the Israelites: You have seen how I have spoken to you from heaven.
Do not allow them to live in your land for they will make you sin against me. If you serve their gods it will be a snare to you.
So treat it as holy! Do not use it for everyday purposes or mix any for yourselves.
Work may be done for six days. The seventh day there is a Sabbath of complete rest. It is holy to Jehovah. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day will definitely be put to death.
Those who eat any blood must be excluded from the people.'
If you are clean and not on a trip and yet do not bother to celebrate the Passover, you must be excluded from the people. You did not bring your offering to Jehovah at the right time. You must suffer the consequences for your sin.
One time, while the Israelites were still in the wilderness, a man was found gathering firewood on the Sabbath.
Balaam said to him: Build seven altars for me here and bring me seven bulls and seven rams.
Do not be tempted to bow down and worship the sun or moon or stars (the host or army of the heavens). Jehovah put them there a heritage for all the people under the heavens.
strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it and all that is in it and its cattle with the edge of the sword. Gather all its treasure into the middle of its open square and burn the city and all its treasure with fire as a whole burnt offering to Jehovah your God. It shall be a ruin forever. It shall never be rebuilt. read more. Do not take anything that is put under ban. If you comply (obey), Jehovah may turn from his burning anger and show mercy to you. He may have compassion on you and make you increase, just as he swore to your fathers.
Some worship and bow down to other gods, the sun, the moon, or the whole army of heaven. I have forbidden this.
Bring that man or woman who has done this evil deed out to your gates. Stone the man or the woman to death.
The witnesses must throw the first stone to put him to death, and afterward all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
Any Levite who wants to may come from any town in Israel to the one place of worship. He may serve there, as a priest of Jehovah his God, like the other Levites who are serving there. read more. He is to receive the same amount of food as the other priests. He may keep everything his family sends him. When you come into the land that Jehovah your God gives you, do not follow the disgusting practices of the nations that are there. Do not sacrifice your children in the fires on your altars. Do not let your people practice divination or look for omens or use spells or charms. Do not allow them to consult the spirits of the dead. Jehovah your God hates people who do these disgusting things. That is why he is driving those nations out of the land as you advance. Be perfect (without blemish) with Jehovah your God. These nations whom you shall possess listened to observers of clouds and to diviners. As for you, Jehovah your God has not allowed you to do so. Jehovah your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites. Listen to him! This is according to all that you asked of Jehovah your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly. You said: Let me not hear again the voice of Jehovah my God. Do not let me see this great fire anymore, or I will die. Jehovah said to me: 'They have spoken well. I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you. I will put my words in his mouth. He will speak to them all that I command him.
If a prophet speaks in Jehovah's name and what he says does not happen or come true, then it did not come from Jehovah. That prophet has spoken on his own authority. Never be afraid of him.'
But if there is a man who hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and murders him. If he flees to one of these cities,
One witness is not enough to convict someone of a crime, offense, or sin he may have committed. Cases must be settled based on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
When you go to attack a city, first give its people a chance to surrender. If they open the gates and surrender, they will all become your slaves and do forced labor for you.
When Jehovah your God lets you capture the city, kill every man in it. You may take the women, the children, the livestock, and everything else in the city for yourselves. You may use everything that belongs to your enemies. Jehovah has given it to you. read more. This is what you must do to all the cities that are far away that do not belong to the nations nearby.
You may destroy trees that you know are not fruit trees. You may cut them down and use them in your blockade until you capture the city.
Remove the guilt of innocent blood from your midst. Do what is right in the eyes of Jehovah's.
If a man commits a sin worthy of death and he is put to death. You hang him on a tree (stake).
The girl's father shall say to the elders: I gave my daughter to be this man's wife, but he turned against her.
The elders of that city shall take the man and chastise him, They will fine him a hundred shekels of silver. They will give it to the girl's father, because he publicly defamed a virgin of Israel. She will remain his wife. He may not divorce her all his days.
They will fine him a hundred shekels of silver. They will give it to the girl's father, because he publicly defamed a virgin of Israel. She will remain his wife. He may not divorce her all his days.
They will fine him a hundred shekels of silver. They will give it to the girl's father, because he publicly defamed a virgin of Israel. She will remain his wife. He may not divorce her all his days. On the other hand if this charge is true, that the girl was not found a virgin,
On the other hand if this charge is true, that the girl was not found a virgin, they will take the girl to the doorway of her father's house. The men of her city shall stone her to death because she has committed an act of folly in Israel by playing the harlot in her father's house. You must purge the evil from among you.
they will take the girl to the doorway of her father's house. The men of her city shall stone her to death because she has committed an act of folly in Israel by playing the harlot in her father's house. You must purge the evil from among you. If a man is caught having sexual intercourse with another mans wife, then both of them shall die! Both the man and the woman committing adultery must be killed. Thus you shall purge the evil from Israel.
If an engaged woman is raped (forced to experience sex) only the man who commits the act will die.
The man who has sex with her must give to the girl's father fifty shekels of silver, and she will become his wife because he has violated her. He may not divorce her all his days.
The man who has sex with her must give to the girl's father fifty shekels of silver, and she will become his wife because he has violated her. He may not divorce her all his days.
None of the daughters of the sons of Israel shall be a temple prostitute.
Return the pledge to him before the sun goes down. He will have his pledged item and he may sleep. He will bless you. And it will be righteousness for you before Jehovah your God.
Do not pervert the justice due an alien or an orphan. Do not take a widow's garment in pledge.
When there is a dispute between men and they go to court, and the judges decide their case. They justify the righteous and condemn the wicked.
If two brothers struggle together and the wife of one approaches to help her husband against the other man, and puts out her hand and seizes his genitals,
You must have a full and just weight. You should have a full and just measure, that your days may be prolonged in the land Jehovah your God gives you.
Cursed is the man who makes an idol or a molten image. It is an abomination to Jehovah! It is the secret work of the hands of the craftsman. All the people will answer: Amen.
Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed. He saddled his donkey and went back to his hometown. He arranged his affairs in order and he hanged himself. He was buried in the family grave.
If anyone does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, take care that punishment is given to him. This is by death or by driving him from his country or by taking away his goods or by putting him in prison.
If anyone does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, take care that punishment is given to him. This is by death or by driving him from his country or by taking away his goods or by putting him in prison.
Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put him in the stocks that were at the upper Benjamin Gate, which was by the house of Jehovah.
He gave the order to behead John in prison.
He left the silver in the Temple. Then he went away and hanged himself.
[]
He killed James the brother of John with a sword.
Receiving this command he threw them into the inner prison, and fastened their feet in the stocks.
Of the Jews five times I received forty stripes less one.
I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. I also saw the people who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image. They had not received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands. They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.