The Sotah Ritual in Ancient Israel Introduction The ritual of the sotah from the book of Numbers is a fascinating passage to read in the Hebrew Bible. For one thing, this ritual deals with the idea of a man being able to bring his wife to trial, even if he has no evidence against her. While such an instance might be seen as negative treatment of women, others might explain it as the Israelites’ constant concern over the idea of impurity. Another interesting aspect of the sotah rite is that it is the only example of an ordeal similar to those practiced in other cultures of the Ancient Near East. While other ordeals are told mostly in story form, Num. 5:11-31 is the only instance in which the actual process of an ordeal is laid out point by point. Finally, the ritual merits attention due to its continued practice even after the Temple was destroyed, as is depicted in the Talmud. These reasons and more are evidence as to why this small 20 verse passage has been subject to such scrutiny and study over the course of the years. Adultery in the Hebrew Bible The ritual for the “errant woman” in Numbers 5:11-31 is only one of many instances in the Old Testament that deals with the crime of adultery. The crime is described throughout the books in the Hebrew Bible, such as Genesis 20:6, Lev. 18:20, Ezek. 18:6, Ps. 51:6, and Mal. 3:5. A variety of texts discuss the evil of adultery. The Israelites held the act in such harsh light, that a commandment against committing adultery is found in the Decalogue. This certainly indicates that extra-martial affairs were viewed in a severe manner. In the Hebrew Bible, adultery is considered a capital crime, punishable by the population stoning the adulterous wife and her lover to death. Deut. 22:20 commands this communal punishment in order to “sweep away evil from Israel.” The question remains as to why this crime was considered to be such a transgression. Several explanations exist to account for the seriousness of the crime. A significant aspect of life in the Ancient Near East was the importance of the family line. One of the most frightening ideas in the Bible is the punishment of karet, an Israelite’s being cut off from the community. This is understood as early death and childlessness, or the death of one’s descendants . Such an event could result from an unfaithful wife conceiving a son with the adulterer. I... ... middle of paper ... ...der: Westview Press, 1998. McKane, William. “Poison, Trial by Ordeal, and the Cup of Wrath.” Vetus Testamentum. Vol. XXX (1980). McKeating, Henry. “Sanctions Against Adultery in Ancient Israelite Society with Some Reflection on Methodology in the Study of Old Testament Ethics.” Journal for the Study of the OldTestament. Vol. XVII (Mar. 1979). Milgrom, Jacob. “A Husband’s Pride, A Man’s Prejudice: The Public Ordeal…” Bible Review. Vol. XII. (Aug. 1996). Morgenstern, Julian. “Trial By Ordeal Among the Semites and in Ancient Israel.” Hebrew Union College Annual. Vol. II, (1925). Neusner, Jacob. The Talmud of the Land of Israel: An Academic Commentary to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Divisions, Atlanta: Scholar’s Press, 1998. -----------------. The Talmud of the Land of Israel: A Complete Outline of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Divisions, Atlanta: Scholar’s Press, 1998. Pardee, Dennis. “Marim in Num. 5.” Vetus Testamentum. Vol. XXXI (1985). Phillips, Andrew. “Another Look at Adultery.” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament. Vol. XX (July, 1981). Sasson, Jack M. “Num. 5 and the Waters of Judgment.” Biblische Zeifschrift. Vol. XIV (1972).
p134). The quote which are the holy words of God testifies that a wicked person who has sex
The Greek word for adultery is moicheia, and the adulterous man is called the moichos (Carey, n.p). According to Euphiletos, moicheia was the “greatest of wrongs,” (Lysias, 45). This is an extreme issue in their society because it diminishes the power of the husband because he is her kurios, and failed protect her. Adultery was always considered to have been committed upon the woman because she is weak and unable to control her desires. However, moicheia was always done with her consent. In Xenophon’s Hieron, it is stated that adultery corrupts a woman’s affection to her husband, as she becomes attached to the other man both personally and sexually (Carey, n.p). Therefore, a key issue in adultery was interfering with the connection of the
In document (C) there are 2 laws that should not be laws due to the unfair reason of this law. Law 129 states that if a married lady is caught [in adultery] with another man, they shall bind them and cast them into the water. That shouldn’t be a law because one woman in Babylon are sold in auctions so they might not like their husband. Also the man they are caught with might not know she is married, that is why that law has an unfair reason. Law 195 states that if a son strikes his father, his hands shall be caught off. This is an unfair reason because hitting your father is not a big enough deal to be a law. These laws are unfair because they have unfair reasons to
Oxtoby, Willard Gurdon. "Jewish Traditions." World religions: western traditions. 1996. Reprint. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2011. 127-157. Print.
Meyers, Carol. "The Family in Ancient Israel" in Families in Ancient Israel. Westminster John Knox Press, 1997, pp. 1-47.
Robinson, B. A. (2008, March 30). Books of the Hebrew Scripture . Retrieved May 7, 2011, from Religious Tolerance: http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_otb3.htm
To fully grasp the compatibility of the ancient Israel customs, one must define justice. Justice has several definitions, but one that ensures its compatibility with slavery and the Lex Talionis involves “with honoring and recognizing virtues, and the goods implicit in social practices”
Carson, D, & Moo, D. (2005) An introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
As we live within the new covenant, it can be easy to brush over code laws from the Old Testament. However, readers can see a picture of God’s grand plan for redemption by studying the story of the Israelites. Professor Yarchin has pointed out that the greatest mistake in interpretation happens when we force our cultural context on the culture and time period depicted in Deuteronomy. So, modern day readers are presented with an extremely complex challenge: How are we to learn f...
" Christianity & Literature 58.1 (2008): 81-92. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. Fienberg, Lorne. "
One of the worst situations caused by adultery is the separation of the married couple. When engaged in an adulterous situation those involved are not thinking of their spouse. They are caught in the heat of the moment and are not worried about how this deed will affect their companion. In a paper written by Philip Jay titled, “100 Consequences of Adultery” a list is formed of the affects that adultery can have. In the list, Jay mentions several ways his relationship with his wife could be damaged if he committed adultery. A few items from this list are that he and his wife would suffer a break in trust, fellowship, and intimacy and that they would be together, yet feel great loneliness. This is the case for many couples after adultery has come between
Scholz, S. (2014). Feminist Scholarship on the Old Testament: Introduction. Available: http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195393361/obo-9780195393361-0020.xml. Last accessed 19th March 2014.
M. Berenbaum & F. Skolnik (Eds.), (2007). Encyclopaedia Judaica, 2nd ed.. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA. Retrieved from
Charlesworth, Matthew. "The Covenants in the Old Testament." Academia.edu. N.p., 28 Nov. 2011. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.
I found our first readings in this chapter to be slightly intriguing and rather repulsive all at the same time. All along, I’ve never even though of the idea that humans would could or would want to have sexual relations with animals, after all, we do need nourishment and some type of nutrition, all of which we gain from consuming meat and other various items that come from animals. In today’s society, bestiality is not at all accepted. What were seen in western Christian traditions, homosexual activities as well as bestiality were known to be something dreadful, as well as a sin against the lord. Sex was used for a form of procreation, and anything else was known as nothing short of sinful, and if you did it out of wedlock, let alone at animal, it would directly affect god in some sort of way. In the late thirteenth and fourteenth centuries followed later in the National Law Codex of 1442 in Sweden, Bestiality was named as a capital crime. In the reading it seemed as though bestiality was near inevitable for young boys to get in too at the time. Along with infanticide, bestiality was named the most serious problem faced in Sweden with regards to homosexual activities. There were few crimes in the bible that were labeled as capital, however, they later were seemed to be accepted by or from the Mosaic rule, nonetheless, cases of bestiality were still exceptionally harsh in society, as members of law enforcement kept strict rules, and weren’t afraid of prosecution, and most of the time death. There was no protection of any sort when it came to the protection of young males in society. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, bestiality was a significant part of myth and folklore in Sweden. Religion, specifically Christianity...