Justice and Judicial Procedures

Deuteronomy 16–17

ca. 1200–332 BCE

Chapter 16

18You shall appoint magistrates and officials for your tribes, in all the settlements that the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall govern the people with due justice. 19You shall not judge unfairly: you shall show no partiality; you shall not take bribes, for bribes blind the eyes of the discerning and upset the plea of the just…
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Law in the Hebrew Bible

Biblical Period

Biblical law, including a focus on social justice, is essential to the relationship between God and the people of Israel.

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The Term "Torah" and Its Meaning

Biblical Period

The Hebrew Bible has many terms for law, including torah, which came to mean not just biblical law but all authoritative Jewish teaching.

The top of Hammurabi's Stela; Hammurabi stands with a hand to his nose in submission to the seated god Shamash.
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The Ancient Near Eastern Background of Biblical Law

Biblical Period

Biblical law was influenced by the legal collections of its powerful neighbors, especially the Babylonians and Assyrians.

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The Pilgrimage Festivals

Deuteronomy 16:1–17
Observe the month of Abib and offer a passover sacrifice to the Lord your God, for it was in the month of Abib, at night, that the Lord your God freed you from Egypt. You shall slaughter the…
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Kingship

Deuteronomy 17:14–20
If, after you have entered the land that the Lord your God has assigned to you, and taken possession of it and settled in it, you decide, “I will set a king over me, as do all the nations about me,”…
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Prophets

Deuteronomy 18:9–22
When you enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to imitate the abhorrent practices of those nations. Let no one be found among you who consigns his son or daughter…
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Witnesses

Deuteronomy 19:15–21
A single witness may not validate against a person any guilt or blame for any offense that may be committed; a case can be valid only on the testimony of two witnesses or more. If a man appears…
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Warfare

Deuteronomy 20:1–20|21:10–14
When you take the field against your enemies, and see horses and chariots—forces larger than yours—have no fear of them, for the Lord your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt, is…
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Family Laws

Deuteronomy 21:15–21
If a man has two wives, one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have borne him sons, but the first-born is the son of the unloved one—when he wills his property to his…
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