Leviticus 20:10 ¶ And the
man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he
that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the
adulteress shall surely be put to death. 11
And the man that lieth with his father’s wife hath uncovered his
father’s nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall
be upon them. 12 And if a man lie
with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have
wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them. 13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth
with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be
put to death; their blood shall be upon them. 14 And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is
wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no
wickedness among you. 15 And if a man
lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.
16 And if a woman approach unto any
beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they
shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. 17 And if a man shall take his sister, his
father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see
his nakedness; it is a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the
sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he shall bear
his iniquity. 18 And if a man shall lie
with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath
discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and
both of them shall be cut off from among their people. 19 And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of
thy mother’s sister, nor of thy father’s sister: for he uncovereth his near
kin: they shall bear their iniquity. 20
And if a man shall lie with his uncle’s wife, he hath uncovered his
uncle’s nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. 21 And if a man shall take his brother’s wife,
it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they
shall be childless.
In verse 20 adultery carries a death sentence for both parties.
This is one thing that makes the passage in John 8:1-11 so intriguing. It makes
one wonder, since there is no man brought to accuse with the woman, if Jesus
wasn’t writing the names of those who had committed adultery with her in the
dirt.
Verse 11 should return us to my comments on Leviticus 18:6-18. See
Paul’s admonitions in 1Corinthians on the man and his father’s wife. Verse 12
applies the same restriction on a daughter-in-law. Good people may not believe
this but these things are not uncommon in certain segments of our society,
particularly in the more impoverished Appalachians and the inner city, along
with remote sections of the western United States, wherever people are isolated
or wherever an anarchic culture exists where socially dominant men and women
act without shame or inhibition. The same goes with what follows.
Homosexual behavior and bestiality are condemned and we would be
shocked to find that bestiality was practiced in the heathen world and even
included in their mythologies as a practice of some gods. And yes, even today,
the wicked hearts of men and women are known to engage in these behaviors that
were condemned by God.
Verse 16 creates a perplexing situation for us today. Why kill the
animal? The animal was innocent in this situation. Bestiality was commonly
practiced in the ancient religions of Egypt and Babylon and therefore Canaan.
Even when codes punished bestiality severely it was permitted in certain
fertility rites. It is representative of the decadence of ancient religion and
idolatry. Certain Arab groups believed that bestiality could cure diseases or
increase virility. African tribes have been known to include bestiality as a
rite of passage. Poor people, black and white, in Appalachia and rural areas
and inner cities, even when such a practice was forbidden by law and the Bible,
have been known to commit the act.
A recent article by Daniel Antolec, a 30-year law enforcement
veteran, entitled, “Zoophilia: A Hidden Horror for Animals,” talks about how
bestiality harms animals. An example is given of behavioral changes in abused
work-horses that prevented them from being useful as farm animals. The article
suggests that since dogs share many emotional responses to human toddlers that
they experience trauma associated with sexual abuse.[1]
From one perspective killing the animal was a mercy with their blood shall be
upon them taking any guilt from the executioner.
Unfortunately, in Medieval Europe, this admonition was taken as
accusing the animal of a crime and there were even court cases where animals
were tried and executed as participants in a human perversion. The earliest
record of an animal trial was the execution of a pig in 1266.[2]
But, many other societies that did not have contact with the Jews also had
animal trials for everything from murder to bestiality when forbidden.
[1]
Daniel Antolec, “Zoophilia: A Hidden Horror for Animals,” Barks Blog, 03 Feb
2018, https://barksfromtheguild.com/2018/02/13/zoophilia-a-hidden-horror-for-animals/
(accessed 31 Dec 2019).
[2]
Esther
Cohen, "Law, Folklore and Animal Lore," Past & Present,
no. 110 (1986): 20. www.jstor.org/stable/650647. (accessed 31
Dec 2019).
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