Click here (PBS) to learn about an ancient Mesopotamian parallel to a famous Biblical law in the Book of Exodus...
What kinds of economic values and social priorities are suggested for the ancient Israelites by the Biblical example? What do the varying compensation rates suggest?
3 comments:
The law and compensation rate seem pretty fair to me. It takes care of the situation at hand the first time and for the second offense the owner is punished. Death may be a little hefty of a fine but they were warned!! This law seems pretty relevant for the time since people were traveling and some most likely brought live stock with them. For the ancient Israelites, a herd of traveling people mixed with a small herd of livestock it is possible for an Ox to get excited and trample a person or two.
-Taylor E.
Indeed, Taylor... oxen and people often got pretty up close and personal in the Ancient Near East. These laws remind me vaguely of modern society's traffic regulations: there's right ways, wrong ways, and criminal ways to drive!
pdk
I notice that the laws are structured similarly to the religous observences. They are structured in a "if A happens than do B" sort of format
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