Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Vadim Cherny" <VadimCherny AT mail.ru>]

There are no human sacrifices in Judaism. Point.
Execution of guilty person is not sacrifice, but an act of purifying the
community.

Vadim Cherny


> I think your points are well taken.  2 Sam 21 is a story of
> human sacrafice.  Yahweh causes a famine in response to
> Saul's crime. The famine causes widespread suffering. The
> death of Saul's sons and grandsons satisfies God as the
> Saul's crime is atoned for, and the famine ends.  Since
> Saul is dead, he cannot atone for his own sins, so it be
> dealt with (or visited) by God upon Saul's sons and
> grandsons.  David has correctly understood the issues and
> dealth with them in a manner that effects the end of the
> famine.
>
> This is the only point I was trying to make - in the OT,
> there are cases of later generations being dealt with by
> God in negative fashion to atone for the sins of earlier
> generations.  Most people would describe this as
> punishment.  I dare if I were killed and impaled on a pole
> for an entire barley season to atone for a sin my
> grandfather committed, I would describe it as punishment.
>
> Jack Tladatsi
>