Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>]

b-hebrew Haburim:

I have read and heard it repeatedly that the biggest moral 
difference between Judaism and paganism is that 
Judaism forbade human sacrifice. With the unfortunate 
exception of YPTX's daughter, that characterization seems 
accurate.

In Leviticus 27:29 (look also at the verses around it) there 
seems to be a command that human sacrifice is to be 
practiced.

The question that may clear up this understanding is the 
definition of XRM.

I checked Reinier de Blois' online dictionary, but does it 
really fit this use?

I suspect that the lexeme XRM may have the idea of 
marking out, as in designating animals to be sacrificed 
such that they can no longer be considered owned by the 
designator, but also marked as in blemished physically, 
such that a hereditary priest may not serve in the temple 
(Leviticus 21:18) or blemished morally such that his death 
is an execution of the guilty, not a sacrifice.

What say ye?

Karl W. Randolph.

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