Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Bryant J. Williams III" <bjwvmw AT com-pair.net>]

Dear Jason,

I gave the full passage to give the full context so that there would be no 
question as to the what the Tanakh said regarding the issue.

Rev. Bryant J. Williams III
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Jason Hare 
  To: Bryant J. Williams III ; B-Hebrew 
  Sent: Saturday, January 19, 2008 4:02 PM
  Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Deut. 22:22-29


  Bryant,

  The relevant text is specifically verse 25, which says that he lay hold of 
the girl and slept with her, putting himself as blame, while verse 26 says 
that she did nothing wrong, even though she would have gone against her 
betrothal if she had done it willingly. This text is clearly referring to a 
rape, but the verses above are not, in which the man took her as a wife after 
lying with her. The question has nothing to do with the meaning of שכב but 
rather with the combination of החזיק and שכב. I hope this helps. (All the 
rest of the citations you gave are apparently secondary in relation to the 
issue in question.)

  Jason


  Bryant J. Williams III wrote: 
    Dear Bill,

    כִּֽי־יִמָּצֵ֨א אִ֜ישׁ שֹׁכֵ֣ב׀ עִם־אִשָּׁ֣ה בְעֻֽלַת־בַּ֗עַל וּמֵ֙תוּ֙
    גַּם־שְׁנֵיהֶ֔ם הָאִ֛ישׁ הַשֹּׁכֵ֥ב עִם־הָאִשָּׁ֖ה וְהָאִשָּׁ֑ה 
וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֥
    הָרָ֖ע מִיִּשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ ס
    23 כִּ֤י יִהְיֶה֙ נַעֲ֯רָ֣ בְתוּלָ֔ה מְאֹרָשָׂ֖ה לְאִ֑ישׁ וּמְצָאָ֥הּ 
אִ֛ישׁ
    בָּעִ֖יר וְשָׁכַ֥ב עִמָּֽהּ׃
    24 וְהֹוצֵאתֶ֨ם אֶת־שְׁנֵיהֶ֜ם אֶל־שַׁ֣עַר׀ הָעִ֣יר הַהִ֗וא וּסְקַלְתֶּ֨ם 
אֹתָ֥ם
    בָּאֲבָנִים֮ וָמֵתוּ֒ אֶת־הַֽנַּעֲ֯רָ֗ עַל־דְּבַר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־צָעֲקָ֣ה 
בָעִ֔יר
    וְאֶ֨ת־הָאִ֔ישׁ עַל־דְּבַ֥ר אֲשֶׁר־עִנָּ֖ה אֶת־אֵ֣שֶׁת רֵעֵ֑הוּ 
וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֥
    הָרָ֖ע מִקִּרְבֶּֽךָ׃ ס
    25 וְֽאִם־בַּשָּׂדֶ֞ה יִמְצָ֣א הָאִ֗ישׁ אֶת־הַֽנַּעֲ֯רָ֮ הַמְאֹ֣רָשָׂ֔ה
    וְהֶחֱזִֽיק־בָּ֥הּ הָאִ֖ישׁ וְשָׁכַ֣ב עִמָּ֑הּ וּמֵ֗ת הָאִ֛ישׁ 
אֲשֶׁר־שָׁכַ֥ב
    עִמָּ֖הּ לְבַדֹּֽו׃
    26 וְלַֽנַּ֯עֲרָ֮ לֹא־תַעֲשֶׂ֣ה דָבָ֔ר אֵ֥ין לַֽנַּעֲ֯רָ֖ חֵ֣טְא מָ֑וֶת 
כִּ֡י
    כַּאֲשֶׁר֩ יָק֨וּם אִ֤ישׁ עַל־רֵעֵ֙הוּ֙ וּרְצָחֹ֣ו נֶ֔פֶשׁ כֵּ֖ן הַדָּבָ֥ר
    הַזֶּֽה׃
    27 כִּ֥י בַשָּׂדֶ֖ה מְצָאָ֑הּ צָעֲקָ֗ה הַֽנַּעֲ֯רָ֮ הַמְאֹ֣רָשָׂ֔ה* 
וְאֵ֥ין
    מֹושִׁ֖יעַ לָֽהּ׃ ס
    28 כִּֽי־יִמְצָ֣א אִ֗ישׁ נַעֲ֯רָ֤ בְתוּלָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־אֹרָ֔שָׂה 
וּתְפָשָׂ֖הּ
    וְשָׁכַ֣ב עִמָּ֑הּ וְנִמְצָֽאוּ׃
    29 וְ֠נָתַן הָאִ֨ישׁ הַשֹּׁכֵ֥ב עִמָּ֛הּ לַאֲבִ֥י הַֽנַּעֲ֯רָ֖ חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים
    כָּ֑סֶף וְלֹֽו־תִהְיֶ֣ה לְאִשָּׁ֗ה תַּ֚חַת אֲשֶׁ֣ר עִנָּ֔הּ לֹא־יוּכַ֥ל
    שַׁלְּחָ֖הּ כָּל־יָמָֽיו׃ ס

    [ Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia : With Westminster Hebrew Morphology.
    electronic ed. Stuttgart; Glenside PA : German Bible Society; Westminster
    Seminary, 1996, c1925; morphology c1991, S. Dt 22:22-29]

    Relevant transliteration (from Logos Bible Software)
    šakab (7 / 212)
    Deut 22:22 yimaṣēʾ ʾiyš šokēb| ʿim-ʾišah bəʿulat-
    baʿal ûmētû gam-šənêhem haʾiyš hašokēb ʿim-
    Deut 22:23 ûməṣaʾah ʾiyš baʿiyr wəšakab ʿimah.
    Deut 22:25 bah haʾiyš wəšakab ʿimah ûmēt haʾiyš
    ûmēt haʾiyš ʾǎšer-šakab ʿimah ləbadow.
    Deut 22:28 ʾorašah ûtəpašah wəšakab ʿimah wənimṣaʾû.
    Deut 22:29 wənatan haʾiyš hašokēb ʿimah laʾǎbiy

    שָׁכַב (šakab)
    3. of sexual relations, lie with: subj. man, c. עִם Gn 30:15, 16; 39:7, 
12, 14
    (J), Ex 22:15 (E), Dt 22:22 + 8 times Dt., 2 S 11:4, 11; 12:11, 24 Lv 
15:33; c.
    אֶת fem. with (MT אֹתָהּ, etc., orig. אִתָּהּ, etc., v. Dr 2 S 13:14 and 
II.
    אֵת, p. 85a supra), Gn 26:10; 34:2, 7; 35:22 (all J), 1 S 2:22 (om. G and 
mod.),
    2 S 13:14 Ez 23:8 (fig.), Lv 15:24 (שָׁכֹב יִשְׁכַּב), Nu 5:19, also (c. 
acc.
    cogn. שִׁכְבַת־זֶרַע) v 13 Lv 15:18; 19:20; c. acc. (sf.) fem. Dt 28:30 
Kt (v.
    [שָׁגֵל]); c. אֵצֶל fem. Gn 39:10 (J); c. אֵת vir. (sodomy), Lv 18:22; 
20:13
    (both H; c. acc. cogn. מִשְׁכְּבֵי אִשָּׁח); c. עִם־בְּהֵמָה Dt 27:21 Ex 
22:18
    (E); subj. woman, c. עִם vir. Gn 19:32, 34, 35 (J) 2 S 13:11; אֵת vir. Gn 
19:33,
    34 (cf. 1 e supra).
    [Brown, Francis ; Driver, Samuel Rolles ; Briggs, Charles Augustus: 
Enhanced
    Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. electronic ed. Oak 
Harbor, WA :
    Logos Research Systems, 2000, S. 1012]

    2381 שָׁכַב (šākab) lie down.
    Derivatives
    2381a שְׁכָבָה (šĕkābâ) coating.
    2381b שְׁכֹבֶת (šĕkōbet) copulation.
    2381c מִשְׁכָב (miškāb) couch.
    šākab appears most often in the Qal primarily with the meaning “to lie 
down (in
    death)” or “to lie down (for sexual relations).”
    Whenever the derivatives of šākab (see below) are used in a context of 
sexual
    relationships, those relationships are illicit (Gen 30:15, 16; II Sam 
11:11 may
    be exceptions). This is no less true with the verb šākab itself. In one 
instance
    it is used in legal statements that forbid certain types of sexual 
liasons.
    Exodus 22:16 [H 15] outlaws fornication: “If a man seduce a virgin who is 
not
    betrothed and ‘sleep/lie’ with her he shall pay her price and make her his
    wife.” Deuteronomy 22:22 advocates the death penalty for two people 
caught in
    adultery: “If a man is caught ‘sleeping/ lying’ with another man’s wife 
both
    must die.” Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 use šākab in the statement that 
prohibits
    homosexual relationships: “The man who ‘lies’ with a man … they must die.”
    Finally in Deut 27:21 “lying” with animals is cursed by the Law.
    It is sobering to notice that for the above sexual aberrations usually 
the death
    penalty was prescribed. To be sure, the Bible does not tell us to what 
degree
    the punishment was enforced across the board. But why do the Scriptures 
inveigh
    so forcefully against tampering with the sexual relationship. Could not 
at least
    one reason be that Israel was surrounded by cultures in which such 
practices
    were par for the course at the human or even at the divine level? Perhaps 
one of
    the most degrading features of pagan religions is the way in which 
religious and
    sexual expression were often one and the same thing. It was, however, not 
a
    sacramentalizing of sex but rather an eroticizing of religion.
    Apart from legal texts šākab is used in narrative sections that describe
    incidents of inappropriate behavior. The daughters of Lot made their 
father
    drunk and then ‘slept’ with him (Gen 19:32ff.). One of Abimelech’s 
subjects
    almost inadvertently committed adultery with Rebekah (Gen 26:10). The 
verb is
    used to describe the rape of Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, by Shechem (Gen 
34:2, 7).
    Reuben “slept” with his father’s concubine Bilhah while Jacob was absent 
(Gen
    35:22). The sons of Eli engaged in amorous pursuits in their free time (I 
Sam
    2:22). Amnon violated his half-sister Tamar (II Sam 13:11, 14), 
emulating, no
    doubt, the activities of his own father with Bathsheba (II Sam 11:4).
    By contrast when the Bible makes reference to a sexual relationship that 
is
    within the boundaries of God’s will it usually uses a phrase such as 
“Adam knew
    his wife and she conceived” (Gen 4:1, 17) or “Abraham went in unto Hagar 
and she
    conceived” (Gen 16:4). The latter phrase is used even in Gen 38:18 of 
Judah and
    Tamar, father-in-law and daughter-in-law respectively, where Judah denied 
Tamar
    her levirate rights.
    [Victor P. Hamilton, pp. 921-922 in Harris, R. Laird ; Harris, Robert 
Laird ;
    Archer, Gleason Leonard ; Waltke, Bruce K.: Theological Wordbook of the 
Old
    Testament. electronic ed. Chicago : Moody Press, 1999, c1980, S. 921]

    Bryant says:

    It is apparent from even the above sources that Tanakh is very explicit 
about
    illicit sexual intercourse. Furthermore, since God is holy, He expects His
    people to follow His commandments, statutes, laws, etc. The Israelites 
were to
    be totally different in comparison to the nations that they were to 
dispossess
    per God's command. This is especially true with regards to sexual 
relations and
    idolatry. As Victor Hamilton says above, "It is sobering to notice that 
for the
    above sexual aberrations usually the death penalty was prescribed. To be 
sure,
    the Bible does not tell us to what degree the punishment was enforced 
across the
    board. But why do the Scriptures inveigh so forcefully against tampering 
with
    the sexual relationship. Could not at least one reason be that Israel was
    surrounded by cultures in which such practices were par for the course at 
the
    human or even at the divine level? Perhaps one of the most degrading 
features of
    pagan religions is the way in which religious and sexual expression were 
often
    one and the same thing. It was, however, not a sacramentalizing of sex but
    rather an eroticizing of religion." It is a violation of the commandment, 
"Thou
    shalt not acommit adultery." This applies in its literal, figurative and
    spiritual senses. See also the entire prophecy of Hosea regarding how 
adultery
    is understood by God.

    This is not a question of ancient views versus modern views.

    Rev. Bryant J. Williams III 
  For your security this Message has been checked for Viruses as a courtesy 
of Com-Pair Services! 


------------------------------------------------------------------------------


  No virus found in this incoming message.
  Checked by AVG Free Edition. 
  Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.7/1232 - Release Date: 01/18/08 
7:32 PM


For your security this Message has been checked for Viruses as a courtesy of 
Com-Pair Services!