CRIMINAL LAWS

17. Name some advantages in the fact that there were no prisons provided for under the Law.

¹⁷ The criminal laws were far finer than those on statute books today. There were no prisons provided for under the Law. Only later, during the rule of the kings, were prisons improperly instituted in Israel. (Jer. 37:15, 16; 38:6, 28) No prison sentence being meted out for any crime meant that no criminals were being fed and housed at the expense of the hardworking people who obeyed the Law. If a man stole from his fellowman, he would not be put in prison, thereby being rendered unable to pay for what he stole, leaving his victim to suffer loss. No, he was required to pay double for what he stole, or more, depending upon the item stolen and his disposition of it. (Ex. 22:1, 4, 7) If he did not pay, he was sold into slavery, which meant that he would work until he had paid off the judgment against him for what he had stolen. (Ex. 22:3) This law not only helped the victim of the thief but also was a strong deterrent against stealing.

18. How did the Law emphasize that life is sacred?

¹⁸ Life was considered sacred under the Law. A deliberate murderer could in no way be exonerated. He was to be put to death without fail. Thus in Numbers 35:30-33 we read as regards fugitives to the cities of refuge: “Every fatal striker of a soul should be slain as a murderer at the mouth of witnesses, and one witness may not testify against a soul for him to die. And you must take no ransom for the soul of a murderer who is deserving to die, for without fail he should be put to death. And you must not take a ransom for one who has fled to his city of refuge, to resume dwelling in the land before the death of the high priest. And you must not pollute the land in which you are; because it is blood that pollutes the land, and for the land there may be no atonement respecting the blood that has been spilled upon it except by the blood of the one spilling it.” This removed such a wicked person from Israelite society. The accidental manslayer could receive mercy. (See Numbers 35:9-15, 26-29.) Even the unsolved murder was not allowed to go unatoned for. The city nearest the scene of the slaying was considered as bloodguilty and under a curse unless they performed the ceremony required, to receive removal of community bloodguilt before God.​—Deut. 21:1-9.

19. How did the Law provide protection for one’s person?

¹⁹ One’s person was considered inviolable. Women were protected from assault. (Deut. 22:25-27) Kidnapping was a capital crime. The kidnapper in whose hand the person was found or who had sold the kidnapped one into slavery was to be put to death without fail.​—Ex. 21:16; Deut. 24:7.

NO RIOTS OR DELINQUENCY

20. How did the Law eliminate delinquency and riots?

²⁰ When the nation followed the Law, there was no problem of delinquency. Neither were there “sit-ins,” mob actions, riots or a popular taking over of any function of government. Exodus 23:2 says: “You must not follow after the crowd for evil ends; and you must not testify over a controversy so as to turn aside with the crowd in order to pervert justice.” This was because the essential unit of the nation was the family. Great respect for the rulers was taught, as well as for the parents themselves. (Ex. 20:12; 22:28) For example, whoever struck his father or mother or called down evil upon them was to be put to death. (Ex. 21:15, 17; Lev. 20:9) A son who was incurably rebellious, who, for example, became a glutton and a drunkard, was to be executed. (Deut. 21:18-21) Respect for the home and family resulted in respect for the nation’s rulers, particularly its Chief Ruler, Jehovah God.

ZEAL FOR TRUTH

26. What statues with regard to legal cases promoted zeal for truth and justice?

²⁶ A witness was required to testify to that which he knew. (Lev. 5:1) He was not to commit perjury, for this was lying “before Jehovah.” If accusations made against another were found to be deliberately false, the accuser would suffer the same penalty that would have been meted out to the accused. Accordingly we read in Deuteronomy 19:16-19: “In case a witness scheming violence should rise up against a man to bring a charge of revolt against him, the two men who have the dispute must also stand before Jehovah, before the priests and the judges who will be acting in those days. And the judges must search thoroughly, and if the witness is a false witness and has brought a false charge against his brother, you must also do to him just as he had schemed to do to his brother, and you must clear away what is bad from your midst.” No one could be put to death on circumstantial evidence. There had to be two eyewitnesses to establish the truth. (Deut. 17:6; 19:15) The witnesses against a man found guilty of a capital crime were to be the first to share in stoning the man to death. This law promoted zeal for righteousness in Israel. Not only the judges, but every citizen was thus required to demonstrate his desire to keep the land clean from bloodguilt before God. It was also a deterrent to false, hasty or careless testimony. Good was derived from the law in Deuteronomy 17:7, which reads: “The hand of the witnesses first of all should come upon him to put him to death, and the hand of all the people afterward; and you must clear out what is bad from your midst.”