Saturday, November 13, 2021

Did God Command Slaughter of Women and Infants?

A reader asks: "Will you do an article on Numbers 31:17-18? Because many use that that God is a child killer and promotes rapes and underage marriages."

17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

18 But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.(all quotes NIV unless otherwise noted).
Before going into specifics I must point out that my views on the OT are unconventional. I am not an inerrantist. Thus I do not feel duty bound to make all such verses right with the reader.I do not intend to try and prove that God makes killing infants ok. Here's a quick overview of my take on the OT:

The author of Hebrews tells us:
1:1 "In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe."
"Various ways" might well include mixtures of human and divine. This passage suggests to me that Jesus is the standard through which we should read the OT. This is backwards historically.It nakes more exigetical sence than does inerrency.

Ihe traditional inerantist view sees the Bible as a memo from the boss to be read to the entire company on the shop floor. In my view the OT is a record of divine/human encounter. Thus it is a mixture of both human and divine outlook. It is written by humans and thus is stained with their cultural outlook.The truth of God breaks through here and there but amid a sea of human perspective.

The purpose of the OT is to crate a framework in which the meaning of Messiah makes sense beyond it's ethnographic borders and in which the mission of Messiah makes sense.

Obviously if we take Jesus as the lens through which to read the OT we can't accept the notion that the God of love would order the killing of infants. we need not accept this as God's command.That was the scribes making assumptions based upon the barbarus culture of the day.

Turning to the specific passage there are a couple of points I would like to make.

First, some scholars think v18 "But all the women and children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves" carries the connotation that these young girls would be sex slaves for Israelite warriors. One could look at  it through Mary Poppins sunglasses and say they were to raise them as daughters and then marry them off as adults to repectable Israelite gentelemen, but the vast perpondrence of scholarship sees it as sex slave, at least in connotation.  Even the traditional believers embrace this view among its major scholars.[1]

Secondly, one might think the reason for killing the woman was to punish them for having sex.The real reason whch does not justify the act, is because these women lured men of Israel to worhip other Gods throgh their sexual favors.This caused a plague in Israel,thousands died.[2]

notes
[1]"A detailed Historical Examination of numbers 31:18."Discover the Truth, Aug 7,2016. https://discover-the-truth.com/2016/08/07/a-detailed-historical-examination-of-numbers-3118/.
                                                                                     
[2]"What do Christans Think About Bible verses numbers 31:17-18." Quora., Jan 7/2030.https://www.quora.com/What-do-Christians-think-about-Bible-verses-Numbers-31-17-

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Are you posting anywhere or have a board?

Joseph Hinman (Metacrock) said...

NOT NOW i AM AT LOW EB. i DO FACE BOOK

Joseph Hinman (Metacrock) said...

a year ago i was posting on Randal Rauser I will got back there soon

Angela said...

Discover the truth site you post has some interesting things like how it was okay to sleep with a betroth want or sleep with a 3 year older where has other things doesn't say that in other books like a girl must be at least 12 or 13. It's a little unsettling how it all is. I somewhat get 12-13 but 3 is a bit much, no?

Angela said...

The link Discover the truth at they right about being has young has three? It seems contradicted to the whole 12-13.

Angela said...

The site you link said three years old is okay to be married and yet there would be rarely a chance for that. It's rather weird no?

Joseph Hinman (Metacrock) said...

I am not introducing that site. That was his so Im answering it.

JAB128 said...

Joe, this is the former JBsptfn (I deleted my old gmail account because I am moving away from Google except for You Tube).

I like the point you made about inerrancy. You did an article on Models of Revelation on DOXA that talks about this and myth. I bring this up because some atheists on Facebook (on GM Schauer's post. He is an egalitarian like me who is tired of the system) were saying that God is myth, and I posted your Models article.

Joseph Hinman (Metacrock) said...

hey JB good to see you again. I do not say God is a myth. Is that what you think I said?

JAB128 said...

No, I didn't think you said that. Some people on Facebook did, and I sent them your article. They were talking about Joseph Campbell.

Joseph Hinman (Metacrock) said...

merry Christmas all!

Anonymous said...

https://www.foxnews.com/world/thousands-churches-raise-alarm-scope-new-canadian-conversion-therapy-ban

I think that it is only a matter of time before we see that kind of legislation enacted in this country. I think we'll eventually see pedophilia, bestiality, and other heinous behaviors legalized...all because democrats

Anonymous said...

Kyrsten Sinema

arkenaten said...

There is evidence for Yahweh being real? Interesting. I'd be keen to see evidence providing it wasn't underpinned by Christian Apologetics.

arkenaten said...

Unfortunately Rauser had banned me from commenting on his blog.If you fancy continuing our chat here I'm more than willing.let me know.

arkenaten said...

You continue to leave comments addressed to me on Rauser's blog. He has banned me from commenting.
If you wish to continue our discussion on your blog, leave me a reply here.

Joseph Hinman (Metacrock) said...

arkenaten said...
There is evidence for Yahweh being real? Interesting. I'd be keen to see evidence providing it wasn't underpinned by Christian Apologetics.

read my book. It draws for evidence upon social sciences not apologetics.

arkenaten said...

Then rather you just outline what this evidence is.Much easier all round.