Hi,
I hope this is the correct forum for my question.
It seems that the Ten Punishments for violating the Ten Commandments are what I have listed below. The punishment for violating some of the commandments is death. How do Christians respond to these punishments?
I asked my Christian brother-in-law but he was completely unaware of these passages.
I'm not looking for a fight, just a Christian explanation.
You might fare better posting the specifics on Jewish laws and traditions on a Jewish forum. Christians tend to look at the "laws" in terms of New Testament grace and that isn't going to answer your questions....
Thanks.
1. Ex. 22:20: He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed.
A translation of "utterly destroyed" is not just death but the destruction of possessions only. That is from the Targum of Jonathon.
2. Lev. 24:16: And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death.
There is no atonement for blasphemy. This is carried through to the New Testament teachings of Christ and the unpardonable sin. (Matt 12:31) and as the passage indicates is both to the Jew and to the Gentile.
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3. Ex. 31:15: Whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
The targum of Jonathon stated further that the person shall be stoned to death. Actually for their transgressions against the Sabbath, the Jewish people were taken into captivity for 70 years or for 490 sabbaths that were violated.
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4. Ex. 21:15: He that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.
Further instruction is that the form of death is by strangulation or by using a napkin to choke the person. A napkin was also the wrapping that was placed around a dead person's head when prepared for burial. Look in the Targum.
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5. Ex. 21:17: He that curseth his father or his mother, shall surely be put to death.
The targum identifies the passage of 15 as being an abuse that leaves a mark on the person whereas the passage of 17 identified that even a tongue lashing to a parent or speaking badly of them would be punishable by stoning. In the earliest form, stoning was of two types. The first type was the throwing of stones at a person such as most people recognize. The second type was to tie a person's hands and throw them off of a height onto a pile of rocks. If the stoning or being "stoned" by throwing onto stones did not kill them, then one of the witnesses had to actually crush the skull by dropping a heavy stone on the head.
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6. Ex. 22:19: Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death.
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Again, a death by stoning. This was considered to be a crime that could not be comprehended. (Again, look in the targum)
7. Lev. 20:13: If a man lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death.
Again, this concerns beastiality. The man is to be stone and the animal killed so as not to tempt another man. (targum)
8. Lev. 20:10: And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death.
Again, the targum identifies stoning for the engaged who commits adultery and stoning for the married who commit adultery.
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9. Mark 16:16: He that believeth not, shall be ******.
For those that are knowledgeable of the Gospel of Christ and believe not in Christ, they will be eternally lost, or as one person told you... spiritually dead. This is the only aspect of your posting which truly applies to Christianity. All of the other pertain to Jewish law or tradition. The Jews became so compulsive with serving the law that they could no longer serve God in praise, worship, and by righteous living.
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10. Mal. 2:1-4: And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. If you will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart to give glory to my name, ... behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces.
There were different blessings under Jewish law. This curse affected the temporal blessing which was the harvest. The curse is so bad as to affect the seed for planting and thus a poor harvest which would be an insult to offer anything in sacrifice else the "dung" be thrown back at you.