Difficult parts of Hebrew and Greek Scriptures

OBJECTIONABLE and QUESTIONABLE TEXTS IN THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS
Old Testament

• Genesis 19:30-38 [Two daughters deliberately become pregnant to their father, Lot.]

19:30 Now Lot went up out of Zoar, and … dwelt in a cave with his two daughters. … ³³ So they made their father drink wine that night; and the first-born went in, and lay with her father; … ³⁵ … and the younger arose, and lay with him; … ³⁷ The first-born bore a son … Moab … ³⁸ The younger also bore a son … Ben-ammi … – (Revised Standard Version, O.T. © 1952).

• Genesis 22:1-2, 10-12 [God tells Abraham to kill and burn up his son Isaac.]

¹
22:1. After these things God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." ² He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." […] ¹⁰ Then Abraham ... took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹ But the angel of the LORD called to him … ¹² … "Do not lay your hand on the lad …" – (RSV). ¹

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• Exodus 15:3 [The Lord is a man of war.]

15:3 The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name. – (RSV).

• Exodus 21:7-11 [Rules about selling daughter into slavery.]

21:7 When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. ⁸ If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed; he shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt faithlessly with her. ⁹ If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter. ¹⁰ If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights. ¹¹ And if he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money. – (RSV).

• Exodus 21:15 and 17 [Execute anyone who hits or curses his father or mother.]

21:15 Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death.
21:17 Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death. – (RSV).

• Exodus 21:20-21 [Slave-killing rules; slave is his money.]

21:20 When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished. ²¹ But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be punished for the slave is his money. – (RSV).

• Exodus 22:18, and Deuteronomy 18:10-11 [Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.]

Exodus 22: ¹⁸ Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. – (Authorised Version, i.e., King James Bible).
Deuteronomy 18: ¹⁰ There shall not be found among you … any one who practises divination, a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, ¹¹ or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer. – (RSV).

• Leviticus 15:19-20 [Woman with an issue and all she touches are unclean.]

15:19 And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days : and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until evening.
20 And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean : every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean. – Leviticus 15:19-20. (AV)

• Leviticus 25:44 and 46 [Buy slaves from non-Israelites, and bequeath them.]

²
25: ⁴⁴ … you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are round about you. … ⁴⁶ You may bequeath them to your sons after you, to inherit as a possession for ever; you may make slaves of them, but over your brethren the people of Israel you shall not rule, one over another, with harshness. – (RSV). ²

• Leviticus 27:28-29 and 34 [Human being devoted to the Lord is to be put to death.]

27:28. "But no devoted thing that a man devotes to the LORD, of everything that he has, whether of man or beast, or of his inherited field, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the LORD. ²⁹ No one devoted, who is to be utterly destroyed from among men, shall be ransomed; he shall be put to death. …" 34. These are the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai. -(RSV)

• Numbers 31:17-18 [Kill the Midianite boys, but save the virgin girls for yourselves.]

31: ¹⁷ Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. ¹⁸ But all the young girls that have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves. - (RSV).

• Book of Judges 1:6 [Prisoner of war has thumbs and big toes cut off.]

• Book of Judges 11:30-31, 34, 39 [Daughter is burnt for vow to the Lord.]

11:30 And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, "If thou wilt give the Ammonites into my hand, ³¹ then whoever comes forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return victorious from the Ammonites, shall be the LORD's, and I will offer him up for a burnt offering." […] ³⁴ Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah; and behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances; she was his only child; […] ³⁹ And at the end of two months, … her father … did with her according to his vow which he had made. – Judges 11:30-31, 34, 39 (RSV). (The GENERAL INSTRUCTION about such a vow is at Leviticus 27: 28, 29, 34.)

• Book of Judges 19:22-28 [Virgin daughter and concubine offered to lustful Gibeah mob to save man from male-male intercourse.]

19:22 ... Send out the man ... we should like to have intercourse with him! ... ²⁴ Here is my daughter, she is a virgin ... but do not commit such an infamy against this man. ²⁵ ... the Levite took hold of his concubine and brought her out to them. They had intercourse with her and ill-treated her all night ... ²⁸ ... There was no answer. ... – Judges 19:22-28 (NJB)

• Book of Judges 19:29 [The dead concubine's body cut into 12 pieces.]

19:29 And when he entered his house, he took a knife, and laying hold of his concubine he divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel. – Judges 19:29 (RSV).

• Book of Judges 20:48 [Israel in destructive orgy against Benjamin, their 'brothers and sisters'.]

19:48 And the men of Israel turned back against the Benjaminites, and smote them with the edge of the sword, men and beasts and all that they found. And all the towns which they found they set on fire. (RSV)

• 1st Book of Samuel 15:3 [Slay man, woman, infant, and suckling – animals too.]

15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. - 1 Samuel 15:3 (RSV); RC versions, 1 Kings 15:3.

• 2nd Book of Samuel 4:12 [Prisoners of war killed, hands and feet cut off]

4: ¹² So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them. They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron. … – 2 Samuel 4:12. (New International Version © 1984; 2 Kings 4:12 in RC Douay Bible.) [[See variant in Muslim scripture, Koran 5:33]]

• 2nd Book of Samuel 6:6-7 [Uzzah struck down by the LORD for steadying the holy box]

When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The the LORD's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God. – 2 Samuel 6:6-7 (NIV) / 2 Kings 6:6-7

• 1st Book of Kings 2:6 [King David asked heir Solomon to murder on his behalf.]

2:6 … do not let his [Joab's] grey head go down to Sheol in peace. – 1 Kings 2:6 (RSV); In old RC versions, 3 Kings 2:6. (Assassination carried out: 1 Kings 2:34 / 3 Kings 2:34.)
2:9 … you shall bring his [Shimei's] grey head down with blood to Sheol. – 1 Kings 2:9 (RSV) / 3 Kings 2:9 (Assassination carried out: 1 Kings 2:46 / 3 Kings 2:46.)

• 1st Book of Kings 2:39-40 [Runaway slaves are brought back.]

2:39 … two of Shimei's slaves ran away to … Gath ⁴⁰ … Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath. – 1 Kings 2:39-40 (RSV) / 3 Kings 2:39-40

• 1st Book of Kings 11:3 [King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines.]

11:3 He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines … - 1 Kings 11:3 (RSV) / 3 Kings 11:3.

• 2nd Book of Kings 2:23-24 [42 boys torn by bears, for calling Prophet Elisha ‘baldhead’.]

2:23 He [Elisha] went up from there [Jericho] to Bethel; and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, "Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!" ²⁴ And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys. – 2 Kings 2:23-24 (RSV) / 4 Kings 2:23-24.

• Psalm 24:8 & 10 [The Lord, mighty in battle! The Lord of hosts! ]

24: ⁸ Who, then, is this glorious King? Jehovah, strong and mighty, Jehovah, mighty in battle. … ¹⁰ … Jehovah of armies – he is the glorious King. – Psalm 24:8 & 10 (NWT) / Psalm 23:8 & 10

• Psalm 137:8-9 [Dash Babylon's little ones against the rock! ]

137: ⁸ O daughter of Babylon, you devastator … ⁹ Happy shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock! – Psalm 137:8-9 (RSV) ; In old RC versions, Psalm 136:8-9

New Testament

• Matthew's Gospel, 10:24 [A slave is not above his master.]

10:24 [Jesus said] A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his lord. – Matthew 10:24 (KIT). ("Slave" in koine Greek: δουλος = "doulos") Found by Keith J. J. Massam February 13, 2004.

• Mark's Gospel, 11:12-14 and 20 [A fig-tree, out of season, was cursed to wither.]

11:12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he [Jesus] was hungry. ¹³And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴And he said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." … 20. As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. - Mark 11:12-14 & 20. (RSV N.T. © 1971.) (Contrast with Matthew 21:18-20, in which the fig tree withered at once. The OWNER/S of the fig tree are not consulted or even mentioned in either gospel. In addition, if Jesus was Almighty God,why didn't He CREATE ripe figs on the spot, and share them with His disciples? Or were these tales written before the dogma that Jesus was God had occurred to the inventive people in the Christian community?)

• Ephesians 6:5-7 (and 3 other epistles): [Slaves, obey your masters.]

   Ephesians 6:5-7 Slaves, be obedient to those who are your earthly masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as to Christ, … as to the Lord … (RSV). ("Slaves" in koine Greek: δουλοι = "douloi")
   Colossians 3:22-23 Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord, and not men. (RSV). (Greek: δουλοι = "douloi")
   Titus 2:9-10 Bid slaves to be submissive to their masters and to give satisfaction in every respect; they are not to be refractory, nor to pilfer, but to show entire and true fidelity, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour. (Revised Standard Version, N.T. © 1971). ("Slaves" in this sentence: δουλους = "doulous")
   1st Peter 2:18 Let house servants be in subjection to owners with all fear, not only to the good and reasonable, but also to those hard to please. (adapted from KIT) ("House servants" in Greek οικεται; = "oiketai" ; "owners" δεσποταις = "despotais")
   (The Roman Catholic 1990 edition of the New Jerusalem Bible © 1985, for 1 Peter 2:18 translates "house servants" as "slaves," and "owners" as "masters." This is a welcome reversal of the usual translators' methods -- most Western sects softened the meaning "slave" to "servant" (the main searchable word in both Strong's and Cruden's concordances) etc., or a euphemistic variant.)

More objectionable texts    MORE OBJECTIONABLE TEXTS such as "an eye for an eye," and "heavenly" orders to totally destroy Canaan's indigenous people may be found by looking at what was originally Hebrew writings, and traditions, plus threatening scriptures from another religion that wrote in another Asian language, Arabic, and its traditions. (Keep both eyes open when looking on this website and elsewhere in the literature for more lowlights that ought to be included in scholarly papers and leaders' talks on "comparative religion," "oecumenism," "non-discrimination," "inclusion," "diversity," and suchlike.) All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness ³
– Bible: 2 Timothy 3:16 ³ ________________________________________
FOOTNOTES
1. Genesis 22:1-2, 10, 12: The words "your only son Isaac," used three times in this chapter, are an error by whoever wrote this scripture. Proof: - Abraham's first son was Ishmael, son of the slave-girl Hagar, according to Genesis 15:15, but Sarah and Abraham cast them out (also difficult to accept as the action of "moral" people), according to Genesis 21:10. Both Ishmael and Isaac outlived Abraham, and buried him in the cave of Machpelah, according to Genesis 25:9. So Isaac was NOT his ONLY son.)
2. Leviticus 25:44, 46: Do you doubt that SLAVERY was practised by the prosperous classes in ancient Israel/Judah in Old Testament times? Remember, old Bible translations used euphemisms (or "weasel words") such as "servant" instead of "slave" (Hebrew ebed, Greek doulos, doule) in many places. To get a feeling for this, read Ephesians 6:8 in the Douay version, where the chapter's advice to "servants" ends up with the phrase "bond or free." We recommend reading a newer translation, but even some of these use "handmaid" and "maid" in the Genesis story about Jacob having sons by the slave-girls. Elsewhere "manservant" and "maidservant" are inserted instead of slave, slave-girl, bondsman, bondmaid. In a few places there is "young man," possibly like "boy" is/was used by some people of the southern states of the USA when speaking to or about African-Americans.
   Check these in your Bibles (RC alternative book names are given second): Genesis 15:3, 16:1ff, 17:12-13, 23, 27; 24:2, 30:3, 9; Exodus 12:44, 20:10, 21:1-11, 21:20, 21:26, 21:32, 22:3, 23:12; Leviticus 25:39, 25:47; Deuteronomy 12:12-18, 15:12-18, 16:11-14, 21:10-14 (women war captives), 23:15-16 (don't return a slave); 2 Samuel / 2 Kings 9:2, 1 Kings / 3 Kings 2:39, 5:2-3 9:21; 1 Chronicles / 1 Paralipomenon 2:34-35; Nehemiah / 2 Esdras 7:67; Job 31:13-15; Proverbs 17:2, 19:10.
   In the Apocrypha: Ben Sira / Ecclesiasticus / Sirach 33:25-31.
   New Testament? Yes, please read Matthew 10:24, Ephesians 6:5-8, Colossians 3:22-24, Philemon (all of it), Titus 2:9-10, 1 Peter 2:18-20.
3. 2 Timothy 3:16: Readers, do you believe that the above scripture texts are inspired by God and are profitable for training in righteousness? (Always remembering that the "scriptures" that "St Paul" meant, presumably, were the ones that existed then, that is, the Hebrew-Aramaic scripture, and/or a widely-used Greek translation, the Septuagint version of the Old Testament.)
____________________
   NOTE: Disputed and doubtful scriptures are sometimes shown on this website in a grey, and in sans-serif typeface, to distinguish them from other texts.
   SOURCES and REFERENCES:
   Authorised Version (AV), that is, the King James Bible, 1611.
   Douay-Rheims Bible; New Testament 1582, Old Testament 1609.
   KIT is an abbreviation for The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures, 1st Edition, © 1969, New World Bible Translation Committee, International Bible Students Association, Brooklyn (New York).
   New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) (RC edition) © 1985, 1990 Pocket Edition, Darton Longman & Todd, London.
   New World Translation (NWT), © 1984 revision, New World Bible Translation Committee, International Bible Students Association, Brooklyn (New York).
   RSV is the abbreviation for the Revised Standard Version of the Holy Bible, being an authorised revision of the American Standard Version, 1901, which was a revision of the Authorised Version (AV), i.e., the 1611 King James Version, © O.T. 1952 and © N.T. 1971, Collins Clear-Type Press, New York, Glasgow, and Toronto.
   ZAMENHOF, Lazaro Ludoviko, 1927, La Malnova Testamento el la Hebrea Originalo, British and Foreign Bible Society, London, and the National Bible Society of Scotland, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. His translations from Hebrew into Esperanto, yielding sklavo and sklavino, proved some of the Webmaster's shrewd guesses.
   Internet Bibles:
   Bible Crosswalk http://bible.crosswalk.com .
   Bible Gateway www.biblegateway.com .
   ZAMENHOF, L. L.; 1927; Old Testament translation: www.jesus. org.uk/ cgi-bin/ bible/bible. cgi?BIBLE= Esperanto& BOOK=1 &SEARCH=++& CASE=ON& HILITE=ON& FIRST=OK& R1=I& CHAP=2& SUBMIT= Read#15 .
   OTHER ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
   CRUDEN, Alexander; (orig. 1737), 1969; Cruden's complete concordance to the Old and New Testaments, Lutterworth Press, London.
   McKENZIE, John L.; © 1965, 1968 edition; Article "Slave, slavery," Dictionary of the Bible, Geoffrey Chapman, London; pp 823-25.
   STRONG, James (1882-94); © 1996; The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Thomas Nelson, Nashville (Tennessee). (It includes the Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek word definitions.)

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