Uman Rights In Deuteronomy

Human Rights in Deuteronomy

The humanitarian concerns of the biblical slave laws and their rhetorical techniques rarely receive scholarly attention, especially the two slave laws in Deuteronomy. Previous studies that compared the biblical and the ANE laws focused primarily on their similarities and developed theories of direct borrowing. This ignored the fact that legal transplants were common in ancient societies. This study, in contrast, aims to identify similarities and dissimilarities in order to pursue an understanding of the underlying values promoted within these slave laws and the interests they protected. To do so, certain innovative methodologies were applied. The biblical laws examined present two diverse legal concepts that contrast to the ANE concepts: (1) all agents are regarded as persons and should be treated accordingly, and (2) all legal subjects are seen as free, dignified, and self-determining human beings. In addition, the biblical laws often distinguish an offender’s “criminal intent,” by which a criminal’s rights are also considered. Based on these features, the biblical laws are able to articulate YHWH’s humanitarian concerns and the basic concepts of human rights presented in Deuteronomy.

Human Rights in Deuteronomy

Because I Am Compassionate

All of the law collections in the ancient world, both biblical and cuneiform, promoted humanitarian values--that is, justice for the lawbreaker and mercy for the needy. Scriptural passages advocating for the needs of the widow and the orphan, for example, find parallels within the prologues of their Near Eastern legal contemporaries. What is it, then, that makes the law of the Israelites stand out as "righteous" among the law collections of the surrounding nations as its author, Yhwh, claims (Deut 4:8)? With special attention to the Book of the Covenant (Exod 21-23), this study shows how biblical law possesses a unique, inherent, and innovative humanitarian outlook rooted in the compassionate character of Yhwh as modeled by his actions in the exodus narrative. God's proclamation of compassion in Exod 22:26 [27] serves as the initial focal point. Each subsequent chapter zooms out further in scope. Such compassion, this study asserts, not only establishes the basis for the Book of the Covenant's humanitarian values but also provides the motivation for its readers to live according to its directives.