Topical Bible: Punishments were Inflicted by the Witnesses

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Topical Encyclopedia

In the judicial system of ancient Israel, the role of witnesses was not only to testify but also to participate in the execution of justice. This practice is rooted in the Mosaic Law, which established a framework for maintaining order and righteousness within the community. The involvement of witnesses in the execution of punishment served as a deterrent against false testimony and underscored the gravity of bearing witness.

Biblical Foundation

The primary scriptural basis for this practice is found in Deuteronomy 17:6-7 : "On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but he shall not be executed on the testimony of a lone witness. The hands of the witnesses shall be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from among you." This passage highlights the necessity of multiple witnesses to establish guilt and mandates that these witnesses initiate the execution of the sentence.

Purpose and Significance

The requirement for witnesses to be the first to carry out the punishment served several purposes:

1. Verification of Truth: By involving the witnesses directly in the execution, the law ensured that only those who were absolutely certain of the accused's guilt would testify. This reduced the likelihood of false accusations, as the witnesses would bear the moral and legal responsibility for the death of the accused.

2. Community Responsibility: The involvement of the community, following the witnesses, in carrying out the punishment emphasized the collective responsibility to uphold God's law. It reinforced the idea that sin and its consequences affected the entire community, not just the individual.

3. Deterrence: The public nature of the punishment served as a deterrent to potential offenders. Knowing that the community, including the witnesses, would actively participate in the execution of justice, individuals were less likely to commit crimes.

Examples in Scripture

The principle of witnesses participating in punishment is illustrated in several biblical narratives. In the case of Naboth's vineyard (1 Kings 21), false witnesses were used to accuse Naboth of blasphemy, leading to his execution. Although this was a perversion of justice, it demonstrates the power and responsibility vested in witnesses.

Another example is found in the New Testament, where Jesus addresses the issue of punishment and witnesses in the account of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:7): "When they continued to question Him, He straightened up and said to them, 'Let him who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her.'" Here, Jesus highlights the moral integrity required of those who would act as witnesses and executioners.

Moral and Ethical Considerations

The practice of witnesses inflicting punishment underscores the importance of truth, justice, and communal integrity in biblical law. It serves as a reminder of the serious nature of bearing witness and the ethical implications of participating in the administration of justice. The system was designed to reflect God's holiness and justice, ensuring that the community remained pure and aligned with divine standards.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 13:9
But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first on him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 17:7
The hands of the witnesses shall be first on him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall put the evil away from among you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

John 8:7
So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said to them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Acts 7:58,59
And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Whether the Judicial Precepts were Suitably Framed as to the ...
... cured of habitual sin except by severe punishments. ... it happened more frequently that
sheep were stolen in ... Consequently the Law inflicted a heavier penalty, by ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the judicial precepts were 3.htm

The Primitive Church
... the many and varied tortures which were inflicted on the ... of the Church as shown in
warnings and punishments. ... to give up the Sacred Books were called "Traditores ...
/.../a key to the knowledge of church history/chapter v the primitive church.htm

The Disputes of the Faithful to be Settled by the Decisions of the ...
... nor do you receive unbelievers as witnesses against yourselves ... is Not to Be Inflicted
for Every ... Accordingly the punishments were different: as death either by ...
/.../various/constitutions of the holy apostles/sec vi the disputes of the.htm

Of the Crimes of the Wicked, and the Torture Inflicted on the ...
... Crimes of the Wicked, and the Torture Inflicted on the ... the same cause the people
who were placed in ... torment them with studied kinds of punishments, and think ...
/.../lactantius/the divine institutes/chap ix of the crimes of.htm

Chapter ii.
... To put an end, therefore, to this report, he laid the guilt, and inflicted the
most cruel punishments, upon a set of people, who were holden in ...
//christianbookshelf.org/paley/evidences of christianity/chapter ii.htm

Christ Crucified.
... he presented Jesus, prepared for crucifixion, were designed to ... It was never inflicted
by the Jews but was ... most cruel and disgraceful of punishments," and was ...
/.../johnson/the new testament commentary vol iii john/christ crucified.htm

Book 4 Footnotes
... amazing impenitence and insensibility, under the punishments of horrid ... and sect.23,
was five times inflicted on St. ... 26:12, etc., that the Jews were bound every ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/book 4 footnotes.htm

Messiah Suffering and Wounded for Us
... The martyrs were given up to them who only could kill the body, but Jesus suffered
immediately from the hand of God. ... Punishments are inflicted, either for ...
/.../newton/messiah vol 1/sermon xix messiah suffering and.htm

Latitudinarian Churchmanship.
... recoil that follows, is the wound inflicted upon true ... duty for a correct life, they
were apt grievously ... motives derived from the rewards and punishments of a ...
/.../chapter iv latitudinarian churchmanship.htm

The Number of those who Fought for Religion in Gaul under Verus ...
... who denied suffered such terrible punishments, but that ... was the mode of punishment
commonly inflicted upon slaves ... Roman citizens were exempt from this indignity ...
/.../pamphilius/church history/chapter i the number of those.htm