- keep alive for yourselves:
- It has been groundlessly asserted, that Moses here authorised the Israelites to make concubines of the whole number of female children; and an insidious objection against his writings has been grounded upon this monstrous supposition. But the whole tenor of the law, and especially a statute recorded in "When¹ thou goest forthª° to warª against¹ thine enemies,ª° and the LORDª thy Godª hath deliveredª° them into thine hands,ª and thou hast takenª° them captive,ª ... And it shall be,¹ if¹ thou have no delightª°¹ in her, then thou shalt let her goª° whither she will;ª but thou shalt not¹ sell²° her at allª° for money,ª thou shalt not¹ make merchandiseª° of her, becauseª¹ thou hast humbledª° her." {Deu 21:10-14}, proves most decisively to the contrary. They were merely permitted to possess them as female slaves, educating them in their families, and employing them as domestics; for the laws concerning fornication, concubinage, and marriage, were in full force, and prohibited an Israelite even from marrying a captive, without delays and previous formalities; and if he afterwards divorced her, he was to set here at liberty, "because he had humbled her." "Both thy bondmen,ª and thy bondmaids,ª which¹ thou shalt have,¹ [shall be] of¹¹ the heathenª that¹ are round aboutª you; of¹ them shall ye buyª° bondmenª and bondmaids.ª" {Lev 25:44} + "But¹ the women,ª and the little ones,ª and the cattle,ª and all¹ that¹ is¹ in the city,ª [even] all¹ the spoilª thereof, shalt thou takeª° unto thyself; and thou shalt eatª°¹ the spoilª of thine enemies,ª° which¹ the LORDª thy Godª hath givenª° thee." {Deu 20:14} + "When¹ thou goest forthª° to warª against¹ thine enemies,ª° and the LORDª thy Godª hath deliveredª° them into thine hands,ª and thou hast takenª° them captive,ª ... And it shall be,¹ if¹ thou have no delightª°¹ in her, then thou shalt let her goª° whither she will;ª but thou shalt not¹ sell²° her at allª° for money,ª thou shalt not¹ make merchandiseª° of her, becauseª¹ thou hast humbledª° her." {Deu 21:10-14} + "And the childrenª of Israelª carried away captiveª° of their brethrenª¹ two hundredª thousand,ª women,ª sons,ª and daughters,ª and took also awayª°¹ muchª spoilª from¹ them, and broughtª°¹ the spoilª to Samaria.ª ... And now¹ ye¹ purposeª° to keep underª° the childrenª of Judahª and Jerusalemª for bondmenª and bondwomenª unto you: [but are there] not¹ with¹ you, evenª with you,¹ sinsª against the LORDª your God?ª" {2Ch 28:8-10} + "And the peopleª shall takeª° them, and bringª° them to¹ their place:ª and the houseª of Israelª shall possessª° them in¹ the landª of the LORDª for servantsª and handmaids:ª and they shall take¹ them captives,ª° whose captivesª° they were; and they shall rule²° over¹ their oppressors.ª°" {Isa 14:2}
|
