Banishment in the Torah

Last updated

Banishment or exile can be a form of punishment. It means to be away from one's home (i.e. city, state or country) while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened by prison or death upon return. It is a common theme within the Bible, beginning with Adam and Eve. Below is a partial list of these exiles as referenced in the Bible.

Contents

Genesis

Genesis Chapter 3

Adam and Eve painting.jpg

Therefore, the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way to the tree of life.

(Adam and Eve expelled from the Garden of Eden for eating the forbidden apple.)

Genesis Chapter 6

The Deluge by Gustave Dore. Gustave Dore - The Holy Bible - Plate I, The Deluge.jpg
The Deluge by Gustave Doré.

And the LORD said: 'I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and creeping thing, and fowl of the air; for it repenteth Me that I have made them.'

(The LORD decides to flood the earth due to the evil of men—just before Noah's Flood.)

Genesis Chapter 11

Engraving The Confusion of Tongues by Gustave Dore (1865), who based his conception on the Minaret of Samarra Confusion of Tongues.png
Engraving The Confusion of Tongues by Gustave Doré (1865), who based his conception on the Minaret of Samarra

Therefore, was the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth; and from thence did the LORDscatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

(No longer able to communicate and resolve conflicts, people scatter themselves after the failed Tower of Babel project.)

Genesis Chapter 13

Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me; if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou take the right hand, then I will go to the left.'

(Abraham and his brother Lot decide to separate their households to avoid conflicts over land and property.)

The story of Lot is told in the Book of Genesis. Lot is mentioned in chapters 11-14 and 19.

StoryOTB017 p35 LotFleesFromSodom.jpg

Genesis Chapter 16

"The dismissal of Hagar", 1612 by Pieter Pietersz Lastman Pieter Pietersz. Lastman 001.jpg
"The dismissal of Hagar", 1612 by Pieter Pietersz Lastman

But Abram said unto Sarai: 'Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her that which is good in thine eyes.' And Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her face.

(Sarah deals harshly with her Egyptian maid Hagar, forcing her to run away.)

Genesis Chapter 17

An angel prevents the sacrifice of Isaac. Abraham and Isaac Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 035.jpg
An angel prevents the sacrifice of Isaac. Abraham and Isaac

And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken My covenant.'

(The LORD talks to Abraham just before telling him that Sarah will bear Isaac, proclaiming that uncircumcised males shall be "cut off".)

Genesis Chapter 21

Expulsion of Ishmael and His Mother, from Gustave Dore's illustrated Bible of 1866. Expulsion of Ishmael and His Mother.png
Expulsion of Ishmael and His Mother, from Gustave Doré's illustrated Bible of 1866.

And Abraham arose up early in the morning, and took bread and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away; and she departed, and strayed in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.

(Abraham 'divorces' Hagar after being advised to do so by Sarah, sending her into the desert with only her son Ishmael. Afterwards, the water is depleted, and Hagar sits down to die. An Angel of the LORD then appears and rescues Hagar and Ishmael, and promises to make Ishmael "a great nation".)

Genesis Chapter 37

Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, by Peter von Cornelius Peter von Cornelius 004.jpg
Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, by Peter von Cornelius

And there passed by Midianites, merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they brought Joseph into Egypt.

(Joseph sold to slavery by his own brothers after their father Isaac sent him to check up on them.)

Exodus

Exodus Chapter 12

Moses before the Pharaoh, a 6th-century miniature from the Syriac Bible of Paris. SyriacBibleParisFolio8rrMosesBeforePharaoh.jpg
Moses before the Pharaoh, a 6th-century miniature from the Syriac Bible of Paris.

Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; howbeit the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses; for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses; for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a sojourner, or one that is born in the land.

(The LORD speaks to Moses and Aaron just before the Exodus from the land of Egypt, proclaiming that anyone who eats leavened bread during a certain period of time will be "cut off".)

Exodus Chapter 17

"The Children of Israel Crossing the Jordan" by Gustave Dore (d. 1883) Dore joshua crossing.jpg
"The Children of Israel Crossing the Jordan" by Gustave Doré (d. 1883)

And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Write this for a memorial in the book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.'

(After the Amalekites attacked the Israelites in the desert and the Israelites retaliated under the command of Joshua.)

Exodus Chapter 30

The High Priest PLATE4DX.jpg
The High Priest

Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereof, he shall be cut off from his people.'

(Short time after the LORD commands the Israelites to anoint Aaron and his sons as priests. Proclamation to "cut off" anyone who tries to make their own offering—anyone who does not recognize Aaron and his sons as priests.)

Exodus Chapter 31

The Shabbat table is set: two covered challot, a kiddush cup, two candles, and flowers. Shabbat table setting.jpg
The Shabbat table is set: two covered challot, a kiddush cup, two candles, and flowers.

Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore, for it is holy unto you; every one that profaneth it shall surely be put to death; for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

(Proclamation to "cut off" anyone who does not observe the Sabbath.)

Exodus Chapter 32

The Worship of the Golden Calf by Filippino Lippi (1457-1504) The Worship of the Golden Calf (Filippino Lippi).jpg
The Worship of the Golden Calf by Filippino Lippi (1457–1504)

Yet now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written.'

(Moses begs the LORD to forgive the Israelites for the Sin of the Golden Calf, or to otherwise, "blot out" him as well.)

And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book.

(Proclamation just before additional Israelites are smitten/blotted out by the LORD for making the Golden Calf.)

Leviticus

Leviticus Chapter 7

A modern interpretation of Azazel as a Satanic, goatlike demon, from Collin de Plancy's Dictionnaire Infernal (Paris,1825). Azazel (DI).png
A modern interpretation of Azazel as a Satanic, goatlike demon, from Collin de Plancy's Dictionnaire Infernal (Paris,1825).

But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, that pertain unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from his people.

And when any one shall touch any unclean thing, whether it be the uncleanness of man, or an unclean beast, or any unclean detestable thing, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which pertain unto the LORD, that soul shall be cut off from his people.

(Proclamation to "cut off" anyone who eats certain "unclean" flesh, or the flesh of certain sacrificial offerings.)

Whosoever it be that eateth any blood, that soul shall be cut off from his people.

(Proclamation to "cut off" anyone for consuming blood.)

Leviticus Chapter 13

All the days wherein the plague is in him he shall be unclean; he is unclean; he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his dwelling be.

(Proclamation to quarantine persons exhibiting illness.)

Leviticus Chapter 16

But the goat, on which the lot fell for Azazel, shall be set alive before the LORD, to make atonement over him, to send him away for Azazel into the wilderness.

(The goat is sent away to die alone in the desert in the place of a person, who according to the Leviticus ideology deserves the same punishment due to his sins, and would have had to bear this punishment, had the punishment not been "transferred" onto the goat.)

Leviticus Chapter 17

and hath not brought it unto the door of the tent of meeting, to present it as an offering unto the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD, blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people.

(Proclamation to "cut off" anyone who kills an animal for this own benefit.)

and bringeth it not unto the door of the tent of meeting, to sacrifice it unto the LORD, even that man shall be cut off from his people.

(Proclamation to "cut off" anyone who attempts to make a sacrifice by himself rather than have the recognized priests do it.)

And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, that eateth any manner of blood, I will set My face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people.

For as to the life of all flesh, the blood thereof is all one with the life thereof; therefore I said unto the children of Israel: Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh; for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof; whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.

(Proclamations to "cut off" anyone who consumes blood.)

Leviticus Chapter 18

A painting of God watching as an angel and a demon fight for a man's soul Meister von Heiligenkreuz 001.jpg
A painting of God watching as an angel and a demon fight for a man's soul

For whosoever shall do any of these abominations, even the souls that do them shall be cut off from among their people.

(This follows descriptions of various sexual offenses.)

Leviticus Chapter 19

But every one that eateth it shall bear his iniquity, because he hath profaned the holy thing of the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from his people.

(Proclamation to "cut off" anyone who eats a certain kind of peace offering on the 3rd day or later.)

Leviticus Chapter 20

I also will set My face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people, because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile My sanctuary, and to profane My holy name.

then I will set My face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go astray after him, to go astray after Molech, from among their people.

And the soul that turneth unto the ghosts, and unto the familiar spirits, to go astray after them, I will even set My face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.

(Proclamations to "cut off" anyone who "gives his seed to Molech" -- sacrifices his children onto a foreign god.)

And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness: it is a shameful thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people: he hath uncovered his sister's nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.

And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness—he hath made naked her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood—both of them shall be cut off from among their people.

(Proclamations to "cut off" anyone engaging in various sexual offenses.)

Leviticus Chapter 22

Say unto them: Whosoever he be of all your seed throughout your generations, that approacheth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from before Me: I am the LORD.

(Proclamations to "cut off" anyone for incorrectly using objects used for worship.)

Leviticus Chapter 23

(Proclamation to "cut off" anyone who does not atone on the Day of Atonement—Yom Kippur.)

Leviticus Chapter 26

And you will I scatter among the nations, and I will draw out the sword after you; and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste.

(Proclamation to expel the Israelites from the land if they fail to adhere to the ideology of the book of Leviticus. Follows descriptions of various related curses.)

Numbers

Numbers Chapter 5

Leprosy Leprosy.jpg
Leprosy

'Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is unclean by the dead;

both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camp, in the midst whereof I dwell.'

And the children of Israel did so, and put them out without the camp; as the LORD spoke unto Moses, so did the children of Israel.

(Proclamation to "put out" anyone afflicted by leprosy, as this is considered to "defile" the camp. This is done according to 5:4.)

Numbers Chapter 9

But the man that is clean, and is not on a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, that soul shall be cut off from his people; because he brought not the offering of the LORD in its appointed season, that man shall bear his sin.

(Proclamation to "cut off" anyone for not observing Passover.)

Numbers Chapter 15

But the soul that doeth aught with a high hand, whether he be home-born or a stranger, the same blasphemeth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

(Proclamation to "cut off" anyone who knowingly and deliberately violates the covenant.)

Numbers Chapter 19

Whosoever toucheth the dead, even the body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself—he hath defiled the tabernacle of the LORD—that soul shall be cut off from Israel; because the water of sprinkling was not dashed against him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him.

(Proclamation to "cut off" anyone who does not "purify" himself after being around a dead body before attempting to worship.)

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy Chapter 29

the LORD will not be willing to pardon him, but then the anger of the LORD and His jealousy shall be kindled against that man, and all the curse that is written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven;

(Proclamation to "blot out" "from under heaven" anyone who "turns away from the LORD".)

and the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day'.--

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nadab and Abihu</span> Sons of Aaron

In the biblical books Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers, Nadab and Abihu were the two oldest sons of Aaron. According to Leviticus 10, they offered a sacrifice with "foreign fire" before the LORD, disobeying his instructions, and were immediately consumed by God's fire.

A mohel is a Jewish man trained in the practice of brit milah, the "covenant of male circumcision". The equivalent for women is mohelet.

The Hittites, also spelled Hethites, were a group of people mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Under the names בני-חת and חתי they are described several times as living in or near Canaan between the time of Abraham and the time of Ezra after the return of the Jews from the Babylonian exile. Their ancestor was Heth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ritual washing in Judaism</span> Overview of ritual washing in Judaism

In Judaism, ritual washing, or ablution, takes two main forms. Tevilah (טְבִילָה) is a full body immersion in a mikveh, and netilat yadayim is the washing of the hands with a cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unleavened bread</span> Wide variety of breads which are not prepared with raising agents such as yeast

Unleavened bread is any of a wide variety of breads which are prepared without using rising agents such as yeast. Unleavened breads are generally flat breads; however, not all flat breads are unleavened. Unleavened breads, such as the tortilla and roti, are staple foods in Central America and South Asia, respectively. Unleavened sacramental bread plays a major part in Christian liturgy and Eucharistic theology.

The Priestly Code is the name given, by academia, to the body of laws expressed in the Torah which do not form part of the Holiness Code, the Covenant Code, the Ritual Decalogue, or the Ethical Decalogue. The Priestly Code constitutes the majority of Leviticus, as well as some of the laws expressed in Numbers. The code forms a large portion, approximately one third, of the commandments of the Torah, and thus is a major source of Jewish law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yitro</span> Seventeenth portion in the annual Jewish cycle of weekly Torah reading

Yitro, Yithro, Yisroi, Yisrau, or Yisro is the seventeenth weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the fifth in the Book of Exodus. The parashah tells of Jethro's organizational counsel to Moses and God's revelation of the Ten Commandments to the Israelites at Mount Sinai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vayikra (parashah)</span> Torah portion

Parashat Vayikra, VaYikra, Va-yikra, Wayyiqra, or Wayyiqro is the 24th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the first in the Book of Leviticus. The parashah lays out the laws of sacrifices. It constitutes Leviticus 1:1–5:26.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tzav</span>

Tzav, Tsav, Zav, Sav, or Ṣaw is the 25th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the second in the Book of Leviticus. The parashah teaches how the priests performed the sacrifices and describes the ordination of Aaron and his sons. The parashah constitutes Leviticus 6:1–8:36. The parashah is made up of 5,096 Hebrew letters, 1,353 Hebrew words, 97 verses, and 170 lines in a Torah scroll. Jews read it the 24th or 25th Sabbath after Simchat Torah, generally in the second half of March or the first half of April.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tazria</span> 27th weekly Torah portion

Tazria, Thazria, Thazri'a, Sazria, or Ki Tazria' is the 27th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the fourth in the Book of Leviticus. The parashah deals with ritual impurity. It constitutes Leviticus 12:1–13:59. The parashah is made up of 3,667 Hebrew letters, 1,010 Hebrew words, 67 verses, and 128 lines in a Torah Scroll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metzora (parashah)</span> 28th weekly portion in the Jewish cycle of Torah reading

Metzora, Metzorah, M'tzora, Mezora, Metsora, M'tsora, Metsoro, Meṣora, or Maṣoro is the 28th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the fifth in the Book of Leviticus. The parashah deals with ritual impurity. It addresses cleansing from skin disease, houses with an eruptive plague, male genital discharges, and menstruation. The parashah constitutes Leviticus 14:1–15:33. The parashah is made up of 4,697 Hebrew letters, 1,274 Hebrew words, 90 verses, and 159 lines in a Torah Scroll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acharei Mot</span> Portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading

Acharei Mot is the 29th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It is the sixth weekly portion in the Book of Leviticus, containing Leviticus 16:1–18:30. It is named after the fifth and sixth Hebrew words of the parashah, its first distinctive words.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emor</span> 31st weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading

Emor is the 31st weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the eighth in the Book of Leviticus. The parashah describes purity rules for priests, recounts the holy days, describes the preparations for the lights and bread in the sanctuary, and tells the story of a blasphemer and his punishment. The parashah constitutes Leviticus 21:1–24:23. It has the most verses of any of the weekly Torah portions in the Book of Leviticus, and is made up of 6,106 Hebrew letters, 1,614 Hebrew words, 124 verses and 215 lines in a Torah Scroll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chukat</span> Hebrew for "decree"

Chukat, HuQath, Hukath, or Chukkas is the 39th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the sixth in the Book of Numbers. The parashah sets out the laws of corpse contamination and purification with the water of lustration prepared with the Red Cow. It also reports the deaths of Miriam and Aaron, the failure of Moses at the Waters of Meribah, and the conquest of Arad, the Amorites, and Bashan. The parashah comprises Numbers 19:1–22:1. The parashah is the shortest weekly Torah portion in the Book of Numbers, and is made up of 4,670 Hebrew letters, 1,245 Hebrew words, 87 verses, and 159 lines in a Torah Scroll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ki Tavo</span>

Ki Tavo, Ki Thavo, Ki Tabo, Ki Thabo, or Ki Savo is the 50th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the seventh in the Book of Deuteronomy. It comprises Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8. The parashah tells of the ceremony of the first fruits, tithes, and the blessings from observance and curses from violation of the law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John the Revelator (Blind Willie Johnson song)</span> 1930 traditional American folk song

"John the Revelator" is a gospel blues call and response song. Music critic Thomas Ward describes it as "one of the most powerful songs in all of pre-war acoustic music ... [which] has been hugely influential to blues performers". American gospel-blues musician Blind Willie Johnson recorded "John the Revelator" in 1930. Subsequently, a variety of artists, including the Golden Gate Quartet, Son House, Depeche Mode, Jerry Garcia Band, The White Stripes, The Forest Rangers, The Sword, have recorded their renditions of the song, often with variations in the verses and music.

In Jewish ritual law, a zav is a man who has had abnormal seminal discharge from the male sexual organ, and thus entered a state of ritual impurity. A woman who has had similar abnormal discharge from her genitals is known as a zavah.

The Hebrew term kareth, or extirpation, is a form of punishment for sin, mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and later Jewish writings. Kareth in its simplistic meaning refers to an individual being expelled from the Nation of Israel. In the Talmud, kareth means not necessarily physical "cutting off" of life, but can also mean the extinction of the soul and denial of a share in the world to come.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thou shalt not kill</span> One of the Ten Commandments

Thou shalt not kill, You shall not murder or You shall not murder (NIV), is a moral imperative included as one of the Ten Commandments in the Torah.

Rabbi Alexandri is the name of one or more amoraim.

References