A logical starting point in this endeavor is the Hebrew word ḥāmas. Given the complexity of the development of the Old Testament canon, a fruitful and ultimately more accurate way of treating the subject is to determine how ancient Israelites thought about violence and how the subject then affected the overall shape of the Old Testament. Thus, even Judah’s desire to defend itself militarily morphed into an expression of hope in God. That is, while Assyrian and Babylonian records of warfare presumably describe what Mesopotamian kings actually did in battle, the Old Testament often reports wars and military conflicts, and the aspirations of the leaders of Judah, from the perspective of a defeated people. Comparative studies alone, however, cannot account for the multiple layers of tradition that often make up Old Testament references to violence. Studies that compare the Old Testament presentation of violence with that of contemporary ancient Near Eastern nations offer potentially more controlled results. 16, 23).Īssessment of the significance of records of or calls for violent acts in the Old Testament are difficult, however, because of the complex literary and canonical context in which such passages appear and because of the incongruity between ancient Israelite culture and the culture(s) of readers today. Within this way of reading is also a feminist critique that sees in the Old Testament a general disregard for women, illustrated by some passages that present sexual abuse as well as general subordination of women to men with no explicit judgment on such atrocities (Judg. They find support for this view in the apparent acceptance of cruel practices of war by Old Testament authors (Num. Some attribute the Old Testament’s accounts of God destroying and killing to the brutality of the society that produced it, but they believe modern people are able to see the matter more clearly. In the modern era interpreters have taken up the problem with new vigor and have treated it from fresh perspectives. The movement was substantial enough that key church leaders such as Irenaeus and Tertullian worked to suppress it. 7).Ĭhristians have wrestled with divine violence in the Old Testament at least since the 2nd century ce, when Marcion led a movement to reject the Old Testament and the Old Testament God. 12:29–32 Nahum and Obadiah), though the Old Testament also reports God lashing out against rebellious Israelites as well (Exod. Some passages seem to suggest that God is harsh and vindictive and especially belligerent toward non-Israelites (see Exod. The expression may also include God’s prescription for and approval of wars such as the conquest of Canaan (Josh. 6:13) or God raining fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. As part of the activity of God, violence may include the results of divine judgment, such as God’s destruction of “all flesh” in the flood story (Gen. “Violence in the Old Testament” may refer generally to the Old Testament’s descriptions of God or human beings killing, destroying, and doing physical harm.
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