Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law. Matthew 5:18
All the Commandments in the Bible
Every Jot and Tittle:
All the commandments in the Bible.
All the commandments
Maimonides Lists
The New Testament doesn't exactly clear things up. In fact, many of its commandments seem to either oppose marriage or to just barely tolerate it. Paul says, for example, that only weaklings who can't control themselves should marry. For everyone else the general rule is this: If you're not married, don't get married, and if you are married, don't have sex. (There's no time for it, because Jesus is coming!)
The Bible is clear about divorce, though. A man can divorce a woman for pretty much any reason. (Like if he finds some uncleanness in her.) Or it was clear, anyway until Jesus came along. (Jesus said divorce is never allowed -- well, except maybe when the wife fornicated.)
On polygamy, the Bible commands a husband who takes another wife to either continue to feed and have sex with his first wife or else set her free. It also provides inheritance laws for polygamists who have both beloved and hated wives.
For such a big book, the Bible doesn't say much about children. It says they should fear and obey their parents. And it commands parents to give their firstborn sons to God; to not force their daughters to become whores; and to beat their children (to save their souls from hell).
There are no commandments about abortion, but there are two that imply that a mother's life is of more value than that of a fetus. The Bible also puts a dollar value on human life, with newborn babies and fetuses worth nothing at all.
(Numbered P and N links are to the positive and negative commandments on Maimonides's list.)
If a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. Exodus 22:16
If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins. Exodus 22:17
Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time. Leviticus 18:18
If a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness they shall be childless. Leviticus 20:21
And the LORD spake unto Moses, sayingSpeak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken with the mannerAnd the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled:Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance. Numbers 5:11-15The priest then makes her drink some "bitter water."
And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the Lord:And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water:And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord, and uncover the woman's head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse. Numbers 5:16-18If she is guilty, the water makes her thigh rot and her belly swell.
And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse:But if thou hast gone aside to another instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee beside thine husband:Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The Lord make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the Lord doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swellAnd this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen.And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water:And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter.Then the priest shall take the jealousy offering out of the woman's hand, and shall wave the offering before the Lord, and offer it upon the altar:And the priest shall take an handful of the offering, even the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water.And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people. Numbers 5:19-27If the woman is innocent, no harm done -- she is free and will "conceive seed." In any case, "the man shall be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity."
And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiledOr when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the Lord, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law. Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity. Numbers 5:28-31
Neither shalt thou make marriages with them ... so will the anger of the LORD be kindledagainst you, and destroy thee suddenly. Deuteronomy 7:3-4Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods. 1 Kings 11:2
And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not ... take their daughters ... for yourselves. Nehemiah 13:25
Thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. Deuteronomy 7:3-4The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons. Ezra 9:11-12
And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons. Nehemiah 13:25
If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her,And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid:Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate:And the damsel's father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her... But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel:Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you. Deuteronomy 22:13-21
If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her,And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid:Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate:And the damsel's father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth herAnd, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise himAnd they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife he may not put her away all his days. Deuteronomy 22:13-19
When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not ... be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken. Deuteronomy 24:5
If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger. Deuteronomy 25:5a
If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her. Deuteronomy 25:5b
And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel. Deuteronomy 25:6
And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother.Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take herThen shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother's house. Deuteronomy 25:7-9
And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.Deuteronomy 25:10
Let her [your wife] be as the loving hind and pleasant roe let her breasts satisfy thee at all times and be thou ravished always with her love. Proverbs 5:19
Keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. Micah 7:5
Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the LORD which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god. Malachi 2:11
It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. 1 Corinthians 7:1-2I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn. 1 Corinthians 7:8-9
Nevertheless, to avoid fornication ... Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. ... Defraud ye not one the other ... that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. 1 Corinthians 7:2-5
I would that all men were even as I myself. 1 Corinthians 7:7I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. 1 Corinthians 7:8
Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment ... it is good for a man so to be. 1 Corinthians 7:25-26
Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. 1 Corinthians 7:27
If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. ... But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. 1 Corinthians 7:12-15
The time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none. 1 Corinthians 7:29
When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. Deuteronomy 24:1
And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife. And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled for that is abomination before the LORD. Deuteronomy 24:2-4
We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land ... Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives ... according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God and let it be done according to the law. Ezra 10:2-3
And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce. Jeremiah 3:8
If he take him another wife her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.Exodus 21:10
And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money. Exodus 21:11
If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated:Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn:But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength the right of the firstborn is his. Deuteronomy 21:15-17
Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine. Exodus 13:2The firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me. Exodus 22:29
Also the firstborn of our sons, and of our cattle, as it is written in the law, and the firstlings of our herds and of our flocks, to bring to the house of our God, unto the priests that minister in the house of our God. Nehemiah 10:36
And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech. Leviticus 18:21There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire. Deuteronomy 18:10
Manasseh ... did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. ... For he ... caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom. 2 Chronicles 22:1-6
He [Ahaz] burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen. 2 Chronicles 28:3
Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father. Leviticus 19:3
Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore. Leviticus 19:29
The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin. Deuteronomy 24:16
Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen. Deuteronomy 27:16
We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land ... Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God and let it be done according to the law. Ezra 10:2-3
Forsake not the law of thy mother. Proverbs 1:8Keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother.Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. Proverbs 6:20-21
Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Colossians 3:20
Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying. Proverbs 19:18Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell. Proverbs 23:13-14
Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest. Proverbs 29:17
She thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Malachi 2:15
If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him and he shall pay as the judges determine.Exodus 21:22
And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. Exodus 21:23-25
| Age | Sex | In Shekels of Silver | In 2022 US Dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| less than one month (Newborn babies and fetuses) | male | 0 | 0 |
| female | 0 | 0 | |
| one month to 5 years | male | 5 | $41.80 |
| female | 3 | $25.08 | |
| 5 to 20 years | male | 20 | $167.28 |
| female | 10 | $83.60 | |
| 20 to 60 years | male | 50 | $418.00 |
| female | 30 | $250.80 | |
| over 60 years | male | 15 | $125.40 |
| female | 10 | $83.60 |
Thy estimation shall be of the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. And if it be a female, then thy estimation shall be thirty shekels. And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels. And if it be from a month old even unto five years old,then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver. And if it be from sixty years old and above if it be a male, then thy estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels. Leviticus 27:3-7
Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD. Leviticus 27:28
None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed but shall surely be put to death. Leviticus 27:29
Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of? Isaiah 2:22
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