Biblical Law—Was 'Eye for an Eye' Really Enforced?

The laws and punishments meted out in the Bible sound pretty harsh. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth—not to mention all of the commandments that are punishable by death! Ancient law expert Bruce Wells (liberalarts.utexas.edu/mes/faculty/bw25392) joins Helen and Dave to answer the question: were biblical laws really enforced? How did they compare with other law codes from the Ancient Near East like Hammurabi? And if they weren't enforced, why do laws play such a central role in the Hebrew Bible?
Check out Bruce's books:
• Everyday Law in Biblical Israel (wjkbooks.com/Products/0664234976/everyday-law-…)
• The Cambridge Companion to Law in the Hebrew Bible (cambridge.org/core/books/cambridge-companion-t…)
SUPPORT BIBLICAL TIME MACHINE

If you enjoy the podcast, please (pretty please!) consider supporting the show through the Time Travelers Club (patreon.com/BiblicalTimeMachine), our Patreon. We are an independent, listener-supported show (no ads!), so please help us continue to showcase high-quality biblical scholarship with a monthly subscription (patreon.com/BiblicalTimeMachine).

DOWNLOAD OUR STUDY GUIDE: MARK AS ANCIENT BIOGRAPHY

Check out our 4-part audio study guide called "The Gospel of Mark as an Ancient Biography (biblicaltimemachine.com/store/p/biblical-time-…)." While you're there, get yourself a Biblical Time Machine mug (biblicaltimemachine.com/store/p/timetravelersmug) or a cool sticker (biblicaltimemachine.com/store/p/bubble-free-st…) for your water bottle.

Support the show (patreon.com/BiblicalTimeMachine)
Theme music written and performed by Dave Roos, creator of Biblical Time Machine. Season 4 + 5 produced by John Nelson.