Deuteronomy 25:11-12 "If men get into a fight with one another, and the wife of one intervenes..."

If men get into a fight with one another, and the wife of one intervenes to rescue her husband from the grip of his opponent by reaching out and seizing his genitals, you shall cut off her hand; show no pity. (Deuteronomy 25:11-12)

Question:

My 91-year-old uncle finds this perplexing. Perhaps it’s just a story of the culture of that day. Do you have an interpretation?

Comment:

The Deuteronomic laws provide a highly detailed framework according to which a fairly primitive, nomadic people could live together in relative harmony. Every conceivable source of conflict is considered and covered, so that the law could be relied on as an absolute authority in all cases. This particular rule reflects two considerations that were very important to the people at that time. First, because increasing the size of the tribe was extremely important, any threat to reproduction was a very serious threat indeed; so damaging a man’s genitals would be much more serious than damaging some other part of his body. Second, the laws are generally intended to resolve conflicts without causing any unnecessary loss of dignity. For a man to be publicly accosted by a woman would be extremely humiliating. And for a woman to touch the genitals of a man not her husband would be a shocking breach of behavior.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed