According to the

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...

Law of Moses The Law of Moses ( he, תֹּורַת מֹשֶׁה ), also called the Mosaic Law, primarily refers to the Torah or the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. The law revealed to Moses by God. Terminology The Law of Moses or Torah of Moses (Hebrew ...

, these are some of the offenses which may merit the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...

Religious practices

Sacrificing Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exis ...

to gods other than

Yahweh Yahweh *''Yahwe'', was the national god of ancient Israel and Judah. The origins of his worship reach at least to the early Iron Age, and likely to the Late Bronze Age if not somewhat earlier, and in the oldest biblical literature he po ...

* Anyone who "giveth of his seed unto

Molech Moloch (; ''Mōleḵ'' or הַמֹּלֶךְ‎ ''hamMōleḵ''; grc, Μόλοχ, la, Moloch; also Molech or Molek) is a name or a term which appears in the Hebrew Bible several times, primarily in the book of Leviticus. The Bible strongly co ...

" * Worshipping

Baal Peor Numbers 31 is the 31st chapter of the Book of Numbers, the fourth book of the Pentateuch (Torah), the central part of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), a sacred text in Judaism and Christianity. Scholars such as Israel Knohl and Dennis T. Ols ...

. The death penalty here was specifically

impalement Impalement, as a method of torture and execution, is the penetration of a human by an object such as a stake, pole, spear, or hook, often by the complete or partial perforation of the torso. It was particularly used in response to "crimes aga ...

. * A prophet who says to follow gods other than Yahweh * A person who follows gods other than Yahweh * A

false prophet In religion, a false prophet is a person who falsely claims the gift of prophecy or divine inspiration, or to speak for God, or who makes such claims for evil ends. Often, someone who is considered a "true prophet" by some people is simultaneou ...

, one whose prophecies do not come to pass *

Necromancy Necromancy () is the practice of magic or black magic involving communication with the dead by summoning their spirits as apparitions or visions, or by resurrection for the purpose of divination; imparting the means to foretell future even ...

, according to the

Masoretic Text The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; he, נֻסָּח הַמָּסוֹרָה, Nūssāḥ Hammāsōrā, lit. 'Text of the Tradition') is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) in Rabbinic Judaism. ...

; specifically those who ''are masters over ghosts'' (Hebrew: ''Ba'al ob'') and those who ''gain information from the dead'' (Hebrew: ''Yidde'oni''). The

Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond t ...

instead condemns gastromancy (Greek: ''eggastrimuthos''), and enchantment (Greek: ''epaoidos''). * According to the Masoretic Text, practitioners of ''kashaph'' – incanting maleficium. According to the

version of the same passages, '' pharmakeia'' –

poison Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...

ers; drug users for the purposes of hallucinogenic experiences. Historically this passage has been translated into English using vague terminology, condemning ''

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have ...

'' (or sorcery) in general. * Blaspheming Yahweh * Working on the

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as ...

* A non-

Levite Levites (or Levi) (, he, ''Lǝvīyyīm'') are Jewish males who claim patrilineal descent from the Tribe of Levi. The Tribe of Levi descended from Levi, the third son of Jacob and Leah. The surname ''Halevi'', which consists of the Hebrew de ...

("common man") who gets close to the tabernacle

Sexual practices

* Being either participant in consensual sexual activity, in which a

betrothed An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

woman consensually loses her virginity to another man *

Rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...

by a man of a

woman in the countryside *

Adultery Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...

with a married woman. Both parties are to die. * A woman falsely representing herself as a

virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

before the marriage ceremony * Marrying one's wife's mother. This was in addition to one's wife; death is by burning. * Certain forms of

incest Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity ( marriage or stepfamily), ado ...

, namely if it involves the father's wife or a daughter-in-law. Other forms of incest receive lesser punishment; sexual activity with a sister/stepsister is given

excommunication Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

for a punishment; if it involves a brother's wife or an uncle's wife it is just cursed and sexual activity with an aunt that is a blood relation is merely criticised. * Certain sexual activities between males (Hebrew: ''zakhar'') involving what the Masoretic Text literally terms ''lie lyings (of a) woman'' (Hebrew: ''tishkav mishkvei ishah''), and the Septuagint literally terms ''beds

erb Erb, ERB or ErB may refer to: People * Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875–1950), American author * Erb of Gwent (–), king of Gwent and Glywysing Surname * Abraham Erb (1772–1830), American-born Canadian settler * Albrecht Erb (1628–1714), Aus ...

the woman's/wife's bed'' (Greek: ''koimethese koiten gynaikos''); the gender of the target of the command is commonly understood to be male, but not explicitly stated. The correct translation and interpretation of this passage, and its implications for

homosexuality in Judaism The subject of homosexuality and Judaism dates back to the Torah. The book of Vayikra ( Leviticus) is traditionally regarded as classifying sexual intercourse between males as a '' to'eivah'' (something abhorred or detested) that can be subject t ...

and homosexuality in Christianity, are controversial. Translations into English are wide-ranging. * Bestiality. Both the human and the animal are to die. * Prostitution by the daughter of a priest

Homicide

Murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...

, believed by Jews to apply to non-Jews as well. Sanctuary at the altar was not permitted. * If an ox has gored in the past and the owner has been warned about the behavior of the ox but has failed to confine it and it gores and kills another person the owner is put to death. If the interested party requires payment of a fee death is not required. If a slave is killed the owner of the ox is to pay a fine, and the ox is to be stoned in all cases. However, Exodus 21:28 mandates that the ox be stoned for the first offense of goring.

Parental discipline

* Smiting a parent * Cursing a parent * A son who persists in disobeying his parents

Courts

* Disobeying the decision of the court *

False witness ''False Witness'', also known as ''The Diplomat'' internationally, is a two-part Australian television mini-series, produced by Screentime Australia, and broadcast simultaneously on the Australian subscription television channel UK.TV and BBC ...

to a

capital crime Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...

Kidnapping

* " Stealing" an

Israelite The Israelites (; , , ) were a group of Semitic-speaking tribes in the ancient Near East who, during the Iron Age, inhabited a part of Canaan. The earliest recorded evidence of a people by the name of Israel appears in the Merneptah Stel ...

into slavery.

References

External links

Jewish Encyclopedia: Capital Punishment

{{The Bible Capital punishment

Crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in C ...

Judaism and capital punishment Old Testament-related lists Torah