Anyone who reads Deut 25:11-12 is faced with a chilling text. It was not israel’s practice to amputate limbs and the principle of the punishment fitting the crime had already been established. As I commented in the original post, this scripture is not only a departure from these principles, it reflects badly on God to include such a regulation in the law, when Ps 1:2 says we are to delight in the law. Clearly God thinks the law encapsulates the principles of fairness and justice and in most things it does! But what about Deut 25:11-12?
The explanation is provided in LPT’s post and the link he provides.
https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/5137/what-is-the-meaning-of-deuteronomy-2511-12
It is well worth reading, but in short, the words translated ‘hand’ are all different in the hebrew and the interpretation is that if a woman renders a man infertile by grabbing him by the genitals, then the punishment is to cut off her hip. This sounds even worse than the english translation, until you realise it means to cut off her right to a Levirate marriage. In other words, if her husband dies, his brothers have no obligation to raise children for her.
This is just. The man is made infertile and in this way, the woman is too. It fits the principle of Talion. No limbs are amputated!
There are also some interesting ideas about tha hebrew language and the principles by which the israelites interpret the law. A scripture that sounds brutal in English is actually designed to prevent the excessive use of force.
