Revenge

I don’t defend the Torah’s ostensibly immoral laws, but I do try to understand what motivated them.

The Torah allows kin to take vengeance on a murderer; in cases of manslaughter, the killer is offered sanctuary at a refuge city. These laws highlight the struggle to limit clan justice in ancient Israel, a challenge found centuries earlier among the northern Amorites, as detailed in several letters to King Zimri-Lim of Mari.

“When Your Enemy Falls Do Not Exult” (Prov 24:17)