Topical Bible: Captive: Cruelty to Ravished

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In the biblical context, the treatment of captives, particularly women, during times of war and conquest is a subject that reveals the harsh realities of ancient warfare and the moral expectations placed upon the Israelites. The Bible provides various accounts and laws that address the treatment of captives, reflecting both the cultural norms of the time and the divine commandments intended to guide the Israelites in their conduct.

Old Testament Context

The Old Testament contains several references to the treatment of captives, especially women, during military conquests. One of the most direct instructions is found in Deuteronomy 21:10-14, which outlines the procedure for an Israelite man who desires to take a captive woman as his wife. The passage states:

"When you go to war against your enemies and the LORD your God delivers them into your hands and you take them captive, if you see a beautiful woman among them and desire her, you may take her as your wife. You are to bring her into your house. She must shave her head, trim her nails, and put aside the clothing of her captivity. After she has lived in your house and mourned her father and mother for a full month, you may go to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife. But if you are not pleased with her, you must let her go free. You may not sell her or treat her as a slave, since you have dishonored her." (Deuteronomy 21:10-14)

This passage indicates a level of protection for the captive woman, allowing her a period of mourning and prohibiting her sale or enslavement if the man decides not to marry her. The requirement for a mourning period and the prohibition against treating her as a slave reflect a measure of compassion and respect for her dignity, even in the context of her captivity.

Prophetic Condemnations

The prophets often spoke out against the cruelty and injustices perpetrated against captives. For instance, the prophet Amos condemned the nations surrounding Israel for their brutal treatment of captives. In Amos 1:13, the prophet declares:

"This is what the LORD says: 'For three transgressions of the Ammonites, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to enlarge their territory.'" (Amos 1:13)

Such acts of cruelty were abhorrent to God, and the prophetic literature frequently highlights the divine judgment that would befall those who engaged in such inhumane practices.

Moral and Ethical Considerations

The biblical narrative underscores the tension between the realities of ancient warfare and the ethical standards expected of God's people. While the Israelites were permitted to take captives, they were also bound by laws that sought to mitigate the harshness of captivity and protect the vulnerable. The treatment of captives, particularly women, serves as a reflection of the broader biblical themes of justice, mercy, and the inherent dignity of all individuals created in the image of God.

The biblical laws and prophetic condemnations serve as a reminder of the call to uphold justice and compassion, even in the most challenging circumstances. The treatment of captives is a testament to the ongoing struggle to align human actions with divine principles, a struggle that resonates throughout the biblical narrative.

Nave's Topical Index

Lamentations 5:11-13
They ravished the women in Zion, and the maids in the cities of Judah.
Nave's Topical Index

Zechariah 14:2
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

The Bible
... alive after the general slaughter were carried away captive. ... Their wives and daughters
have been ravished. ... Every cruelty that the ingenuity of man and the ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/haldeman/christ christianity and the bible/the bible.htm

The Gentle Boy
... with shame and anger against the gratuitous cruelty of the ... one whom the wilderness
folk have ravished from some ... Dorothy, this poor child is no captive from the ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/the gentle boy.htm

Letter cxxx. To Demetrias.
... seen with secret agony the virgins of God ravished. ... shipwrecked nor heeded the cry
of those made captive. ... stroke, which was meant not in cruelty towards them ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter cxxx to demetrias.htm

The Acceptable Sacrifice;
... 'Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse ... He saith they are his throne and
footstool, but he doth not say they have taken or ravished his heart. ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the acceptable sacrifice.htm

The Holy War,
... robbery are not the pastimes of the child of God, nor is cruelty the element ... section
of his 'Grace Abounding'"'It was my delight to be taken captive by the ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the holy war.htm

Memoir of John Bunyan
... It was my delight to be taken captive by the ... turned naked into the streets, and many
they ravished. ... himself in his dreadful career of cruelty, while making ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/memoir of john bunyan.htm

Mr. Bunyan's Last Sermon:
The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3. <. ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/mr bunyans last sermon .htm