Topical Bible: Children: Difference Made Between Male and Female, in Mosaic Law

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In the Mosaic Law, distinctions between male and female children are evident in various aspects, reflecting the cultural and religious context of ancient Israel. These differences are seen in areas such as birth rituals, inheritance rights, and religious obligations.

Birth and Purification Rituals

The Mosaic Law prescribes specific rituals following the birth of a child, with differences based on the child's gender. In Leviticus 12, the purification period for a mother after childbirth varies: "If a woman conceives and gives birth to a male child, she will be unclean for seven days... But if she gives birth to a female child, the woman will be unclean for two weeks" (Leviticus 12:2, 5). The extended period for a female child reflects a distinction in the purification process.

Circumcision

A significant rite for male children is circumcision, commanded by God as a sign of the covenant with Abraham and his descendants. Leviticus 12:3 states, "On the eighth day, the flesh of the boy’s foreskin is to be circumcised" . This rite is exclusive to males and signifies their inclusion in the covenant community.

Inheritance Rights

The Mosaic Law also delineates differences in inheritance rights between male and female children. Traditionally, sons were the primary heirs, receiving the family inheritance. Numbers 27:8-11 outlines the inheritance laws, stating that if a man dies without a son, his inheritance should pass to his daughter. This provision ensures that daughters could inherit in the absence of male heirs, though the preference for male inheritance is clear.

Religious Obligations and Vows

In terms of religious obligations, the Mosaic Law includes specific instructions regarding vows made by children. Numbers 30:3-5 addresses vows made by young women, stating that a father has the authority to nullify his daughter's vow if he disapproves. This reflects a patriarchal structure where male authority extends over female family members.

Census and Military Service

The census instructions in the Mosaic Law also highlight gender distinctions. In Numbers 1:2-3, the census is to count "every male by name, one by one, from twenty years old and upward, all who are able to go out to war in Israel" . This indicates that military service and the associated responsibilities were designated for males.

These distinctions in the Mosaic Law illustrate the roles and expectations for male and female children within the covenant community of Israel. The laws reflect the societal norms and religious practices of the time, emphasizing the importance of family structure, religious rites, and inheritance in maintaining the covenant relationship with God.

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Leviticus 12:1
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
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Library

Sources of the Pentateuch.
... of these, especially, is connected with a difference in the ... the earliest generations
toward the future, and made them trust ... "Speak unto the children of Israel ...
/.../gladden/who wrote the bible/chapter iii sources of the.htm

Moses, Allowing Divorce, and Christ Prohibiting It, Explained John ...
... see, therefore, that there is a difference between the law ... The Lord having therefore
made mention of John, and of ... of the souls of Abraham's children, even from ...
/.../the five books against marcion/chapter xxxiv moses allowing divorce and.htm

Essay
... is to bear children, and guide the house: whilst the man has the charge of ... Is there
an immense difference between Adam and his posterity? Adam was made innocent ...
/.../an essay on the mosaic account of the creation and fall of man/essay.htm

Scriptural Types.
... over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel ... of these solemn sin-offerings
made it necessary ... to an apprehension of the difference between moral purity ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxvii scriptural types.htm

Home-Education.
... This is seen in the difference between those children who ... If, therefore, its training
has made it indolent and ... but so indifferent to your children's education? ...
/.../philips/the christian home/chapter xvi home-education.htm

The Origin of Species.
... pentadactyle Andre was the father of many children, not one ... for both depend on the
amount of difference of some ... all the attempts which had been made to carry it ...
/.../huxley/lay sermons addresses and reviews/xii the origin of species.htm

Chapter vi
... children, the result will be that the children are not ... Untenable claims have been
made by those who seek to ... a Piel to express the shade of difference involved? ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter vi.htm

Appeal to the Christian Women of the South
... their employers their wives and children, should induce ... as responsible beings, and
one law made for them ... also; and that the only difference between Hebrew and ...
/.../an appeal to the christian women of the south/appeal to the christian women.htm

Babylonia and Assyria
... to leave the throne to their children, and the ... the rebels in Palestine, with the
difference that whereas ... northern kingdom of Samaria, and made Palestine once ...
/.../early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter vi babylonia and assyria.htm

Against Jovinianus.
... that the younger widows marry, bear children, rule the ... a Gentile to Gentiles, and
was made all things ... one husband be allowed, it makes no difference whether he ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/against jovinianus.htm