Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1838-02-21

for intent TO Kill would naTniy nave taken
a rod for its weapon. But it the servant
dies under has hand, then the unftness of
the instrument, instead of being evidence
in his favor, is point blank against him;
fer, to strike him with rod until he dies.
argues a great many blows laid on with
great violence, and this kept up to the
death.gasp, establishes the point of intent
to kiI. Hence the sentence, " He shall
surely be punished" The case IS plain
and strong. But il he continue day or
too, the length Of time that he heed. to-
gether with the kind of instrument used,
and the fact that the master had a pecun-
iary interest in his life, {" he is his mon-
eg" all, made out strong case of cir
cumstantial evidence, showing that the
master did not design to kill and re-
quired corresponding decision and SEN
tence. A single remark on the word
punished" in Exodus xxi 90, Fl, the
Hebrew word here rendered punished,
(Nakom, is not so rendered in another
instance. Yet it occurs thirty-five times
in the Old Testament-in almost every
instance, it is translated Gremge-in a
few, ito take 0engeGnce," or 'tO revenge,"
and in this instance ALONE, "punish" -
As it stands in our translation, the pro-
noun preceding it, refers to the master
the master in the 2lst verse is 20 be pun
listed, and in the 22d not to be punished !;
whereas the preceding pronoun refers
neither to the master nor to the seroant, but
to the crime, and the word rendered pun
ished, should have been rendered Gocng-
ed. The meaning Is this: If man
snite his servant or his maid with rod.
and he die under his hand, 1T (the dealh)
shall surely be avenged, or literally, By
Grenging 1t sail be arenged; that is,
the death ofthe servant shall be arenged
by the death of the master. So in the
next verse" If he continue a day or
two" his death shall not be avenged by
the death of the master, for in that case
the crime was to be adjudged m0nslGugh-
ter and not mWrder, as In the first in
stance. In the following verse, another
case of personal injury is stated, not in
territorial, nor extending to life or limb,
a mere accidental hurt, for which the in
jurer is TO pay sam of money; and yet
our translators employ the same phrase
ology in both places. One, an instance
Of deliberate, wanton, killing byPiecemsal
The other and accidental, and compara-
lively Slight ijury-of the inflicter, in
both cases, they say the same thing =
" He shall surely be punished" Now
just the difference which common sense
would expect to find in such cases, where
COP legislates, is strongly marked in the
original. In the case of the servant will
fully murdered, God says, " 1t (the death,
shall surely be Guenged," (Nakam, that is
the life of the DrOug dOer shall erpiate
the crime. The same word is used in the
Old Testament, when the greatest wrong:
are redressed, by devoting the perpetra
tors, whether individuals or communities
to destruction. In the case of the amin
territorial injury, in the following verse
God says, He shall surely be- fined
(Aunash) He shall pay as the judge
determine" The simple meaning of thu
word Aumash, is to lay fine. 1t is uset
in Deut. xii l9. "They shall Gmerc
him in one hundred sheckIes," and in
Chron. xxxvi. 3-"He condemned (mulct
ed) the land in a hundred talents OF gold.
This is the general use of the word, an
its primary Specification That areng
ing the death of the servant, was neithe
imprisonment, nor stripes, nor amercin
the master in damages, but that it wa
taking the masters life we infer.
/. From the Bible usage of the wor
Nakam. See Genesis ". "a; Joshua 4
! 10; Judges XIV. xvi 2S; Samue
xiv. 24-xviii. 25-xxv. 81; 2 Samue
w. 8; Judges V. 2; Samuel XIV. %
33, &c. &c.
2. From the express statute in sue
case provided. Leviticus xiv. II. " II
that kitLeh ANY man shall surely be pit
to DEATH Also Numbers XIV. 80, 81
" Whose kiIleth ANY person, the murder
er shall be put to death. Moreorer 9
shall luke NO SATISFACTION for the Ia
of murderer aohich IS guilty Of dealt
but he shall surely be put to death.
3. The Targum Of Jonathan gives tn
verse thus, death by the sword sha
assuredly be adjudged."' The Targui
of Jerusalem thus, vengeance shall
taken for him to the uttermost" Jarcl
gives the same rendering. The Sauna
itan version thus, He shall die tt
. death"
: Again, the last clause in the 21st vers
{" for heis his money") is often quote
! TO prove that the servant is his master
J property, and therefore, if 81 he died, tt
!, master was not to be punished. Beeaus
!, LIST. A man may dispose of his proper
as he pleases. I'd. If the servant dit
9 ofthe injury, the masters loss was su
J, ficient punishment. A word about Il
+ premises, before we notice the inference
e The assumption is, that the phrase, " H
y Is HIS MONEY" proves not only that Il